Windlass Opinions, Please

[svcambria]

Often a boat with one bow roller on the center line will select a vertical windlass. A boat with two bow rollers might use a vertical windlass.

The horizontal ones can be assembled with gypsys on both sides for chain on two anchors - or nylon rode on both sides - or any intermediate combination...

Michael

[matauwhi]

G'day, Starfish, Just replaced my Nilsson 3000 with a Maxwell VWC3500. I have a Mason 53 weighing approximately 45,000 pounds fully loaded using 110 pound Bruce anchor with 3/8 chain. No problems so far. I added the power down capability with the upgrade and like the benefits. Cheers.

[bchaps]

I talked with a prior IP40 owner who sailed for ten years and used a Lighthouse. I asked him if he would still buy the same unit. Without pausing a moment his response was "absolutely...saved my butt many times". Well, I took his advice and just two days ago found myself aground out of the ICW channel at near low tide.

Power boaters were blowing by and causing heavy wakes which rocked me harder aground. I rowed a 70# Bruce about 40 feet into deeper water adjacent to my beam and attached a 3/4" line to the anchor and a stern winch before dropping from the dinghy. The Lighthouse windlass pulled the anchor deep into Georgia mud and then the winch pulled the stern upright as the tide began to rise. Subsequent wakes had no effect on my position because the anchor and stern line held me firmly in position. An hour later, the water had come up adequately to spin off using the Lighthouse to pull the bow into deeper water.

I can now say the Lighthouse saved my butt one time.

Bill

[rcassano]

I agree, the lighthouse is an outstanding machine. The construction quality is second to none, however, would a Tigres or Maxwell have pulled you off the grounding just as well? Sometimes there is myth that develops around certain brands of equipment and even pedigree of boats. The lighthouse does have a slightly more powerful gear ratio than any other windlass. This also makes it slower at bringing in chain, (according to what I've read on other forums). A friend has one on his Valiant 42 and loves it, but has just as many break release issues as any other windlass and admits it takes just as much maintenance as any other piece of gear on a boat. He admits it is slow compared to my twenty three year old, very fast, Maxwell/Nilsson.

The killer for me when deciding on a new windlass in todays economy is price. When I add up the total cost of a Lighthouse compared to a Maxwell or Tigres I'm looking at a few thousand more for the all stainless Lighthouse plus custom bowsprit bracket . Do I really think I'm getting a few thousand dollars more in capability? One more consideration is weight, the Lighthouse is a much heavier windlass compared to the other two popular choices. Weight up on the bow should definitely be considered. Tigres = 53 lb. Maxwell = 52 lb. Lighthouse = 110 lb.

I'm in the middle of this project as well and have considered Lighthouse carefully but it's at the bottom of the short list at this time due to, Cost, Speed, Weight.

[foggysail]

Geez, I just checked the spec weight of my Maxwell HWC2200 (electric). Spec is 121#s. Personally, I don't think super heavy weight really means much at all with today's electric motors. Modern magnetics do a great job at reducing motor weight.

[rcassano]

Sorry, I should have specified the model Maxwell I was posting the weight for. It is the Maxwell HWC-1500 at 52 lb. net. I was comparing the three windlasses that matched the capacity I need for a Tashiba 40 (30,000 lb displacement). All three, Tigres, Maxwell 1500 and Lighthouse will more than work for my application, but bow weight and project cost for each system are very significant and fast retrieval speed is just my personal preference when pulling the anchor.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by matauwhi

G'day, Starfish, Just replaced my Nilsson 3000 with a Maxwell VWC3500. I have a Mason 53 weighing approximately 45,000 pounds fully loaded using 110 pound Bruce anchor with 3/8 chain. No problems so far. I added the power down capability with the upgrade and like the benefits. Cheers.

The Maxwell VWC3500 rules IMO. We use 12V electric version with a 176 pound / 80 kg Bruce and never a problem.

ciao!
Nick.

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by rcassano

but bow weight and project cost for each system are very significant and fast retrieval speed is just my personal preference when pulling the anchor.

I just threw in the towel with regard to bow weight. I have my 115# Avon RIB, 72# Merc outboard, aluminum dinghy chocks, 150# davit crane, windlass at 121#, over 200# of chain, 88# anchor all mounted on the bow. The boat quickly levels off with 100 gallons of water and 300 gallons of fuel loaded in the rear of the boat.

