I'll need to get the exact model and some pictures of my situation up here. The bottom flange of my
winches are secured to the sides of the boat (?gunwhales?), but, the internal shaft of the
winch is not fixed to the bottom flange for my model of
winch. When you lift the entire
winch unit off you are left with a base with just that bottom ring of teeth still fixed to the boat. Again, I'll get some model numbers or photos up here so I can start making some sense.