winch overhaul

[jasonsiriska]

i own a a bristol 22 and have marinox winches
of wich i know very little else they work well and i keep them clean but i need to service them this spring any help or suggestions appreciated
a new sailor jason

[Jeff_H]

Cleaning and lubing the inside of winches can be a messy operation that results in patrs going over the side. To prevent that I take a corrigated carboard box and cut a hole in the bottom bigger than the winch. I put the box over the winch and use making tape to seal the hole to the deck and then start taking the winch apart. I use lots of paper towels and either alcohol or mineral spirits to clean the parts well, (I have also heard of using diesel fuel to clean parts but you should never use gasolene.) Once clean I usually use a proprietary winch lube like Harken or Lewmar. There are also some really high grade McLube marine lubricants for this purpose that I have heard people swear by. You will need a little high grade machine oil for the pawl sockets as typical winch grease can cause the pawls to stick a little. Put the winch back together and you should be good for the next year or two depending on where you sail and how often.

Jeff

[davidk]

We recently bought 8 new Andersen winches for a new boat that is just about to launch. I had a long talk with the Andersen people at the London boatshow about the spares and lubes that we should carry for the purposes of maintenance and emergency repair. They were very firm that we should leave well alone and not think in terms of service. I''m not really comfortable with that as a conclusion, but should I be?

[Jeff_H]

I have never torn down an Anderson but that sounds imposible. When you look at the salt encrusted gunk that comes out of a winch during a lube, I can''t imagine not going in periodically, and cleaning and lubing.

Jeff

[BallastBoy]

From Andersen''s web site - Service
http://www.andersenwinches.com/english/service/frame.htm

"Due to the best choice of materials and high precision in manufacturing, we recommend, for normal use, only to dismantle, clean and lubricate the winch once every second year. Under extensive use, such as racing, charter or blue water sailing, we recommend to lubricate the winch once every year."

There''s more, of course, but they seem very high on their product!

Curt

[Jeff_H]

Yes, but any winch manufacturer would recommend, for normal use, only to dismantle, clean and lubricate the winch once every second year and under extensive use recommend to lubrication once every year. That is a normal lubrication schedule these days.

Jeff