Foggy

[starfish62]

Thanks for the Lofrans suggestion. I'll add that to the list for consideration.

[starfish62]

Originally Posted by Pblais

I can't say I know anyone with a Lofrans that would say different. We used to have a Horizontal Vetus on the last boat that had 10mm (3/8) all chain and it pulled exceptionally well. It's about the quality of the motor. Installation also plays a long term role in how happy you will be. Having enough of a free fall from the gypsy to the top of the pile of chain (aka cone) is critical for the chain not jumping the gypsy. With too little free fall nothing works that great.

Our last boat had an up down switch at the helm with foot and corded remote switches for the bow. Power up and power down. Foot switches can be awkward though they force you in a position that makes it hard to get entangled in the gypsy. The chain gypsy is clearly one of the most dangerous spots on any boat. With 3/8 chain it can be devastating on fingers / toes. Slow than a table saw put more powerful. I never allow anyone else to operate the windlass.

We have a freefall windlass now - they all suck. The all chain rode pays out totally out of control. I would also encourage to have power down with all chain rodes. With 3/8 chain it's almost like dropping a refrigerator off the roof in deep water. 3/8 G40 runs about 1.5 lbs / ft and 5/16 over 1 lb.

Thanks for the "power down" insight Paul.

[starfish62]

Originally Posted by rcassano

Sorry, I should have specified the model Maxwell I was posting the weight for. It is the Maxwell HWC-1500 at 52 lb. net. I was comparing the three windlasses that matched the capacity I need for a Tashiba 40 (30,000 lb displacement). All three, Tigres, Maxwell 1500 and Lighthouse will more than work for my application, but bow weight and project cost for each system are very significant and fast retrieval speed is just my personal preference when pulling the anchor.

RC, let me know what you ultimately decide. Our boats are pretty close in displacement (almost identical, really). I'm a month or two off of the purchase decision.

[rcassano]

Starfish,
At this moment I have the Maxwell HWC-1500 sitting on the kitchen floor. I decided on this unit because the measurement across from warping drum on the port side to the gypsy on the starboard was almost perfect for the anchor roller lead on each side of the bowsprit. The Maxwell was only slightly more in price than the Tigres and both had almost identical performance specifications. If I had gone for the Tigres I would have had to mount it off-center to starboard so it would line up with the chain. I anticipate mounting the Maxwell dead center on the bowsprit using a fabricated stainless bracket.

Now that I have this particular windlass in front of me and spent the money I have to say it is a beautiful looking machine - construction is outstanding. In the interest of making a good looking windlass Maxwell has designed the housing using nice curved lines. Unfortunately, they do not provide a "full scale" template for mounting and drilling holes and the curves lines make getting a square reference point a challenge but not an impossible one. There is a mechanical drawing for this in the manual with dimensions in both metric and SAE, but a full scale templet would make the layout easier and more accurate.

One feature I did not know about before buying is that Maxwell installs a magnet and drills the hole for mounting a chain counter sensor in each unit. After a few calls to find out how accurate their chain counter is I found out it is dead on accurate. I was hoping for just six feet one way or the other. Right now, I use colored wire ties on the chain links. This works, but the wire ties have to be checked and replaced from time to time. The chain counter display mounted at the helm sounds like a nice feature which I will most likely add before the HWC-1500 is finally wired and bolted down.

The one unique installation issue for me is fabricating a heavy duty stainless mounting bracket to fit over the top of the bowsprit. I plan on making a model out of 1/4" plywood (glued together) and bring this to the machine shop to duplicate in 1/4" stainless. As on most boats not a single dimension makes any sense so a wood model should allow for a full custom fit.

My old windlass was a Maxwell/Nilsson, V1000 which used a 1000 watt motor and was unbelievably fast at bringing chain into the boat. I won't mention the harbor, but I was able to lift a five inch diameter electric cable off the bottom and bring it to the surface with the old V1000. My excuse for this is the mis-charting of the cable on the government charts. In any case, if the old V1000 can do that I should have no problem with the HWC-1500 and its 1200 watt motor.

Hope this helps. The real issue for making a decision between two good products is which is going to fit your boat best and present the least challenge to install. Do a lot of measuring and picture taking before deciding.

[starfish62]

Wow! That's interesting that the 1000-watt version had that much power and was able to handle your displacement with ease. I was concerned that the 1500 (1200 watt) or comparable would possibly not be strong enough. Good luck on the bowsprit mounting plate!