Looking for Vertical Manual Anchor Windlass

[ccgarnaal]

I sail a 28 foot trintella 1
My anchor and chain can be hauled in easy by hand.
However I'm looking for a small manual anchor windlass for safety reasons.
( I don't like being pulled overboard when hauling the anchor in rougher seas )
Since I dont need much force i'm looking for a vertical gyps wheel without any gearing which can handle both rope and chain.
The anchor chain consists of 35 meters of 8mm chain followed by a nylon rope.

Any advice where i can find this kind of winch?
I have seen them on older vessels but cant find them online.

[Hudson Force]

Manual windlasses are becomming more difficult to find, but with a persistant search, you should be able to locate one. Why are you specifically looking foe a vertical instead of a horizontal windlass? Maybe deckspace for the footprint? You might find more horizontal windlasses available. Be sure to use a large back-up plate or even reinforce the deck area for mounting if needed.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by ccgarnaal

I sail a 28 foot trintella 1
My anchor and chain can be hauled in easy by hand.
However I'm looking for a small manual anchor windlass for safety reasons.
( I don't like being pulled overboard when hauling the anchor in rougher seas )
Since I dont need much force i'm looking for a vertical gyps wheel without any gearing which can handle both rope and chain.
The anchor chain consists of 35 meters of 8mm chain followed by a nylon rope.

Any advice where i can find this kind of winch?
I have seen them on older vessels but cant find them online.

On our old, smaller, boat on which we used only 1/4" anchor chain, I "made" a manual anchor windlass out of an old barient winch picked up at a consignment shop very cheaply. I cut a piece of leather that nearly fit around the barrel of the winch. Punched the facing edges for lacing, soaked it in warm water for a day or so to soften and stretch the material, and then laced the ends together with heavy waxed twine. When the leather dried it shrank and tightly gripped the winch barrel. With this, one could lead the anchor chain through a chain stopper near the stemhead/anchor roller, to and around the winch barrell a couple of times. One tailed with one hand and "cranked" with the other. The crank "handle" was an old 18" ratchet wrench that gave plenty of purchase. It was a somewhat funkly lash-up but it actually worked reasonably well although I later switched to using a line with a chain hook that grabbed the chain right behind the chain stopper and could be cranked in until the the chain hook reached the winch after which one reset the hook.

If the foregoing is too much effort, take a look at Muir Easyweigh 500 Manual Windlass, Low-Profile - Muir Vertical Windlass

FWIW...

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

.......... I "made" a manual anchor windlass out of an old barient winch picked up at a consignment shop very cheaply. ........................

I like this idea a lot! I would have suggested it in my response, but I've only thought about it in the past and I've never done it has HyLyte has done. It's especially a good idea when I look at the cost of the Muir!

[ccgarnaal]

Thanks for the advice.
Might you have a photo of your set up?
Why did you use a ratchet wrench as a handle?
Wouldn't any old sail winch with a built in ratchet and a standard handle be easier?
Otherwise great idea

The price of the Muir does seem out of my budget

I'm indeed looking for a vertical winch because of the heigth on deck and most horizontals are geared and thus slower.

Backing plate isn't a problem There is a single reinforcing wooden beam with an aluminium plate running midship under the foredeck till the cabin. The 2nd forestay and some mooring clamps are mounted on this beam.

[roverhi]

Simpson Lawrence/Lewmar made such a winch. It used the capstan head and chain gypsy off their low power vertical windlasses. The head was modified to fit a standard winch handle off set for additional leverage. Sold mine for $150. Winch worked okay but was at it limits with my 35' boat and I wanted electric. Have seen a couple turn up on Ebay in the interim. Wish there was a place like ebay where you could post 'wanted' ads.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by ccgarnaal

Thanks for the advice.
Might you have a photo of your set up?
Why did you use a ratchet wrench as a handle?
Wouldn't any old sail winch with a built in ratchet and a standard handle be easier?
Otherwise great idea

The price of the Muir does seem out of my budget

I'm indeed looking for a vertical winch because of the heigth on deck and most horizontals are geared and thus slower.

Backing plate isn't a problem There is a single reinforcing wooden beam with an aluminium plate running midship under the foredeck till the cabin. The 2nd forestay and some mooring clamps are mounted on this beam.

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos at this point. I did my experiment in 1970 or so and, in those daze, there was no such thing as digital photos. Any hard copy photos have long since gone by the boards.

What I described isn't difficult or complicated. I used a ratchet wrench as the winch I bought was a single speed and real ratchet winch handles--which are now very hard to find--were very costly (at least to me at the time) verses a Craftsman square drive ratchet wrench that I picked up used at the Marin City flea market for all of about $2.00. FWIW I tried out my lash-up before drilling into the foredeck by mounting the winch on a piece of 1/2 in plywood that I laid on the deck. One of my larger friends stood on the thing as I tried out using the windlass. My bow roller was on the port side of the stem-head and so I needed to offset my home-made windlass well to port to get a fair lead to the winch through the chain stopper. It did work, however. Whatever you choose, be sure to set a chain-pipe in place that you can thoroughly block/seal to prevent water penetration into the forepeak space in a head-sea. Good Luck!

FWIW...

[ccgarnaal]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos at this point. I did my experiment in 1970 or so and, in those daze, there was no such thing as digital photos. Any hard copy photos have long since gone by the boards.

What I described isn't difficult or complicated. I used a ratchet wrench as the winch I bought was a single speed and real ratchet winch handles--which are now very hard to find--were very costly (at least to me at the time) verses a Craftsman square drive ratchet wrench that I picked up used at the Marin City flea market for all of about $2.00. FWIW I tried out my lash-up before drilling into the foredeck by mounting the winch on a piece of 1/2 in plywood that I laid on the deck. One of my larger friends stood on the thing as I tried out using the windlass. My bow roller was on the port side of the stem-head and so I needed to offset my home-made windlass well to port to get a fair lead to the winch through the chain stopper. It did work, however. Whatever you choose, be sure to set a chain-pipe in place that you can thoroughly block/seal to prevent water penetration into the forepeak space in a head-sea. Good Luck!

FWIW...

I'll give it a go.
I'm a little busy now but the project will start in a month or so.
I would use the current hawsepipe. Which is properly sealed and the opening is directed aft. This is easy when hauling in by hand you just drop the chain on deck and it nicely slitters in.
I could just position the winch aft of the hawsepipe and use it as turning point.