Get rid of it before it gets you.

[GILow]

Hi all,

For the last ten years I’ve lived with this halyard winch, knowing full well it is a murderous bastard just itching to kill me in one of a dozen ways.

I’ve worked around the worst of the problems related to handles flying off and breaking limbs, noses, faces etc by religiously keeping the handle out of the winch at all times.

So, therefore, when it managed to drag my finger into the mechanism the other night I couldn’t reach the handle to wind it back.

Thankfully the admiral is calm under pressure and a qualified nurse, so she was able to come and extract me before staunching the worst of the bleeding.

The jury is out on whether I’ll lose my fingernail, but there’s no doubt I’ll have an impressive scar. Cleaning up the blood from around the boat will take a while too.

Anyway, this a call to any of us who, like me, have been intending to replace these winches to do it now. It may have taken ten years, but it finally got me, don’t let yours get you too.

[Rucksta]

When you take it off I would like to have it.

So rare to find second hand gear here that doesn't involve 10 x the value of the item shipping from US.

[GILow]

My plan is to cermonially burn it at midnight while offering a suitable tribute to whichever gods of sea and wind are hanging around.

I could not, with a clear concience, allow anyone else to be maimed by the lothesome thing, particularly now that it has developed a taste for blood.

Originally Posted by Rucksta

When you take it off I would like to have it.

So rare to find second hand gear here that doesn't involve 10 x the value of the item shipping from US.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by GILow

My plan is to cermonially burn it at midnight while offering a suitable tribute to whichever gods of sea and wind are hanging around.

I could not, with a clear concience, allow anyone else to be maimed by the lothesome thing, particularly now that it has developed a taste for blood.

Well said.
I had a similar one which I just removed after a few years of taking the risk. My halyards are now all rope.
I'll place mine in the locker, the Davy Jones one.

[Fore and Aft]

I am hearing you GiLow. I have never used one until last month and it was mounted on the deck of the boat I was surveying. It worked well getting the mainsail up. But when it came time to drop the mainsail I was bent over it trying to work out how to release the brake. I finally worked it out but stupidly I had left the handle in the top. I came within a whisker of having my teeth knocked out!
Cheers

[chrisr]

OMG ! i didn't think there was any of those still in existence !

we had one on the first boat i did hobart on. let us down during the race and we finished with the handle lashed to the mast and unable to reef...

give it a buoyancy test - quickly

cheers,

cheers,

[BlackHeron]

Better get rid of your windlass and anchor chain too then. That gear is 10x more dangerous if you don't know how to use it correctly amd can and will do much more damage to limbs and extremities when improperly used.

Or just learn to use the equipment the right way and quit blaming inanimate objects for lack of knowledge and proper procedures while operating them.

[NevilleCat]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

Or just learn to use the equipment the right way and quit blaming inanimate objects for lack of knowledge and proper procedures while operating them.

https://gph.is/g/ZWl86rK

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

Better get rid of your windlass and anchor chain too then. That gear is 10x more dangerous if you don't know how to use it correctly amd can and will do much more damage to limbs and extremities when improperly used.

Or just learn to use the equipment the right way and quit blaming inanimate objects for lack of knowledge and proper procedures while operating them.

All correct, but a couple of points.

First, other than hoisting by hand there aren't really any options to having an anchor windlass. However a halyard reel winch is easily replaced by a standard winch that works better and is much safer.

Also with an anchor windlass it is generally quite easy, simple and obvious to use it safely and 99.9% of the time one is using an anchor windlass in calm, low stress situations. With a reel winch on the mast the boat might be pitching and rolling, sails flogging while trying to reef in a strong wind, and other situations that makes it a lot easier for the operator to slip, inadvertently place him/her self in harms way or just make a mistake.

Easy to say using the equipment correctly will avoid the problem but with a reel winch it is just all too easy to slip up or make a mistake. However I learned a long time ago that I'm not perfect and do occasionally screw up which in this case could have quite painful consequences.

[nuku34]

To the OP: Yes, deep six the thing. Many things on boats are potentially dangerous, but some, like this type of winch and petrol engines are not worth the risk. The argument about chain and anchor winches is specious because there is no real alternative to these items. If there is I’d like to know about it.
Reel winches only use wire halyards, why would anyone want to be using wire halyards at this point? They are heavy and get “meathooks”. modern low-stretch lines make wire halyards obsolete.
I had a crappy 2hp off-brand outboard that let me down so many times I deep sixed it rather than pass it along. It felt good to just drop it over the side (offshore in really deep water).

[gulfcoastsailor]

Originally Posted by Rucksta

When you take it off I would like to have it.
So rare to find second hand gear here that doesn't involve 10 x the value of the item shipping from US.

Now you did it... cha -Ching!!! LoL

[miketo]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

quit blaming inanimate objects for lack of knowledge and proper procedures while operating them.

Apparently you've never heard of Resistentialism. The struggle is real.

[redhead]

We just replaced the last two of those B****d's last year. I thought we were the last boat in existence to have them. And they are indeed dangerous - and clumsy. Not to replace them would be like keeping your abacus around - just because it still comes up with the answer.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by GILow

My plan is to cermonially burn it at midnight while offering a suitable tribute to whichever gods of sea and wind are hanging around.

I could not, with a clear concience, allow anyone else to be maimed by the lothesome thing, particularly now that it has developed a taste for blood.

Just chuck it overboard - if it floats, you'll know it's a witch and then you can burn it.

[RiverRat37]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

Better get rid of your windlass and anchor chain too then. That gear is 10x more dangerous if you don't know how to use it correctly amd can and will do much more damage to limbs and extremities when improperly used.

Or just learn to use the equipment the right way and quit blaming inanimate objects for lack of knowledge and proper procedures while operating them.

Nope! It's all well and good to preach but humans being humans ..... Saying "it seemed like an OK idea at the time" is not a good plan.

I'm willing to bet my life that you have taken some chances that in review were not exactly brilliant. We all have. Don't provide the temptation and then never have to suffer the consequences.

Safe sailing.