Which winch?

[steve77]

Originally Posted by benesailor

S/S andersons are nice. That's true about winches wearing out; i've never seen it either. Then again i don't have umpteen years either.
I almost got me a C34...... then i happened onto the fire sale that i have now; my bene 400. Newlyweds, she didn't like sailing and wanted a new house. Something had to give. I told my BROTHER at his bachelor party i'd be getting that baby at half price....I like it a lot. "My forever boat" The admiral loves it.

May 15th in maine to start? I had no idea. I drop in april 15-20 like clock work. Pull out aound Oct 15, wish it was later.

Good luck with the winches

Thanks. Both of the marinas I've been at in Portland use May 15 so I assume it's uniform there. When I moved here I checked around and I think the places I checked were also May 15. Even in Maine, I would be out in April if I could.

[BELLATRIX1965]

Originally Posted by Faster

If I was buying new it would be Andersens... esp if this is your 'forever' boat..

PLUS 1 for Andersens! Keep an eye on eBay - sometimes you can get a deal. I got one of mine on eBay, and had to go out and buy the new primaries retail. Check out RIGGING ONLY in Mass. My almost-40 year old winches were not self-tailing, and parts were unavailable - the new Andersens are STs. Awesome design - stainless drums (you never have to worry about chrome wearing thin/out), easy to work on, lightweight - the list goes on.

The BEST purchase I have made for the boat so far!!

[steve77]

Originally Posted by BELLATRIX1965

PLUS 1 for Andersens! Keep an eye on eBay - sometimes you can get a deal. I got one of mine on eBay, and had to go out and buy the new primaries retail. Check out RIGGING ONLY in Mass. My almost-40 year old winches were not self-tailing, and parts were unavailable - the new Andersens are STs. Awesome design - stainless drums (you never have to worry about chrome wearing thin/out), easy to work on, lightweight - the list goes on.

The BEST purchase I have made for the boat so far!!

Thanks. Andersens are getting a lot of love, I guess I may have to re-evaluate...

[steve77]

Originally Posted by BELLATRIX1965

PLUS 1 for Andersens! Keep an eye on eBay - sometimes you can get a deal. I got one of mine on eBay, and had to go out and buy the new primaries retail. Check out RIGGING ONLY in Mass. My almost-40 year old winches were not self-tailing, and parts were unavailable - the new Andersens are STs. Awesome design - stainless drums (you never have to worry about chrome wearing thin/out), easy to work on, lightweight - the list goes on.

The BEST purchase I have made for the boat so far!!

Just checked out the Rigging Only website, wow, they have pretty good prices. Thanks again.

[overbored]

winches from '86 should not be worn out. they probably just need lube. sounds like he was looking to make a sale. service them first and then sail the boat before you decide they need to be replaced. the sound most winches make when you are sitting on a boat in a quite marina always make them seem like they are worn out.

[steve77]

Originally Posted by overbored

winches from '86 should not be worn out. they probably just need lube. sounds like he was looking to make a sale. service them first and then sail the boat before you decide they need to be replaced. the sound most winches make when you are sitting on a boat in a quite marina always make them seem like they are worn out.

Thanks, that was my plan. I'll see how they are after I launch in the Spring. I'm sure they work so this isn't urgent. I think I would eventually like to have all the winches from the same manufacturer though.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by steve77

I don't know exactly how old the winches are. The boat is an '86 and I'm the third owner. The PO only had it a few years so I'm guessing the original owner replaced some or all of the winches. Maybe one is original, I don't know. They are all self-tailing.

In that case, I'd need to be shown specifically how they are "worn out". The fact that they are from different manufacturers implies some or all are newer than the boat

Are Andersens worth the extra cost? Is the SS better than chromed bronze?

In a word - yes. IMHO they are the best currently available. I thought they were a lot more expensive than the others but Schockt bought some recently and they weren't bad at all - very comparable. Still lots of money though - none of them are exactly cheap. Plain bronze would suit me but I have no time for chrome anything on a boat. As for aluminium, I've never understood the logic of them. If a little bit of weight is that important, leave a case of beer at home or go on a diet. S/S & bronze will last virtually forever and look good doing it. Chrome and aluminium not so much.

[Minnewaska]

What is actually wrong with the winches you have now?

Winches should be disassembled, cleaned and greased/oiled every year or two, depending on use and exposure. Replace pawls/springs when needed. I have two electric Harken 66s, one electric Harken 44 and one manual 44. I can do the full servicing on all of them in an afternoon. I can just pull the barrels and lube them all in 20 minutes. If there is a problem, its probably because so many owners just run them until they break.

[Me and Boo]

Take yours apart and see what they look like inside. Have springs and pawls handy because those are good at jumping overboard. As someone who has been doing automotive and truck mechanics all my life, this girl was surprised at how grody the winches on Sisu were. Some solvent, some small parts cleaning and careful lube and oil all the winches now sound and feel great. But, I have the feeling that you were looking for more than that with your winches. Buy new, however, I prefer the old winches myself.

[steve77]

Originally Posted by Minnewaska

What is actually wrong with the winches you have now?

Winches should be disassembled, cleaned and greased/oiled every year or two, depending on use and exposure. Replace pawls/springs when needed. I have two electric Harken 66s, one electric Harken 44 and one manual 44. I can do the full servicing on all of them in an afternoon. I can just pull the barrels and lube them all in 20 minutes. If there is a problem, its probably because so many owners just run them until they break.

The boat is new to me so I haven't really had a chance to see for myself (haven't even sailed it yet). The winches work, but the rigger said they are a bit stiff and recommended replacing them. As I mentioned, there are 3 different brands among the 4 winches. I think Arco part are hard to find (from what I've seen) so I will probably replace those at some point regardless. I'll have them serviced and then see how it goes. But as I said, I think eventually I'd like to have all four winches from the same manufacturer.