Windlass

[ElGolfo1996]

Has anyone installed a windlass on a 26X? Is it possible?

[Chinook]

I supposeanything is possible if you want to do it badly enough. However, given the weight of anchor and chain appropriate for Macs, I don't think it would be worth the cost and trouble. Limited foredeck and anchor locker space can better be used for stowing second fully rigged anchor and rode, IMHO.

[Chip Hindes]

As a somewhat older sailor with a bad shoulder who has anchored (and hauled anchor) in some pretty tough situations, I understand why someone might want to consider a windlass. Jack O'Brien was planning on installing one on his X several years ago; last I knew he had actually purchased the hardware but hadn't yet installed it.

Jack is a sometime frequent contributor who I haven't noticed on the site lately. If he doesn't respond to the thread in a day or so you could try a PM.

[Frank C]

I can empathize with the shoulder/back issues. However, a windlass is problematic for all of the above issues plus its energy load on the batteries ... which solution might further exacerbate the issue of weight.

Just as food for thought, I've pondered how a simple sheet winch might totally ease the process. Three wraps of rode will deter the constant "pull-back" by gravity on the "weigh-or" and the winch's inate leverage helps overcome the anchor weight.

One could much easier install a sheet winch on the foredeck (than a windlass), though I'm unsure that's necessary either. I'm thinking at my next outing, I might try rigging my anchor duties from the cockpit, and use one of Roger's winches to assist. YMMV.

[Chip Hindes]

I can empathize with the shoulder/back issues. However, a windlass is problematic for all of the above issues plus its energy load on the batteries ... which solution might further exacerbate the issue of weight.

I don't believe you'd want to consider an electric windlass without a dedicated windlass battery, or at least relocating one of your house batteries close to the windlass. Weight - you bet.

However, there are manual windlasses (windlassies?) which wouldn't take up much more space than the winch you're talking about. Heavier than a winch but not nearly as heavy or complex as an electric. There are a couple of key advantages. The manual windlass would be horizontal and would have the added (and possibly critical) ability to retrieve chain.

Not cheap, but what having the modifier "marine" is?

Heres one. There are others.

[Divecoz]

Humm that manual Windlass is $1100.00 BTW
I think Franks idea would work well enough . Who among us has over 20 feet of chain on the anchor? Bring that rode back to The Sheet winch and with the help of a $250, 90 degree 18 or 24 volt drill bring that bad boy to the rail. The Anchor that is . . . . the chain will never get close to the winch. cleat it off and stow the anchor etc. and be no less than $800 ahead of the game. For the $800 saved you can add a 80 to 100 watt solar system complete. . .soup to nuts install

[Night Sailor]

I can't seem to find it in the archives, but I recall reading in our forums somewhere of a Mac owner, in Alaska I think, that had a manual windlass and custom bowsprit for heavy anchor and rode.

[Chip Hindes]

I said that was one, I didn't say it was the one. But anyway same windlass different vendor $660 rather than $1100.

The sheet winch might work, but going forward to get the rode, then back to the winch then forward again to release the rode from the cleat, then back to the winch to crank it in; then hauling and stowing the anchor (and certainly not on the bow where it belongs) is a lot of additional effort that we who thought we might like to have a windlass were trying to avoid. It might work in an emergency if you have nothing better, but not nearly as nicely as a real windlass.

[Divecoz]

WOW $660 versus $1100 First link should call themselves
Pirates Thieves and Scondrels . . .Boat Supplies and Parts. .

Yea Chip I never thought about how often some of you guys anchor. I have two anchors and only one has been wet and then only one time.
I could see the need to bring it up( the anchor) but ooppsss yesterday I hurt my back so I walk forward grab the end of the rode walk back or crawl which ever works best and winch it up thru the anchor roller. Got it up. . . pin it. . . and in time when I can put all that rode back in the locker nice and neat. They even have a guy selling the battery drive for winches, at the shows and on line.

