Forespar Marelon winches

[bobmcgov]

Little buggers, and cheap. Thinking of adding a pair for headsail handling, jibs up to 120 sqft. Similar to a #5 or 6, but allegedly stronger. At $60 each, they seem attractive, but there's rumors of them sticking. Anyone have personal experience with this winch? Danke.

[sailingdog]

They're great for what they are. They're plastic winches, designed for relatively light loads. Given those limitations, they're pretty good. I've used them on smaller sailboats...

[bobmcgov]

No trouble with them sticking in hot weather? Do they even have pawls and bearings, or just a sleeve bushing inside? Forespar says 200 sqft of sail, West Marine says 125 sqft. Forespar says pull-tested to over 1000 lbs, etc.

Might just buy a pair and if they break or jam, raise bloody Cain with Forespar. They have a pretty fair 3-yr warranty on their products.... I've been stalking winches on eBay, but auctions drive me bat-poop.

[Rockter]

Do they sell them in Scotland?
I wonder.
Looks neat for lighter loads, perhaps a reef line, or outhaul, or something.

[sailingdog]

It was fairly hot when I've used them...didn't seem to be a problem. As for the guts...can't say...never got a chance to dissect one.

Originally Posted by bobmcgov

No trouble with them sticking in hot weather? Do they even have pawls and bearings, or just a sleeve bushing inside? Forespar says 200 sqft of sail, West Marine says 125 sqft. Forespar says pull-tested to over 1000 lbs, etc.

Might just buy a pair and if they break or jam, raise bloody Cain with Forespar. They have a pretty fair 3-yr warranty on their products.... I've been stalking winches on eBay, but auctions drive me bat-poop.

[bobmcgov]

Originally Posted by Rockter

Do they sell them in Scotland?
I wonder.
Looks neat for lighter loads, perhaps a reef line, or outhaul, or something.

Rockter: might try contacting Nauquip. They're the biggest Forespar dealer in the UK. These would be great winches on booms or masts, just for their lightness and low cost. The money you save could go towards some nice self-tailers where it counts.

[andyseaman]

Yes Bob -- in my experience they all stick, even to the point of seizing. They have a one piece mount with a marelon post, a bronze bushing, and a drum. The bushing is a force fit in the drum, and turns on the post. I just worked on two that had seized the bushing to the post and were turning the drum on the bushing (but very hard to turn). I just reamed out the drum a bit with a 1" drum sander and let them turn free on the bushing. since it's bronze on marelon either way, I doubt if it matters. Alternatively, you can sand the post a bit if the bushing will come off with the drum, as was the case on another pair. I think they are made to too tight a tolerance, and the marelon swells a trace. Fix that, and they work fine. Just unscrew the center screw and lift off (or pry off) the drum. Read the instructions and make sure you replace the screw retainer "core bushing" properly. And don't sand or ream them too much, or they will get too sloppy of course. I just roughed it up a bit, and I am supposing it will then wear in again to a nice lose fit. Apparently the bronze/marelon mating requires no lubrication.