Trailer winch cable replacement

[Hartley18]

Originally Posted by sailaway21

Galvinized steel is really UV resistant and it's cheap. (g)

It's also a serious pain in the a** when you need to get a screwdriver and pliers out to unlock an over-riding turn with all the summer fisherman queueing up behind you wanting to launch..

The main thing pushing me to webbing straps is:
a) You don't get over-riding turns.
b) You don't get snagged and poked by a wire rope that is not interested in lying flat but wants to curl up like a spring and toss me in the drink when I pull it out to the boat.
c) a couple of others in the club use them on their boats..

..but the last thing I want is a dented boot-lid (or a dented head if I don't duck in time) and a re-launched boat, so I wanted to make sure.

--Cameron

[chris_gee]

SD you say spectra and polyester webbing is very resistant to UV. Not according to a webbing manufacturer.
Lab testing with 400 hrs of exposure gives these results for strength retention -
SPECTRA Kevlar Nylon Polyester
Xenon Method 16E 72% 56% 91% 50%

Unfortunately the figures don't line up but you can work it out. Don't know how much sun you get, but I am sure they do in Melbourne.

[Sailormann]

If you do buy webbing, then put lots of sunblock on it

[sailaway21]

If you get your webbing caught in an over-riding turn you'll not be using a screw driver to free it; you'll be using a knife.
If you research non-rotational cable you'll find that, while not nearly as strong as 6x19 it will be much less prone to fouling and will lay up nicely on your winch drum. Of course, improper unrolling of wire rope will result in hockling and a mess on the drum from day one. At the price offered and ease of replacement, I see no need to slush with grease. Also, do not buy wire rope with an independent wire rope core, or IWRC, as it is notably less flexible and will not lay to the drum nearly as well as fibre core. It's designed for standing rigging and the like.

[Hartley18]

Originally Posted by Sailormann

If you do buy webbing, then put lots of sunblock on it

Cute.

I've had a strap made-up by the guy who did our cushions (in another thread). He's used black Audi seat-belt webbing (don't have the type no. with me at the mo') and a stainless hook that doesn't look dissimilar to the rusted one I have now. He's stitched probably the last 6" which seems to me about double the manufactured ones using the same zig-zag method.

Must admit I hadn't thought about the UV - the boat is normally kept undercover at home - but I might get a cover made up from bits of old cushion vinyl.

Thanks for the tips, guys!

[cardiacpaul]

well, theres this...
http://shop.easternmarine.com/index....5&categoryID=0

or this...

http://shop.easternmarine.com/index....5&categoryID=0

remember, you're not hauling the boat out of the water with this dry, its meant to cinch it to the trailer.

[Hartley18]

well, theres this...
http://shop.easternmarine.com/index....5&categoryID=0
or this...
http://shop.easternmarine.com/index....5&categoryID=0

The strap and hook on those winches look very similar to mine.. (200 smackeroos for a winch?? I wouldn't want to leave that on the trailer - someone might nick it!!)

remember, you're not hauling the boat out of the water with this dry, its meant to cinch it to the trailer.

Sorry, you've lost me (Dumb Ozzie, I know ). As I see it, the whole idea is to haul the boat out of the water - that's what the winch is for.

--Cameron

[cardiacpaul]

no actually, you back the trailer into the water as far as practical, "float" the boat over the skids, and use the last 2-3 feet of winch cable cinch her to the front.
200 for a winch is a lot, I'd hit the less expensive one. (reference the site, they've got more stuff than god should allow)

[Hartley18]

I've finally got the new winch strap installed and we managed to retrieve the boat fine without anything snapping. A couple of things I noted for future reference:

- The boat seemed to be a bit easier to haul up (with a lot less complaining from the winch) with the strap rather than the cable. Maybe due to the stretch? Maybe it was just my imagination.

- We put the clip on the wrong way around causing the strap to fold over itself around the winch whilst winding on (something I've never worried about with the cable), but it seemed to cope okay and was easy enough to untangle once we were up on dry land.

Thanks all for your comments.

--Cameron