Fitting an electric windlass

[pillum]

I've never fitted an electric windlass before. Any tips please, is it a big job? I'm OK with the electrical side of things, it's the mechanical side (holes in deck etc) that worries me.

Cheers
Paul

[Reefmagnet]

Measure twice, cut once is the golden rule other than that not too difficult. And make sure there is enough room for the anchor to rest in the stowed position whilst still clearing the winch as shown in your picture. Another thing is have a sturdy cleat located in a handy spot to wrap the chain/rode around with allowance for a snubber so the winch doesn't take the strain when anchored.

[Blue Stocking]

Completed fitting a Lewmar H3 to a Hatteras 42 just yesterday. Instructions generally include everything you need to know. I sometimes think the recommended power cable sizes are too conservative. Allow about 3 days for complete job. Inside that chain locker, climbing in/out, final wiring to contactor, all takes up a lot of time. Good quality hole saws, long drill bits, sealing deck at thru-holes, all necessary gear required.

[rwidman]

When I replaced the manual windlass with the electric one, the hardest part was moving the holes. That is, filling the old holes and drilling/cutting new ones. Fiberglass and gelcoat would have been best but I used epoxy and wood.


Different windlasses and different boats make the installations different but you should have instructions with the new windlass. Line the windlass up with the anchor roller and make sure it is on the reinforced mounting pad. Use fender washers or a backing plate under the bolt heads to spread the load.

[foothillsailor]

Only 3 things to add:
1) use the largest widest backing plate possible to spread the load across the greatest surface possible because when you engage the windlass it can be quite a strain on your deck;
2) think hard about how you will be using it in tough conditions--on the recommendation of a buddy I went with a hand held controller rather than the foot button type and am glad I did because in rough conditions it would have been difficult to keep my footing,
3) make sure that you have sufficient room for the 'fall' of your chain and how it will pile up in your chain locker and if you have a rope rode that you can easily access it because it may not easily flake in the locker
Not a difficult job but will take longer than you would expect.
Just my two bits

[pillum]

Thanks to all responders, I feel more confident now, though I'm going to allocate more time to do the job than I thought.

Cheers
Paul

[drpaoletta]

Here's an idea on how to install it inside a chain locker so it doesn't protrude down into the overhead of the vee berth. This required fabrication of a custom bracket. 1983 Catalina 30 pictured.

[darrelweb]

drpaoletta,
I have a question on your electric windlass install. Do you have a sketch of the bracket you had built for your 30' Catalina? I have one also and have been trying to figure out the mount. You have already done that.
Your install looks great.
What did you do on the other side of the anchor locker in the V berth area?
Any more pictures would be great.
I forget if you can use private email to send pictures.
Thank you.
Darrelweb

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by foothillsailor

Only 3 things to add:
1) use the largest widest backing plate possible to spread the load across the greatest surface possible because when you engage the windlass it can be quite a strain on your deck;
2) think hard about how you will be using it in tough conditions--on the recommendation of a buddy I went with a hand held controller rather than the foot button type and am glad I did because in rough conditions it would have been difficult to keep my footing,
3) make sure that you have sufficient room for the 'fall' of your chain and how it will pile up in your chain locker and if you have a rope rode that you can easily access it because it may not easily flake in the locker
Not a difficult job but will take longer than you would expect.
Just my two bits

I agree on the hand held control. Much handier than footswitches for sure. and you can look over the bow etc with a hand control. Sometimes the rode is very mucky.... with a footswitch you:
stop pulling,
go to the bow,
pick up the brush or bucket,
brush or wash off the muck,
lay down the brush
go back to the switch,
pull up a few feet and
keep dong that over and over.

With a remote you simply start and stop and use the brush...

Regarding installation, be sure to seal the deck core to avoid water saturation where you make holes.
I'd give myself a whole day to run electrical and probably another day for mechanicals.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by pillum

I've never fitted an electric windlass before. Any tips please, is it a big job? I'm OK with the electrical side of things, it's the mechanical side (holes in deck etc) that worries me.

Cheers
Paul

Paul,

Assuming your deck is good, put a good sized backing plate under the deck to accommodate the winch and cleat. Seal the through decks thoroughly.

[exMaggieDrum]

It will take 4x longer than you think. Working upside down and backwards is a vastly underrated activity especially when you are being tortured by the lower jamb of the access hatch. And if the motor is below deck, trying to get to the forward bolts that are behind the motor. Two people are almost essential when doing the final bolting. I have done it by blocking wrenches on top while I tighten below but that can be a nightmare. Your abs will be in much better shape after it is all done (crawling in and out of the v-berth, etc.).

Don't use silicone sealant - for any part of the project - unless, silicone was used before. No sealant will ever stick to silicone except (sometimes) silicone. Don't use 5200 as it is permanent. Odds are you will have to remove the windlass some day for some reason and you don't want to peel back the gel coat to do it. You might consider using a starboard (or similiar) backing plate (in addition to the underneath one) on top of the deck but not necessary.

