windlass & autopilot

[Leto]

I own a 1976 Bristol 40 yawl without a windlass nor an autopilot. I would appreciate any suggestions about whether to install a vertical vs. horizontal electric windlass and a below decks (or not) autopilot. Some brands work more efficiently than others?

[GordMay]

Selecting a Windlass: http://cruisersforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1475

[TrueBlue]

Gord,
Good article on windlass comparisons and very timely, since I am researching options for replacing my burned-out vertical windlass. However, I was under the impression a vertical windlass is best suited for two bow rollers/anchors, a situation that matches my requirements. This conflicts with the following viewpoint from your article:

"Vertical vs Horizontal:
. . . Often a boat with one bow roller on the center line will select a vertical windlass. A boat with two bow rollers might use a horizontal windlass."

The following two facts within the same article seem to contradict the above comment:

"Vertical
. . . They allow the anchor rode to come aboard at almost any angle . . .

Horizontal
. . . The disadvantages are that the anchor rode must travel in a direct line from the bow roller to the windlass (often necessitating the windlass to be mounted off center) which sometimes looks odd . . ."

Am I overlooking something, or did you inadvertantly reverse attributes in the first quote?

Steve

[Sasha_V]

*

[GordMay]

STEVE:

"Vertical vs Horizontal:
. . . Often a boat with one bow roller on the center line will select a vertical windlass. A boat with two bow rollers might use a horizontal windlass."
The following two facts within the same article seem to contradict the above comment:
"Vertical
. . . They allow the anchor rode to come aboard at almost any angle . . .
Horizontal
. . . The disadvantages are that the anchor rode must travel in a direct line from the bow roller to the windlass (often necessitating the windlass to be mounted off center) which sometimes looks odd . . ."

Vertical windlass:
Rode can feed in at any horizontal angle, but must be near horizontal in elevation. With a single bow roller, the vertical windlass can be placed on the centreline, without regard to any offset in the bow roller (either side of forestay). Can also be used with multiple roller setups.

Horizontal windlass:
Rode must feed in at 90 degrees to capstan drum (in horizontal bearing aspect), but can be at almost any angle in elevation. A single (offset) bow roller would require an off centre mounting of the horizontal windlass, so that the rode feeds (more or less) directly to the capstan. With twin rollers, the (2) capstans are more or less lined up with the two offset rollers.

HTH,
Gord May

[Sasha_V]

Thanks for the clarification, it is what I worked out...but in all honesty, if that article (and it is basically very good) is a standard FAQ response that you roll out every time the question pops up, then you may want to spend several minutes just neatening and clearing it up for meaning, because I had also assumed you had gotten your terminology mixed up.

So something like....

If the deck is considerably below the level of the bowroller because the boat has high bulwarks, a horiontal windless will allow the rode to feed at almost any vertical angle, as long as the winch/gypsy wheel''s centreline has a nearly perfect straight line to the bowroller.

Just a suggestion. Quick examples paint better mental pictures.

sasha

[GordMay]

Sasha:
Thanks for the "wording". Your example is very clear.
I''ll take your advice, and edit the post accordingly. Writing doesn''t come easilly to me, so I appreciate any help I can get.
Gord

[GordMay]

Sasha:
Just 1 more clarification regarding:
If the deck is considerably below the level of the bowroller because the boat has high bulwarks, a horizontal windless will allow the rode to feed at almost any vertical angle, as long as the winch/gypsy wheel''s centreline has a nearly perfect straight line to the bowroller.

Because there should be a minimum of 90 degrees of engagement between the rode and (chain) the gypsy, I do NOT recommend mounting a horizontal windlass below the level of the deck, nor lower than the bow roller. The top of the gypsy should be level with (or higher than) the centreline of the chain’s horizontal elevation. Hence, Horizontal windlass’ are often mounted on “pads”, raising their height.

Damn, I wish I could post pictures / diagrams. Obviously, my narrative needs a lot more work, and even your wording was off centre.


Regards,
Gord May

[Sasha_V]

Not arguing the point of correction, but I just always assumed that on the sort of boats we are likely to own in our lifetime, there would always be someone on the foredeck guiding and working the windlass, that having the windlass sitting below the level of the bowroller would actually be an advantage. The chain/rode would feed through more then a 90degree bend of the gypsy. The line would run from the bowroller to the underside of the gypsy wheel, out the back and stright up into the hands of the deck minion who then flakes the rode/chain into the locker.

Since the article also wisely recommended not leaving the ground tackle attached purley by the windlass, you would need to go up front to unsnubb the rode or unhook from the samson-post or cleat or whatever, you may as well stay around to do a good job of bringing the rode and chain on board smoothly and neatly so that it does not turn into great gobs of tangled muddy goo.

Then again. I own a barely 27 foot boat in which the anchor and rode locker lives built into the fordeck and is about 5 inches deep. No hauws pipe, no locker in the bilges.
We may well be thinking in hugely different scales.

Sasha