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The cable on my centerboard winch is starting to show some meathooks so I think it's time to replace it while the boat is still on the hard. Has anyone done this repair yet? Any tips?
How long is the cable? I'm assuming about 10' will suffice since the centerboard swings down to around 6' below the waterline and then there needs to be some reserve as well as a foot or two to reach up to the winch. I'll measure when I get good enough weather to make a trip to the marina.
How is the cable attached to the winch? Will I need any special tools or parts?
I'm not sure how many Helms 25 owners read this forum. On the old SailNet email board, I think there was a at least 30 Helms owners that contributed. I think this is the only board that has any regular activity. Mainly due to you, me and David. If we keep active, it should grow as new owners Google for information.
Knotty - Good information. What lube do you use on the turning sheave? We only have one. How do you get about 12" up in the trunk to lube it?
Kevin - When you take the vinyl hose off the bronze Tee at the top of the trunk, look if the cable has worn a groove in the Tee. From what I can see through the vinyl on mine, the cable is through the wall of the tee at its tip and just touching the vinyl hose. I was planing on filling the groove with MarineTex and sanding smooth rather than re-glassing in another bronze tee.
BTY, I bought new vinyl hose for mine. Its 3/4" over the tee then the 1/2" slips tightly inside the 3/4" up to the winch hub. Its nice heavy wall vinyl I got at West Marine. A foot of each and I'll cut to fit.
I think that if it were possible to access the sheave pin, I would use something like NeverSeize. That stuff really stays put. But any good grease should work fine.
If it's not easily accessible, I would probably use a spray Teflon grease. It comes out of the aerosol can as a liquid and quickly set up into a grease.
I really can't tell you for sure without seeing it.
Can you see it pretty well?
If you can see it, maybe you can make longer straw for the spray can. Or maybe the stuff will squirt far enough without a straw.
It seems strange that they would design it in such a way that you can't maintain it.
But I've seen stranger things.
I installed the new winch wire this past Friday just before I launched the boat. I basically used the method I outlined in one of my above posts. The procedure was easier than I anticipated and only cost $21. No worries about not being able to raise the board this summer! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread and helped me think through the process!!!
Wayne - From what I could see, the sheave appeared ok. However, I did not take off the access plates to get a full view. I simply looked down the copper tube with a flahslight. It seemed to spin just fine with the new wire in place. I did not use any lube.
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