We've installed a horizontal
windlass in the
anchor locker of our Beneteau 36.7. Some things you'll might want to think about
:
Can the shelf in the
anchor locker take the load? The shelf in our
anchor locked was over an inch thick of solid fiberglass. I had expected it to be cored with plywood.
The lead angle of the
rode into the gypsy should probably be about 90 degrees, which means the
anchor locker probably won't close or will need to be modified. That's one of the reasons we went with a horizontal
windlass. Check the
Lewmar documentation for the specifications on the lead angle. We put a 3/4" block under the horizontal
windlass to get it as high as possible and still allow the
anchor locker to close. We also added a stainless steel plate to avoid chain rub on the fiberglass.
Check the service dimensions of the
windlass. The documentation for ours did not specify that the aft end of the windless needed to be a few inches forward from the back wall of the
anchor locker to be able to remove the cover for wiring and service. Te documentation did mention dimensions for servicing the gypsy and wildcat (not a problem for a vertical windless).
If the underside of the platform in the
anchor locker is flat, you could have a stainless steel backing made. Since it would not be visible, you could do it yourself with a drill and a rotozip.
We simulated installation with both vertical and horizontal templates to avoid cutting holes in the wrong places - highly recommended.
As for wiring, we installed a thruhull with tubing as conduit running upward to the
windlass from below into the
anchor locker to avoid water from the locker into the bilge.
There is a Good Old Boat resource on installing a
windlass that was published on sailnet a few months ago - good information but based on our experience, not anywhere near complete.
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