windlass quandary

[berwick]

Hi, my new to me sailboat has 2 anchors on 2 rollers (on each side of the forestay) which each lead aft to 2 hawse pipe to the chain locker down below. I would like to install a windlass to handle either anchor. Is it possible to install a windless (vertical?) that can go in both directions and feed into the approriate hawse pipe? The windlass'' I have seen are
bi-directional but I don''t think you can feed the rode in from the opposite side (they all feed into the same spot) which I would need to do to go into the proper
hawspipe. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Richard

[sailnaway]

The site i am posting has some good pictures and lists allot of windlasses maybe you can find something that will do the job. I have plans for the Lewmar stainless V series I think it is because my boat is low profile and a windless sticking to far up gets in the way. http://mauriprosailing.com/windlasses.htm
I don''t know any thing about the company only that they had some good photos and some info. Good luck to you that sounds like a big bill to fill.

[FalconEddie]

There are a couple of horizontal units that can be set up to do what you want. I think ''Lighthouse'' in California makes one. They tend to be a pit pricey, and while the Lighthouse unit is beautiful and all stainless, etc. , I''m not able to swear to it''s reliability.

I use an Ideal vertical windlass that has my primary anchor fed through and into the proper hawspipe to stow low center in the aft bow section, as it is all chain. The secondary bow anchor is also chain, but smaller. To haul it, I must stopper off the primary chain and seperate it from the gypsy, then wrap the secondary on the wildcat and hand tension it in. The secondary ends up on the deck, but once the anchor is chocked, I clean everything up and stow it while the boat settles back on the primary anchor.

From there, I can return to the cockpit and start the engine and haul the primary from the helm. It all feeds nicely into it''s pipe and the anchor self chocks securely. Once well out of the achorage and under way, I can cleat down whatever I need.

I can not think of any windlass that will allow you to simultaneously or alternately handle two anchors without being forward and manually clutching each side. I suppose you already know that and are thinking more about that beautiful dual chain piece of equipment out there.

Good luck with that, but be willing to pay heavily for it.