stripper ring for Lewmar 40ST winch

[L124C]

The stripper ring (15000137) on one of my Lewmar 40ST winches (early 80's vintage) broke, thereby turning it into a NST winch! The ring is no longer available (Lewmar's casting broke in 06, and they are not replacing it). I am having a machine shop make a couple of rings, and I'm wondering if anyone else wants to have one made, as the majority of the cost is in the initial set up. If not now, contact me in the furture for the shops name as they will have the setup in their computer. I always wondered why the ring was plastic. The machinist explained that the winch hub is alloy and a metal ring would wear it down as it rotated around the hub. I also didn't know that machine shops work with plastic. Ya learn something everyday (sometimes, two things)!
Bill
415 302 7109
9/09 Update: If you are looking for these rings the solution is on page 3. I just saved you a lot of time and grief!

[watom]

Aloha,
I just received a replacement from Defender was 15$ I believe try the on line they may have more.
Tom

[midnightsailor]

FWIW, I was informed by a knowledgeable source that Lewmar does not support their older model or series winches when they come out with a newer one, such as the current Ocean Series winches. Thus, it can be difficult to find replacement parts for and older winch. I found this out while trying to find a replacement lower pawl gear when overhauling a friends older model winches he had recently purchased at a swap meet. In cases like this, you need to search out various vendors who may still have some old stock parts on their shelves or inventory, such as watom was able to do through Defender. Could this be Lewmars way of encouraging us to purchase their new winches? This is another good reason to take care of your winches and service them at least, at a minimum, of every three years. Yearly servicing, of course is best. Once you do it for the first time, subsequent servicing goes quickly and easily. single and two speed,including self-tailing winches are generally quite simple and straightforward to do, large three speed models do get a bit more difficult. Generally, the most time consuming part of the process is digging out and removing the hardened on grease from winches that have rarely ,if ever , been serviced, especially if too much grease was globed on the parts. Note that when greasing the gears, bearings, etc. you need only to apply a small amount grease, another case where "more is not better". Also, note that the pawls should not be greased, only oiled with a few drops of light oil like "3-in-one" or Marvel Mystery Oil.
I find it surprising, how little attention most sailors pay to their winches, as if as long as they can hear them "click" all is well. Unfortunately, by the time the clicking stops, and one finally pays them some attention, it is not unusual to find worn gears, or bearings, or spindles. When I think about how much time and attention one usually pays towards their engines (regular oil changes, filters, fuel additives, etc.) while barely even thinking about their winches, it makes me wonder if they have any idea of the punishment winches must take (high stress loads, constant soaking in salt water, dust and dirt) and yet the cost of the six or more winches on the average boat can cost as much if not more than the engine! Just something to think about the next time you count on these nearly always trustworthy and dependable pieces of machinery to crank in your genny, mains l' or whatever.

[Stillraining]

Been dealing with Lewmar a lot latly..They told me its their standard policy that they will support there products for 10 years after discontinuation...then they stop..

If some mold or something breaks at the factory its understandable not to re-tool it if its not a high turn over part...unless its very early on.

[sailingdog]

Bill-

I'm pretty sure they still support the ST40 winch, as I have three of them on my boat and am pretty familiar with the winch and the company. Do you have a photo of your winches? How old are they? Last I checked the 40ST is still in production and looks like this:



BTW, if you're talking about the stripper ring, which is part #5 in this drawing:



They are still available... since the winch is still in production. I didn't see any part on the LEWMAR site with the part number that you indicated above.

[L124C]

My ST40's are from the early 80's. Looks like yours are more recent Sailingdog. The thing is, the winches are in great shape, work perfectly and I'm hardly going to replace them for want of a stripper ring! I've contacted Lewmar dealers, salvage yards, TAP Plastics, etc. etc. to no avail. In fact, a Lewmar dealership told me about some guy in New York who was making them. I tracked him down, but he isn't doing it anymore. I hate to even think about the time I've put into the search! At this point, its worth it to have them fabricated at about $200.00, rather than spend more time looking. Checked with Defender, no luck. They acknowledged that the newer rings are not compatible with the older winches. You would think Lewmar would come up with a unique number for each winch to avoid the confusion. For example ST40-83 if they were first produced in 1983 as opposed to ST40 models first produced in 93. Oh well, in a perfect world, the ring would never have broke in the first place!

[sailingdog]

L124C-

If you have a stripper ring that is in good shape in another ST40 on your boat, why not make a mold of it and then cast a new one out of HDPE yourself. I'd bet that one side of the stripper ring is all on a single plane, which means you can use an open mold to cast the other side, and then cut it down to fit.

[Lasterm]

Originally Posted by L124C

My ST40's are from the early 80's. Looks like yours are more recent Sailingdog. The thing is, the winches are in great shape, work perfectly and I'm hardly going to replace them for want of a stripper ring! I've contacted Lewmar dealers, salvage yards, TAP Plastics, etc. etc. to no avail. In fact, a Lewmar dealership told me about some guy in New York who was making them. I tracked him down, but he isn't doing it anymore. I hate to even think about the time I've put into the search! At this point, its worth it to have them fabricated at about $200.00, rather than spend more time looking. Checked with Defender, no luck. They acknowledged that the newer rings are not compatible with the older winches. You would think Lewmar would come up with a unique number for each winch to avoid the confusion. For example ST40-83 if they were first produced in 1983 as opposed to ST40 models first produced in 93. Oh well, in a perfect world, the ring would never have broke in the first place!

I had the same problem o my Catalina 30 (1984)
Have you solved the issue?
I had the local machine shop make them and they will be willing to make more if necessary. The larger number of people would help...
Michael

[warmbeer]

If it is the stripper ring you need and not the arm then these guys had a couple for pre '90's ST30/40, plastic not metal. Found them in the process of looking for a ring for a newer series ST40.
You will not find the P/N online, tel # 800-224-3937, Binnacle - your online marine store.

Good Luck

[L124C]

Originally Posted by warmbeer

If it is the stripper ring you need and not the arm then these guys had a couple for pre '90's ST30/40, plastic not metal. Found them in the process of looking for a ring for a newer series ST40.
You will not find the P/N online, tel # 800-224-3937, Binnacle - your online marine store.

Good Luck

Thanks, I'll contact them. Are the newer ones metal? I was curious why mine were plastic. A machinist explained that because the winch shaft rotates inside the ring, a metal ring would wear on the shaft. Seemed obvious after he pointed it out!