Wire Halyard Winches

tdw · #1 (**permalink**) 04-19-2008

Yes I know they are crap so I don't need to be told that but the new Womboat has them for the main and genoa halyards. They will be thrown away and replaced but to do that I have to fit a new wire/rope halyard, fabricate and install winch pads on the mast and buy and instal new winches. This is simply not at the top of the to do list.

Thing is the genoa winch slips. No matter how tight you do up the brake it will not hold and I have to re tension the genoa every ten minutes or so. Anyone have any idea as to what is going wrong and is it possible to fix until we get the new winches installed.

Your's Hopefully.

sailingdog · #2 (**permalink**) 04-19-2008

Fuzzy-

Any photos of the halyard winches?? Haven't seen one in a while, and a photo would help refresh the grey matter.

artbyjody · #3 (**permalink**) 04-19-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdw

Yes I know they are crap so I don't need to be told that but the new Womboat has them for the main and genoa halyards. They will be thrown away and replaced but to do that I have to fit a new wire/rope halyard, fabricate and install winch pads on the mast and buy and instal new winches. This is simply not at the top of the to do list.

Thing is the genoa winch slips. No matter how tight you do up the brake it will not hold and I have to re tension the genoa every ten minutes or so. Anyone have any idea as to what is going wrong and is it possible to fix until we get the new winches installed.

Your's Hopefully.

I have wire halyards that are spliced into rope. (sorry for lack of technical speak)... A cheaper fix may be to splice the wire at a point to actually rope rigging. Apparently it has worked on my Barberis (and the first time I have ever seen this)... The brake will not hold because wire is almost impossible to clutch into. And it will not be the issue of your winches - so I suggest doing the hybrid approach unless you intend on replacing the winch and rigging... It would end up being a small fraction of both to do in reality - as your winch is probably not the problem... just the nature of using pure wire....I can post pictures of my set-up if you like...

tdw · #4 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by artbyjody

I have wire halyards that are spliced into rope. (sorry for lack of technical speak)... A cheaper fix may be to splice the wire at a point to actually rope rigging. Apparently it has worked on my Barberis (and the first time I have ever seen this)... The brake will not hold because wire is almost impossible to clutch into. And it will not be the issue of your winches - so I suggest doing the hybrid approach unless you intend on replacing the winch and rigging... It would end up being a small fraction of both to do in reality - as your winch is probably not the problem... just the nature of using pure wire....I can post pictures of my set-up if you like...

Slight confusion here . Here is a pic SD.

These things are dinosaurs but were very popular as halyard winches decades ago and in bronze form still do appear oin classic yachts. They do not rely on the wire gripping at all. Wire is attached to the drum mechanically. In reality they work much like a trailor winch. To be frank they are bloody dangerous things. The brakes are known to fail suddenly and catastophically. If you have been silly enough to leave a handle in place they can easily break your leg or arm. Horrid nasty things best consigned to the garbage bin.

Their other flaw is that wire was not meant to be wound up tightly like that and broken halyards are not at all uncommon.

Wire halyard spliced to a rope tail are in all ways better.

However, as I intimated, we have a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng list of to doisms and I'd like to get this thing working albeit temporarily.

Somehow that handle on the side acts as a break on the drum itself. No one has manuals on the things anymore (not even Arco-Aust Winch Co who bought up all Barlow parts when they folded) so I am working blind.

SimonV · #5 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008

TD, is that bronze form or bronze age.

. If you can wait until I get home I will sell you two very nice Barlow 28 2xspeed non self tailing winches ideal for on the mast mounting for main and genoa. I want self tailing cockpit winches.

Hartley18 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008

TD, if the winches are stuffed then as a temporary measure, how about rigging a preventer?? Get a short length say a metre of so of 5mm spectra, tie one end onto the wire fall with a rolling hitch and the other either around the base of the winch or to a nearby cleat as tight as you can get it.

With the winches you have, you could possibly leave the preventer permanently wrapped around the winch base. For a minute or so extra work, this might at least stop the emergencies...

sailingdog · #7 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008

My guess is the handle on the side adjust the tension on a brake band or something similar... and either the band is slipping, from dirt, grease, etc.. or the band is broken. Opening up the beast will tell you either way, and it might be a relatively simple fix—like cleaning and adjusting the inner bits...

tdw · #8 (**permalink**) 04-20-2008

More like stone age. Might be a plan Simon although Raven has self tailing halyard winches and I must say I quite like them. Also, we are contemplating putting larger self tailers for the sheets onto Erringhi and if we do then we'll put the old sheet winches onto the mast. Doubt anything will have happened by the time you get back so let's keep it in mind.

Hartley, not a bad idea actually. Have to give that a whirl. thanks.