Mystery winch pawls

[SV Pohadka]

Greetings! New here.

Have disassembled and cleaned an old chromed bronze mainsheet winch; one of the pawls is busted and i'm looking to replace it/obtain some spares. They seem to be in two sets - an upper set and a lower. I had thought the winch was a Merriman, but RigRite says it's not and they haven't returned my email/call. Please, can anyone can tell me a) what this winch might be and b) (more importantly) where i could obtain these pawls? I'm looking at having them machined, but that may be prohibitively expensive...

Attached are photos.

Many thanks!

R

[Faster]

Is this an older 'slide handle into the top' style of winch rather than the 8 pointed standard drive? Looks it from the pics. You might be best off taking a good pawl to a nearby rigger or marine consignment store and try to find a match. Unless you have a buddy with skills and a milling machine getting one made may well cost a bit....

However from the look of this winch an upgrade/replacement may be in order too...

[SV Pohadka]

"Is this an older 'slide handle into the top' style of winch rather than the 8 pointed standard drive?"

It sure is. Have already looked around local shops and am turning up blank. I guess i'm sort of hoping someone recognizes them and happens to have an unused almost forgotten handful stuffed away somewhere.

Would love to avoid replacing it - i'm a bit of a sucker for the old gear on my boat...

R

[Faster]

Well, that's where the marine consignment/recycle outlet is going to be your friend.... or craigslist or Ebay - surprising what can be found there too.

Plenty of boats will have had that old style winch and often they are replaced so you may have some luck somewhere, somehow...

Best of luck.

[Tempest]

I'll look at my marina store, they have bins full of old stuff, I have seen these winches in their pile. You may have to purchase the whole winch if they do have it though..
You might check with Bacon's in Annapolis too.

[dacap06]

Originally Posted by Faster

Well, that's where the marine consignment/recycle outlet is going to be your friend.... or craigslist or Ebay - surprising what can be found there too.
Best of luck.

I'm with Faster on this one. I'll recommend Bacon Sails. They have a huge stock of used equipment for sale and their prices are reasonable. Take a look at their web site, paying special attention to their used winch section. There's a used winch at just about every price point. Give them a call. They might have the pawls, and they almost certainly have a good replacement winch that you can afford. I'll also recommend that, should you decide to replace your winch, you do a little homework on parts availability for brands you are considering. Not all can be maintained easily.

But back to Bacon Sails -- I can't tell from your profile where you live, but if an in person visit is worth the effort if you live within a day's drive of Annapolis.

Tom

PS: Great minds, and all that. Tempest posted his recommendation while I was typing and editing.

[captflood]

GREETINGS EARTHLING It looks like a old lewmar pawl to me but I hahe had so many apart I cannt remember for sure GO SAFE

[Tempest]

S/V Podhaka,

I checked the bins @ my marina today....there was winch just like yours there. We measured it but it was under 3 inches. the store was pretty hectic with everyone buying chafe gear, docklines and fenders etc. When it slows down I'll ask them to look in the backroom to see if they have one your size.

[BELLATRIX1965]

Pohadka:

Any chance that you could post more overall photos of your winch - top, profile, etc.? It would help if we could ID the maker - it could be an old Andersen or a South Coast? Any stamped/cast makers marks anywhere?

[merc2dogs]

Could easily make some of those up using basic hand tools and a chunk of bronze.

A couple files (flat and rat tail), a hack saw or a jewelers saw and a drill press. At the top where the curved section for the pin meets the flat area, you want a smooth radius, otherwise it could lead to fractures.

File to thickness, drill hole and glue together using super glue or lock-tite red, place a bolt through the hole as a fixture/support then cope to rough shape and file to finish.
Leave end long so you can tune it during assembly. (It's normally easier to cut a profile around a hole than to correctly locate a hole afterwards unless you have precision tools available.
I've made quite a few hard to find parts using that method.

Edit: glue the old part on top of the new blank, use the old part as a template during the file work, leaving the worn section long for final shaping during assembly. If you have a good one, use that as the template and you'll be god to go.
Also, check the teeth on the ratchet wheel, if the winch was operated a lot with messed up pawls, the teeth may be burred, clean them up with a file.