Windlass - Are Batteries Hooked Up Improperly?

dread

Out at Crystal Cove on Treasure Island in SF Bay yesterday, and the anchor would not drop. Not a sound when I pushed the toggle switch. I checked the special fuse for the windlass, but it seemed not to have been triggered. However, every time I tried, the GPS/fish finder would turn off and then in a couple of minutes come back on. Also, when I tried the house battery gauge went from 14 to 0 and back, but the engine battery gauges did not move. Am I asking too much of the house battery and do I need to change the battery switches to support each other? Or is something else amiss?

katkt · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 6:12 pm Post subject:

Check all your connections, and if everything looks good, you might want to have the house battery load tested. If there is an internal problem with the battery, it can show good, until it is put under a load.

journey on · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 7:16 pm Post subject:

Another thought is that the windlass motor is jammed. This would short out the windlass circuit, draw down the battery, shutting off the
GPS. When you release the windlass switch the power comes back and the GPS comes back. So check the battery voltage with a voltmeter when you try the windlass.

I assume you have the Leewmar 600 Sprint? They tend to get jammed with sand in the motor and gearbox.

Boris

BrentB · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 8:42 pm Post subject:

I agree with the others and add m2cw...... use a DVM to gather some facts,,, and check the switch, fuses, for continuity then voltage at battery voltage and voltage at the switch.

Some have the windlass wired to the start battery bc it is used with the motor is running and saves the house battery

Bill K · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 9:14 pm Post subject:

My windlass has it's own circuit breaker by my batteries and the toggle switch and relay is on a separate circuit. ( for what it's worth )

Bill Kelleher

thataway · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 9:57 pm Post subject:

I agree with Bill--the Windlass should be on its own circuit--all the way from a switch--directly to the battery, or the battery/bus.

The circuit is acting like a dead short--and Boris' suggestion is the first place to look. I would loosen the clutch, and see if the windlass gypsy turns by hand. Then again try the windlass switch up and down. There are a host of issues which can occur in that gear case--and it is even possible that the motor may run in up, yet not down.

I also agree that the windlass should be on the engine start battery, or at least a battery which is being charged when the engine is running. You want to start the engine, and power up until you are right over the anchor, using the windlass to take up the slack (not pull the boat forward), and then power the boat to break the anchor out--the windlass to pull the rode, and anchor up to the boat's anchor roller. These small boat windlasses are not as robust as some of their bigger brothers, which are rated for 3500 lbs are.

Since the house battery went to "0" voltage, it means that the windlass is wired to the house battery, and the suggestion that the battery be checked is also valid. However, letting the anchor down, is probably only a 10 amp load, if the windlass is working properly.

potter water · Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 10:25 pm Post subject:

Maybe this was mentioned, but my windlass has a "towing the boat" mode that entail a locking lever on the side of the windlass to keep the anchor from dropping on its own due to jarring as one drives along.

Probably not your problem, but just something to kick out there.

colbysmith · Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 12:36 am Post subject:

I would second Boris's thought. I had just that issue happen. Windlass stopped working/jammed. I took it apart, found sand and dirt in it and one of the magnets in the casing had broken off. I cleaned it up, glued the magnet back on and put it back together to work fine. Colby