No Windlass

[SayGudday]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

If you get over here to Hawaii I have an electric windlass with a wildcat made for 3/8" BBB for sale. Its an Ideal model and a very simple machine. Runs on 12 volts. Is heavy for shipping but not too heavy for your Triton.
kind regards,

SkiprJohn, you can bet that, if I get to Hawaii, I'll call in on you. How long you been cruising out there?

[Unicorn Dreams]

We don't have a windlass on UD, Ive always raised the anchor by hand. We carry 250' of 5/8" nylon and 100' of 5/16" chain. No problem raising anchor.
I carry a 45 lb and a 60 lb anchor. Even with the 60 lb deployed in let's say 25' of water, the most you have to p/u is 90 lbs +/- as all you have to lift is the weight of tackle from the bow ro;;er straight down to the bottom.
I usually go up to the bow and get ready, wife sets autopilot in to the wind and puts tranny in gear at an igle while I sit on deck and bring in the tackle. When chain gets up and down, snub the chain to let 25,000 lb boat to break it lose, throw tranny into nuetral, haul up the tackle and boogie.
Always figured a windlass was an expensive toy that gets used for 2-3 minutes every month or three.
IMHO

[swagman]

Trying to get by with no windlass on a 28 footer is IMHO asking for trouble.

I'm sure 99% of the time you'd handle it OK by hand over hand, but its that 1% that could be the worry.

We had a 40 foot racer cruiser once with no windlass, and I never forget trying to break out the anchor one morning after a big swell had developed in shallow water and a close lee shore.

I very nearly lost some fingers as the boat dipped into each swells - the anchor continued to reset itself - making the chain snatch out of my hands and scissor back down onto the deck. And the shore got ever closer with its booming surf.

Don't take the risk. If you can't afford a power windlass, I suggest you consider a manual version.

Cheers
JOHN

[zeehag]

i have a progress 1 lofrans i want to get rid of and i want to replace it with another manual windlass-- when ye get here we can make a deal.
there are all kinds of things out in the world findable for little money. some things you can trade work for. just depends on who is the seller.
yeah i have 2 boats-- one is a sloop and one is a ketch., i prefer cruising the ketch and trying to sell the sloop.

[John A]

For us singlehandlers an electric windless with a remote in the cockpit becomes part of the crew.
I've lost count of the times I'd warn someone who had anchored to close, that I would be attempting to raise my anchor and get underway in the early morning, by myself.

[s/v Moondancer]

I have a 122 lb anchor and lots of chain and when the windlass quit I got it up by running and old jib sheet as a messenger/hauling line tied to the chain with a rolling hitch and then led back to the primary jib winch.

If you have crew you can run alternate messenger lines one to each side. Lots of winch work but it works.

[foggysail]

I have a huge Maxwell HWC 2200 windlass on my Silverton. It will yank up my 80# Manson as if it was a toy. But life was not always that easy. Back when I owned a 1979 Hunter 30, anchoring was a first class pain.

I simplified my anchoring problem by first installing a bow roller to accommodate a 33# Bruce (I later upgraded to a 44# Bruce) connected to about 30' of 3/8" chain and that to about 150' of 5/8" three strand nylon. I found sitting in the anchor locker, I could easily pull the anchor rode, line & chain until the rode was straight up. Next I freed the anchor from the bottom using the boats engine and finally pulled the anchor into its resting place in the roller with ease.

There was no need to bend over the railing to lift an anchor hand over hand, fighting life lines. Sitting in the locker I could easily just put my back into lifting with very little strain. Heck, after our harbors filled with ell grass that caused my Bruce to pull up a 50#+ of bottom, I could still get the anchor back into the roller.

Foggy

[SayGudday]

Originally Posted by zeehag

there are all kinds of things out in the world findable for little money. some things you can trade work for. just depends on who is the seller.

Glad you said this because that's been my thinking. All my sailor buddies have said "Ah dude (yeah, some of them actually say "dude") It's kinda super bare bones for sailing aint it?" To which I respond 'I just need enough to get going safely. I'll pick up the luxury items along the way, el cheapo'.

[zeehag]

funny--i never bent over a rail to manually lift an anchor on board, and my only windlass since i started being on board was on this boat i cruise now. there is no need to lean over a rail to raise an anchor even without a windlass.
leaning over a rail is not a smart thing to do . break the anchor loose by using the boat to lift it out of the mud and then sit on deck hand over hand. or squat on deck. leaning over a rail is being shark bait.

[Vasco]

A windlass really comes into play when the weather is not favourable, such as trying to weigh the anchor in a strong breeze that's blowing the boat from one tack to the other. I sailed for many years without a windlass and once it took me a couple of hours to get both hooks up. I was much younger then too. Another good thing about a windlass is that you will not hesitate to pick up the hook if the first attempt at anchoring results in poor placement.

But to get to the answer to the OP's question. The option for having no windlass is big muscles. I found the best way to haul it up by hand is to sit flat on the foredeck with my feet against the pulpit uprights and just use my upper body. This way you don't hurt your back.

As far as rolling hitches and primary or mast winches goes, it's a slow and usually messy system and should only be resorted to if you are near death's door.

[zeehag]

iused no windlass for my 35 ft ericson and had no problem whatsoever. use the boat properly to break it loose then haul the chain and anchor--i used 100 ft chain--5/16. as a female, i had no9 problem with this.

[janice142]

Hello again SayGudday. Yes, absolutely you can get along without a windlass. The question boils down to "Do you want to?" and for me, the answer was nope. Hauling in the anchor and chain was exhausting, and I'm not getting any younger.

I remember when we did put a windlass on our home and the difference it made in our anchoring styles was immediate. Before, when we dropped the hook by an island, there we sat; if diving was better elsewhere, we took the dink. After the windlass, we moved the boat to the sweet spots. It was a profound change and one for the better.

That said, were I young and brawny I believe I'd prioritize a windlass below both solar panels and a wind generator. It's not "necessary" but it is something to eventually install -- when the budget allows.

[STG]

I have wondered about this too as I have a 60# CQR and about 40ft of chain with rope after that. It is hard to retrieve alone, and not fun even with a helmsman. I always work up a sweat.

I haven’t wanted to spend the thousands required to add heavy duty windlass, heavy duty battery cables, remote etc. and so I’ve looked at a few other options. Has anyone ever used the buoy systems? (See the link). It supposedly lets you connect it to the rode via a ring, and just head out at an angle. The resistance/drag of the water pulls the buoy back toward then anchor and then causes the anchor to be lifted somewhat vertically, and by then at the opposite direction of the hold. The anchor breaks free and then due to the drag on the buoy, rises to the surface with the chain hanging on the other side of the ring to balance it. When you’re in deeper water, you can then supposedly just pull in by hand until the anchor is close to the boat.
I’m not sure how great this works (and am admittedly a little skeptical), and I would need to get a little bigger buoy myself as these are only rated to hold 80lbs total (including chain), but seems like it might work in theory. Total cost is less than 100 bucks, and cheaper if you created something out of scratch.

Anyone have any experience or knowledge of these?

http://www.savvyboater.com/store/p/486-Anchor-Ring-Stainless-Anchor-Retriever-by-Ironwood-Pacific.aspx

[John A]

Another skill to develop for those odd times when stuff happens. Sailing onto or off from the hook without an engine/windless.

[barnakiel]

In a boat up to about 30 ft, and if you are still young, no problem.

You collect the slack going forward then snub it and reverse the boat. Then you collect whatever is left.

We do not have one. But I would always recommend a small manual one to anybody - except if anchoring only in shallow waters.

b.