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Old thread alert...

I recall some discussion but the expense of the heavy gauge wiring needed killed it I think...

"Battleship Anchor Mounting" thread by Erik Hardtle. He used an electric winch for his thru-hull anchor mod.

LINK

Don't forget that you don't have to haul the boat up to the anchor hand-over-hand against wind and current...you can turn on the motor and ease the tension on the anchor rode by idling up to the anchor while they merrily pull in the line (that now has no tension on it) and stow it. Now they DO have to haul the anchor up from the bottom to the boat but that's a lot easier than hauling the boat to the anchor...

Catigale wrote:Old thread alert...

I recall some discussion but the expense of the heavy gauge wiring needed killed it I think...

One could install a dedicated battery under the V-berth, the gage wire to charge the battery would be significant easier to handle

My $0.02

Obelix

... or simply forgo the charge circuit completely, and have the battery removable for aux use and emergency jump starting....the usage cycle on a windlass is so low, it would take weeks to discharge a reasonable size battery...

Three things come to mind re a electric anchor winch.....cost of the unit and the wiring....Battery size and recharging would also have to be considered as usage cycle maybe low but draw is substantial.Remote anchor setting and recovery ie from the cockpit is rather appealing.As such I've purchased (but not yet installed) a anchor drum winch ie stores both the rode and chain which in theory allows for the remote operation?????BUT still not convinced this is the answer...we would also carry extra anchoring equipment as we do now just in case of a malfunction

vizwhiz wrote:Don't forget that you don't have to haul the boat up the anchor hand-over-hand against wind and current...you can turn on the motor and ease the tension on the anchor rode by idling up to the anchor while they merrily pull in the line (that now has no tension on it) and stow it. Now they DO have to haul the anchor up from the bottom to the boat but that's a lot easier than hauling the boat to the anchor...

Great point. My 22lb claw comes right up once dislodged by driving over it the opposite direction.
Pulling anchor up on our size boats isn't that bad. Not worth the trouble of a windlass.

Looking up a few wind lasses on Defender...

The Pro series 700 from Lewmar draws 35 amps at 12 VDC..

This would pull a group 24 battery to 50 percent capacity with one hour of use...that's a lot of windlass time...I would estimate something like 30 anchor events...

The 35 amp draw would be marginally reduced by the engine alternator--assuming the engine is running during retrieval. A 300dc amp portable battery jumper box would work in place of a battery--can also power lap top. CD player or start a dead engine. Don't leave home without one.

Bob

The draw on our drum winch is well over a 100 amp ie 1400 watts....not sure of the time taken to unreel an anchor and to retrieve but could add up

More F/up

Typical windlass speed is 35-100 feet per minute, so 2 minutes to reel in 70 feet of chain at the low end. 30 rode retrievals woud take a Group 24 to 50% capacity above as noted

Windlass is for retrieval of loose rode only, not for breaking anchor out. It should be rated at 4x mass of ground tackle, so small one for our boats..copy paste from Marine Advisor below...l

Gypsy/Rode Compatibility
It is very important to match the windlass not only to the boat type, but the type of rode as well. This applies to both the size and the type of the chain, so a windlass gypsy designed for 5/16" High Test chain will not work on 5/16" BBB, which has shorter, more compact links. Many windlasses have a selection of gypsies, which can be Special Ordered to fit the existing rode on a your boat.

Pulling Power or Load The pulling power or load capacity required of a windlass is hotly debated. Windlasses are not intended to pull a boat against a 25–knot wind and 2' chop with the engine in neutral. They are not designed to break out a heavy anchor under 3' of hard sand. They are designed to weigh an anchor and rode that is not under strain and to provide enough tension to break out a firmly set anchor. But as any text on the subject will tell you, it is the engine's power that should be used to move the boat upwind and it is the motion of the boat that should break out the anchor–not the windlass.

Strain on the windlass should be limited to the hanging weight of the anchor and rode. In reality, because many boaters don't make proper use of their boat's power when raising the anchor, it is often much greater. Therefore, manufacturers tend to recommend windlasses with hefty pulling power so that you have the capacity to weigh anchor even if your engine is out or it is already running at full capacity or your anchor is firmly stuck.

Lewmar recommends that a windlass's maximum load capacity be four times its usual "working load"–the combined weight of the anchor, rode and hardware. That is, a 33' boat with a 22lb. Delta anchor, 200' of 1/2" rope with 15' of 1/4" chain and a shackle (about 40lb.), with a total ground tackle weight of 62lb., would select a windlass with at least 248lb. of pull (62lb. of ground tackle, times four).

Maxwell recommends capacity equal to three times the weight of the ground tackle for their windlasses. If ground tackle is too heavy or close to the windlass's maximum pulling power, or if the boat has lots of windage and/or displacement, select the next larger size of windlass.

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like the crew will be driving the boat while I take care of the retrieval.