I'm trying to picture what you are describing. It seems the spring would hold the pawl in, even if the pivot hole has worn.

Can you just replace the worn part, rather than the entire winch? Pawls are a very serious safety issue. If you have a handle in a loaded winch that fails, it will break your hand, wrist, arm, etc.

 

Thank you Minnewaska for your suggestion.
I am going to try and attach a photograph of the problem.
In the picture you'll see that the one pawl can be pushed in with ease from the side. It should however only be pushed in from the top down. The spring does not hold it any longer in the opening, it falls right out from the side.
The next lesser expensive option would be to replace the alluminum outer housing. But I am not certain that Lewmar has that option. All in all there ought to be a much better mouse trap than this. And I agree, this is a very dangerous problem. I always have to feed the sheet around a cleat to prevent the danger of losing my hand. Maybe I'll just let that happen and sue the mfr for enough to replace the winches and a larger boat....

 

That's not worn, that's broken. You could try and take it to a fabrication shop. They should be able to weld/press in a bushing and cut a slot in it. Looks like there's enough material left to make something work. Machine shop/ fab shop should be able to help ya.

And "a better mouse trap"? The thing lasted 30 years with minimal/no maintenance, I'd say the mouse trap is pretty well thought out. How many 30 year old cars do you have sitting around that never needed parts replaced or repaired?

 

Try going online (ebay and other online consignment shops) and see if you can find a used winch. I found an old Lewmar 43 for $100 that I have in reserve to scavenge for parts.

 

It's an aluminium drum - take it to a machine shop and have them build it up with weld and re-drill the pawl opening. It shouldn't take more than a couple of small tack welds to close in the circle enough.

 

Take it to s fab shop like zz4gta said they should be able to weld back the missing material and then machine a new hole for the pawl. I assume it is aluminum. To me it looks as though that pawl did all the work. the other looks to be stuck or the spring is broke or missing? the arm should be pushed out away from the pivot point into the the center hole when the drum is off the center post

 

I'm also voting for a machine shop. And guessing that the best way to reinforce the area would be to drill out the "socket" hole to make it larger, then drop in a piece of rod stock to completely fill the hole, which will also reinforce the sides of it. Then drill a new properly sized hole/seat in the now solid metal. So it is filled, reinforced, made all new. Welding not necessarily required, so the question of proper and compatible welds also would be eliminated.

Should be a simple job but I'd guess $150-250 depending on how fancy the local prices are.

Odd how one side blew out and the other didn't.

"Thou shalt lube thine winch pawls."

 

I'm amazed you got 30 years out of them given the obvious lack of maintenance. Buy a $20 service kit for your other winches and avoid these hassles.

 

You may still be able to get the part.

Lewmar Early Standard Winch Parts 8

Not a recommended vendor, just a random search.

 

I misread the title- thought it said "wormholes."
That would explain where all the beer disappears on our boat.

 

I have a pair of Lewmar 40 two speeds which I clean and lube every 5 years or so; they are from the mid-1980's. This summer I dropped a part overboard whilst cleaning and lubing on the boat.:hothead. I ordered the exact replacement part from P2 marine:
Lewmar Winch Parts

Check the diagram on their website and make sure yours are put together properly. The palls should not fall out, but then again....

 

Apologies. I thought you were referring to the lewmar 40. Minnewaska linked you to the correct page on P2 marine website for the Lewmar 8. Ordering info is shown on the page and I was happy with my service from P.

 

I've seen online where someone had drilled new holes for the pawls after theirs wore out like yours have. But that winch had didn't have the two raised areas in the drum where the pawls went. It was solid all the way around so there was a place to drill two new holes. It doesn't look like you have space for a new hole.

Maybe you could get a some rod or tube and make a new holder for the pawl, then drill out the old holes in the drum to fit the outer diameter of the tube. Sort of like a helicoil insert for a stripped out screw hole.

 

Ordering replacement parts is soooo simple. (I suppose they may be sold out however)
P2 Marine, at least have a look.

 

I would only weld and drill as an absolute last resort and only by a real professional machinist. This is stuff that can hurt you.

 

Not much chance finding parts for these winches. P2 doesn't have winch drums for early lewmar winches, made from 1982 to the early 90s. These look like earlier lewmar winches made in the 70s. P2 doesn't even carry parts for these.

Here a thread on SA about winch repair. Some pictures of redrilled pawl holes.

 

Uhh... I bought parts for my 1985 (27years old) Lewmars from P2 just this past summer. OP could at least verify their lack of parts with a simple phone call. I'm only suggesting an easy fix. If they are actually devoid of such pieces for the winch in question, then nothing lost.

 

1985 is newer than 1982, when Lewmar came out with new winches. The OP winches look like pre 1982. But maybe there is a old winch drum on a shelf for 30 years no one has thought to look for.

It's quite possible that a winch drum, if one could be located, won't fit. One these old winches they didn't always make the parts interchangeable. Stuff like pawls, springs, bearings, circlips, etc. would all be the same. But the final machining of the castings would be done custom for each winch to make everything fit correctly. They didn't have the accuracy of modern CNC mills back then. Those holes for the pawls were probably done by "hand" after the spindle and drum were already mated.

 

Another possibilty. Have a local machine shop open the holes slightly by simply plunging in a slightly larger end mill. Then find a wire EDM shop (or eMachine.com) to have a pair of slightly oversized pawls made. They can cut hardened stainless to very precise dimensions using that process.

Gary H. Lucas

 

Gary,

The problem with having custom paws made is that in a few years when you need to replace them you have to go back to a custom machine shop to have them made. Better by far to rebuild the holder than to redesign a part to only use specialized parts.