Backing plate - ditto - big. Use stainless steel or other material. Don't use mild steel. If you back with 3/4" marine ply - coat with epoxy all sides and in any holes you drill.

Drill deck holes slightly oversized. Fill with thickened epoxy and redrill to size. To seal the deck core. Bed the windlass very well with sealant. Tighten up the bolts before sealant is cured but not too tight so you don't squeeze out all the sealant. Then do final torque the next day. Butyl rubber can be used as a sealant as well. I used it when replacing my windlass last year.

Chain fall is critical. If the chain piles up too tall before it is all in you will have to go below and reposition in between bringing it up. If a tall pile falls over later it may tangle and not want to come back out again. Tricky.

Don't put the switch solenoids in the chain locker unless that is the only place they can go. It is absolutely the worst place for corrosion on the boat that is not actually outside the boat. And be sure and cover any exposed terminals to prevent short circuits. Secure all wires very well. Use wire ties with wire tie mounts. Easier to install and much easier to remove and replace wires later.

Do put a strong point to secure the anchor to the deck independent of the windlass (and also to secure the chain when deployed). Never use the windlass as a strong point unless it comes with a cleat like some of the old ones do.

Just some thoughts. Lots of ways to do everything.

[Island Time O25]

If you're handy with epoxy I'd recommend using G10 for a backing plate. May be a little more than a comparable steel or aluminum plate but no more worries about corrosion or galvanic issues, etc. Just make sure the G10 piece is large enough for the job area wise and thickness wise. I got a good deal on two 2'X2'X1/2" sheets to I epoxied them together for a really robust 1+" thick backing plate. A boatbuilder friend helping me to install it said afterward that the boat can be lifted in the air by the windlass and it would hold.

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by pillum

I've never fitted an electric windlass before. Any tips please, is it a big job? I'm OK with the electrical side of things, it's the mechanical side (holes in deck etc) that worries me.

Cheers
Paul

If that's your old windlass in the photo I would recommend taking it apart for a possible overhaul. When I decided to install one I could not afford a rugged new one (around $3,000) nor did I want a rinky-dink new one for $1000. For $600 I got an older Nielsen with both the gypsy and the drum, which looks similar what you have, and was pleasantly suprised when I opened it up that it only required in and out sanding and repainting of the case, some re-greasing and boring out larger bolt holes as I wanted to use next size larger bolts. Everything else was in great shape. You may just have a tooth of a gear broken or seized which you can replace for a fraction of getting a new windlass of similar robustness. Worse case scenario if you take it apart and it's non repairable - you learned how to do it and can now visualize its inner workings for future reference.

[Valiant173]

I would reinforce one thing mentioned by the others. Water can seep into exposed deck core under the windlass, especially next to where the chain enters the chain locker. If you have a cored deck, you will want to dig out about 1/2" to 3/4" of the core all around the hole you cut in the deck for the motor and chain. Clean well and plaster in thickened epoxy to form a bullet proof seal. The previous owner of my boat didn't do that and after 6 years of anchoring the deck started getting squishy. Because my core was bolsa, the only thing I could do was rip off the top layer of glass, dig out the old core, put new core in, and top with new glass, paint, and nonskid. Was a real pain.

By the looks of it, your motor is below deck and the chain runs right next to motor. When you retrieve the chain, its flopping will coat your motor with seawater and guess what will happen over time. We put a stainless sleeve, held by big hose clamps, over that part of the motor that would get wet. It will increase the life of your windlass.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by pillum

I've never fitted an electric windlass before. Any tips please, is it a big job? I'm OK with the electrical side of things, it's the mechanical side (holes in deck etc) that worries me.

Cheers
Paul

Hi Paul,

Last year we replaced our 30 year old NECO Marine windlass with a different manufacturer's model [LightHouse 1501] so we faced having to drill new holes and come up with a way to reinforce the [1in thick solid fiberglass] deck area because of the holes left from the old windlass.

We reinforced the swiss cheese section of foredeck with custom deck and backing plates fabricated from 1/4in stainless, and used 3M 4200UV as the bedding compound.

It is worth noting our windlass is not bedded; only the deck and backing plates are. Instead it sits in a polyurethane gasket it comes with, which in turn sits on top of the custom deck plate and is through bolted through both plates [nuts welded to backing plate where appropriate...] so the windlass is easily removable in the future should the need arise...

We chronicled this project on our blog which also links to a photo gallery where each photo has very detailed annotations.

I echo the wisdom you have been given by others: allow more time than you think necessary; I spent the bulk of 2 days in the anchor locker with only my head and shoulders showing on deck [no below deck access...] I think I knew most of the boaters in Anacortes by the time we finished. They started referring to our anchor locker as my 'man cave...'

As a finale to this project, we fitted a barrel [550ft] of 5/16 G4 chain into the divided anchor locker...

In case any of our experience is helpful.

Cheers!