self tailing winches but what size

[saurav16]

I am looking to replace my main winches the ones for the jib sheets this fall. I was looking at self tailing as they seem easier when sailing single handed. My question is how do I determine the size winch to buy. I have a catalina 27 with Lewmar 10's single speed. I think the 10's are small is 16 appropriate for this vessel? Another question is, is it worth getting two speed winches? Thanks in advance!

[BarryL]

Hello,

If you will be sailing shorthanded, Self Tailing winches are definitely the way to go. If your crew is not very strong, 2 speed winches are also very nice. My Newport 28 came with Lewmar 30ST, 2 speed, self tailing, which worked great on that size boat.


Good luck,
Barry

[sailingdog]

The Lewmar 30ST's would be an excellent choice, but may be a bit pricey for you.

[saurav16]

True, I want to try to keep the costs to a minimum, the 30st's are expensive, any other's you all would suggest?

[tdw]

There are some things you should buy on the basis of quality and nowt else.

[sailingdog]

The fuzzy one's right in this case... skimping on winches is generally a false economy.

[Jotun]

What about simply putting those self-tailing conversion rings over the top of the old winches? I don't think you need two speed winches for the jib sheets.

[sailingdog]

I'd go with a 16ST one-speed lewmar. Going from a 10 to a 16 is a reasonable leap in size...going all the way up to a 30 is a bit overkill.

BTW, you can always use Lewmar's winch sizing calculator to figure out if the 16St will work for you.

[pigslo]

Used winches are another consideration as winches that are maintained have a long service life.
pigslo

[saurav16]

As far as used winches Barient seems to be cheaper on ebay. How are Barient winches compared to Lewmar and Harken?