Windlass Advice

[chef2sail]

I am looking to possibly replace our Simpson Lawrence horizontal manual windlass with an electric one. I am not unhappy with the manual at all but want the convenience of being able to wash off the line/ chain while lifting the anchor out of the muck. We have a 35 C&C approx 15000 lbs.

Would be looking for one with dual solenoid feature as well as manual free fall and easy recovery manually if it fails. Want 800-1000 or more in lift ability

First- anyone have experiences with maxwell or lewmar windlass, they seem the most common and reasonably priced? Any recommendations?

Second- when doing the installation I would like to avoid running heavy guage wire back to the batteries and am thinking of putting a batter in the anchor locker ( It is huge) and just running the charger wires back from the battery to the 3 bank charger I have. Are the any disadvantages to doing it this way?

Thanks for the info,

Dave

[sailortjk1]

chef,
I will not comment specifically to your requirements.
But I will say, Lewmar Customer Service is top notch in my personal experince and I have heard others praise the Lewmar Customer Service as well.
I can say that Lewmar a pleasure to deal with.

[wwilson]

Originally Posted by chef2sail

First- anyone have experiences with maxwell or lewmar windlass, they seem the most common and reasonably priced? Any recommendations?

Second- when doing the installation I would like to avoid running heavy guage wire back to the batteries and am thinking of putting a batter in the anchor locker ( It is huge) and just running the charger wires back from the battery to the 3 bank charger I have. Are the any disadvantages to doing it this way?
Dave

Chef,

I have a Lewmar that has been lifting & dropping chain for 8-seasons now - without a single complaint. It is however, a vertical orientation so may not be what you are looking for. It does have the ability to drop the chain manually via a clutch adjusted with a standard winch handle. Also, there is a "kit" allowing it to be raised manually as well - I've never popped for the kit!

Mine uses the 0-gauge 12V circuit wire from the house battery bank installed by the manufacturer. Retrofits of electric windlass' on boats of my type are done successfully, as you suggest, by running separate wire from the A/C charger. Many (most) recent vintage chargers have additional output banks that could be used. I have a friend who's HR has used the separate charge circuit to a forward mounted battery, quite successfully for >5 years.

Don't forget that in the latter configuration, the alternator/regulator will not be connected to windlass battery, so your can't take the electrical load off the battery by running the engine while raising or lowering the ground tackle, nor charge the battery while underway.

Wayne

[saildog1]

I just bought the Lewmar Pro Series 1000 for my Tartan 3800. I start the install next weekend. I bought it from Defender. I heard good things about Lewmar and two other people I know have the same windlass on there boat so I hope to copy the installation. Genuinedealz.com has the best prices for wire and cable.