What windlass to buy

[Harro]

Hi everyone I'm searching for a new windlass.
Have been looking at Southern Pacific 900 mighty horizontal.
Does anyone have experience with this model or any other SP Windlass

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[andyft]

I have a tigres works really well

[brianlara 3]

Harro, I was once going to but an SP windlass but decided to buy a Lewmar 1000 Pro instead.
The Lewmar ground to a halt within 11 months and the (then) distributor Barlow replaced it with a new new with no questions asked.
The replacement Lewmar died the same death, same crunching, grinding symptoms after only 10 months!!
So I bit the bullet and bought a Muir horizontal which has operated like a swiss watch for over 42 months now. And fwiw, i've lived on the hook for 7 years now and am usually re-anchoring in a different place a couple of times a week, often in 40 ft plus of water in open roadsteads.
NO moorings, ever.
What I'm saying is that your windlass is almost the most important piece of kit on your boat.
I know of a chap with a SP windlass on his Adams 40 and that windlass, to this 70 ex mechanics ears and eyes, is not good buying. Cheap sure, but imho they are not meant for the foredeck of you Beneateau.
Brother, haul you chain by hand until you can afford to spend another thousand or so.
Choose wisely keeping in mind Murphys first law of commerce viz: "you don't get much windlass for a low price"
Cheers Brian.

[UNCIVILIZED]

A Maxwell Vertical mounted well back from the bow is a pretty nice way to go. That way you move the weight of both the windlass & the chain aft. Or, you can mount just the windlass aft of the chain locker so that it's motor & electrics aren't living in a damp, sometimes flooded space. Much as pictured in this post http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2141509

[Suijin]

Lighthouse 1501, nuff said.

[gjordan]

I just bought (used) an Ideal vertical windlass. They are as close to bullet proof as you can have in marine gear. They are also very pricey but I think they are worth the bucks. Ideal has been building windlasses since before WW2 and is still making them. On previous boats I mounted a new SL Hyspeed that seized up on the passage to the Marquesas. I managed to free it up. On my next boat I installed a new Vertus manual that also seized up after a passage. Again, I was able to free it, but was very unimpressed with it. I had an electric capstan type windlass on my next boat and in 8 years of cruising , never had an ounce of trouble, but I never did figure out what brand it was. All chain and an electric windlass will allow you (so much easier) to move around and try different spots that you would not do if you had to crank up heavy chain in the hot sun. Having had all chain on my first cruising boat and then several boats with rope/chain combo, the "all chain" is by far, my preference. Just my 2 cents worth. _____Grant.