[bastonjock]

an idea that ive had and intend to impliment is,to offset the bow roller to line it up with the cockpit winch.Ive got a 22lb delta anchor backed up with 10meters(33ft) of chain,i had been thinking of reducing the chain lenght so that it does not hit the winch,the delta style anchor has been designed to be launched from the bow roller so it seemed the obvious way to go.

alternatively have your 6ft 4 inch rugby playing son retrieve it for you

[James V]

You may want to reduce the chain size. Use the motor by moving the boat over the anchor. Use an anchor buoy and tie it off and unset the anchor with the buoy and motor and raise the anchor some. Motor into safe water and finish putting the anchor on the bow.

For our size of boat an electric winch might be better with mostly rode that could be rigged to the cockpit winch.

[Chip Hindes]

The amount of chain on your rode must be determined by the necessities of your anchoring situation, not the ability to easily retrieve the anchor over the bow roller. Otherwise, your all rope rode is liable to be just that: an unravelling length of three-strand, minus the anchor at the customary end.

I have to scoff (though politely of course) at the suggestion you can always just haul your anchor up, cleat it off then proceed to a protected area to stow it at your leisure.

Picture this: Singlehanded, 2AM, pitch dark except for your running lights, those of the adjacent boats, and a few on a sparsely populated residential shore about 500 yards off the starboard bow. Anchored in 8-10 feet of water, motor idling in neutral. The Mac is sailing back and forth 120 to 140 degrees on your single anchor, with about 80 feet of scope, winds gusting to 20, swells four feet or so, raining intermittently. You're sitting on the deck just aft of the anchor locker, locker door open, both feet braced against the forward end of the locker. Time the bow swings; and when the bow is nearly head on the eye of the wind, quickly lean forward, grab a new purchase, then haul in by straightening your legs and back and leaning all the way back until you're lying on the deck, holding the rode with both hands as the Mac sails wildly off to one side, threatening to yank the rode out of your hands. Good thing you have your gloves on. The Mac makes the turn at the end of the swing and starts back; whoopee, you've made it another four feet.

Repeat until the anchor suddenly breaks loose. The boat falls off quickly out of control. Quickly haul in the rest of the rode, hoping the anchor doesn't reset, yank the rode out of your hands, and you have to start over. When the chain hits the "chock" (bow rail or cleat) with 15 feet of chain in ten feet of water, the anchor is still bouncing off the bottom. Pull he chain in until the anchor clears the water and hook a link on the cleat. With the anchor slamming the hull every time the boat bounces, decide whether to try to stow it properly now or screw the gelcoat, cleat it off where it is and return to the cockpit to get the boat under control first. Your call. Either way, the rest is actually relatively easy, but by the time you're done you feel like you've just gone a few rounds with an ultimate fighter.

Next stop in a "protected" area, 12 hours to Bimini. Was there, did that, Angelfish Creek, FL, Conch Cruisers Bimini June '05.

This was not the first time I did this or something similar, nor will it likely be the last. It was certainly the worst. Though it isn't always the case, singlehanding that particular trip was my only choice. To be quite honest, trying to deliver hand signals or verbal anchoring and hauling commands from the bow to the First Mate at the helm, at night or even in the daytime), in bad weather is a pretty severe short term test of the marriage vows. BTDT as well.

It was the time I decided Jack O'Brien's idea of installing a windlass wasn't so stupid after all. I haven't done it yet. It's onl time and money after all. But I understand why one might want a windlass and why all the "try this marginally to totally (un)satisfactory but way cheaper" alternatives are not quite the same thing. If a sheet winch were really just as good, you'd see a lot fewer sailboats with windlassies.

[James V]

There are many different ways of handling an anchor and one must evaluate big boat stuff and small boat stuff and the different ways to go about it. I do not have a windless and have never operated one but from what I have read you do not pull the boat with the windless, the other way is perfered.

On a small boat, people have used the winch to raise the anchor and there is a battery winch handle as well. All that one needs to do is try it before buying everything. Just run the rode back to the winch and see what happens, you may want a 6 foot chain and something that will go through the bow roller and bail.

Make sure that your bow roller can handle it.

[Chinook]

I don't use the wench to raise the anchor, she handles the wheel and throttle instead.

[Night Sailor]

Perfect catch Chinook. A few years back cartoonist Gary Larson had peice with an underling showing a Viking captain a winch and the captain says something like "A wench stupid, I said bring me a wench!" I loved that cartoon mainly because I always have some difficulty just pronouncing differently winch and wench, or pin and pen.