Cracked winch drum

[Pdemajo]

On the drum of my Lewmar ocean 60 winch, after 23 years of great service, i have a little crack. The Crack is only on the outer shell and does not affect the gear inside which seems to be screwed in and then bonded in place. This is my fault as i allowed corrosion to form between the outer shell and the gear.
The metal seems to be an Alloy and I've been told by some to have it welded, and by others to use Epoxy to strengthen it.
..unless i could find a 2nd hand shop where I could find one?

So my two questions would be:
1) should i weld or epoxy?
2) anyone knows of a web environment where i could find 2nd hand parts for this?
I have attached 2 files, one of the winch itself so you can see the type, and one of the crack.

Thank you.

[neilpride]

I would make a small hole just where the crack ends, so you avoid further growth.

I would weld it, but you are going to create a carnage in the finish, options ?, powder coating can be one.

[SailingHarmonie]

Epoxy? Not even a tiny chance of that making a bit of difference. Will make mess though.

This looks like an aluminum alloy, (not chromed bronze) which alloy I don’t know. Maybe it can be welded. It would be ugly.

There are a LOT of used marine part dealers. Google is your friend.

[Rucksta]

Take the drum to a wheel repair shop.

Alloy welding, turning true, recoating or outsourcing anodization

All in a days work.

P.S. Nice winch worth saving

[Pdemajo]

Thank you all. so.. 1) drill hole to stop crack, 2) since I confirm its an aluminum alloy will take it to be welded by a competent person.

Thank you!!!

[Lee Jerry]

The wheel repair shop sounds like an excellent idea.

If hey can't help and you end up trying the epoxy route, it's not going to be regular epoxy, like West or Mas, but rather something like Marine-Tex. That stuff can be surprisingly effective.

As for used parts chandleries, two I'm familiar with are Bacons in Annapolis and Sailorman in Ft Lauderdale. Both should have an internet presence. There are others, too, of course.

[Cheechako]

The wheel repair shop is a good thought. I had no idea there was such a thing...?

Beware that not all aluminum is weldable and especially some cast aluminum's. I dont know what alloys they use. You could end up with a mess. Hopefully the shop can determine that. I assume those winches are cast aluminum. Pretty unusual for those to crack, I dont think I have ever seen one do that. Full welding could warp the whole thing. Maybe just a tack weld at each end inside the drum? Then fill with a hard epoxy filler like JB Weld! It's the right color too.

[AKA-None]

If it’s weldable at all then it can be done with a series of short welds

[The Yacht Rigger]

Because it's cast aluminum (I'm pretty sure it is) it's going to be very hard to weld properly, and of course you risk warping it.
I'd start looking at used marine places for a "new" one.

[Jim Cate]

Before welding, which has the possibility of completely ruining the drum via warping, I'd try drilling the hole to stop further propagation and just using the winch, monitoring the crack for development.

What have you got to lose?

Use the time to look for a replacement at a reasonable price.

Jim

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Before welding, which has the possibility of completely ruining the drum via warping, I'd try drilling the hole to stop further propagation and just using the winch, monitoring the crack for development.

What have you got to lose?

Use the time to look for a replacement at a reasonable price.

Jim

Right
No matter what you do you really should drill a small hole at the end of the crack

[Franziska]

As other said, drill a small hole at the end.

If you do not mind a change of looks, you could gently abrade the lower circumference of the winch and wrap it with an epoxy carbon laminate. Fairly easy to do on this shape.
If you like the carbon weave looks coat with clear varnish thereafter. If not, paint the carbon white.