Lewmar V2 Windlass

[Shrew]

I have a Lewmar V2 vertical windlass with drum. I have 3/8" (10mm) G4 chain and a 44lb (20KG) anchor. The windlass has a difficult time retrieving chain unless the chain is absolutely vertical. The windlass has a very difficult time breaking the anchor free from the seabed. In both cases the windlass will simply stop retrieving. Once I break the anchor free, the windlass has a difficult time raising the anchor with 10 ft. (3+ Meter) of chain.

Do the electric motors simply get 'tired'? Or, is the windlass undersized? Both?

[TheOffice]

Good chance the battery or cable ends need to be cleaned, or the battery is not holding a charge. If the windlass used to be up for the task, you have an electrical problem. Clean and inspect the terminals, test the battery.

[Reefmagnet]

Check the contactor. These cause this kind of problems when the contacts deteriorate.

[Shrew]

To be clear, I'm not loosing power. The battery itself is fine. I can pay rode out with the windlass. It is simply not strong enough to do the job.

It's a new boat to me, however I assume it worked before. I increased the anchor weight by 10 lbs and when raised it's usually full of clay, adding more weight. It can lift the anchor once it's broken free. It just does so slowly and sounds like it's straining.

I'll certainly check the connections and contactor. This looks like the original windlass (1999) and the motor case exhibits a good deal of corrosion.

[Reefmagnet]

You won't necessarily lose power completely with bad connections. Bad connections create resistance which reduces the electrical power available to the motor. Easy to check with a voltmeter. With the winch in operation and "struggling", measure voltage at the battery and then measure the voltage at the winch motor terminals. There shouldn't be a significant difference between those two reading and the voltage should be north of 12 (or 24) volts or so at the battery at the very least. If there is a significant reading difference, use the voltmeter progressively across connections in the circuit to find the connections with poor contact.