A question about anchor winches

[thataway]

Agree with fixing your anchor locker drain==and you should contact your dealer and the factory about his--if it is a potential defect.

The deck hole should not be sealed with just a bostic type of sealant--this is not adequate for an anchor windlass. The core material needs to be routed out, and epoxy sealed for about 1/4" around this area where the hole is. It sounds as if who ever installed the windlass just drilled the 3" hole. I recently installed the same windlass on my CD 25. I cut the hole just the size as was necessary for the chain to feed--not the large hole.

All in all, I have made covers for most of my windlasses. Use Sunbrella, which matches the color of the stripes on the boat. This is an easy and quick sewing project. Most machines will handle Sunbrella. You want to put a shock cord draw string around the bottom of the windlass--if you want you can put snaps on the deck with "wash boards" to keep any deck water out--and then put a long "neck" on the cover, which will wrap around the chain can be lashed shut in the case of very heavy weather.

Having owned a 22, a 25 and a TC 255, I have never had a sea where I felt that the windlass, or foreward deck openings were threatened. Yes, the foam which you can use for pipe insullation, makes a geat material to plug the anchor locker hole, this is cheap, and if you have to lower the anchor in an emergency, it will fall clear. But remember that the anchor should be secured, either with a pin, line or stopper, when you are under way, so that has to be released before you deploy the anchor, even in an emergency.

Regards,

[hardee]

Quote:

But remember that the anchor should be secured, either with a pin, line or stopper, when you are under way, so that has to be released before you deploy the anchor, even in an emergency.

Dr Bob, I know this is a usual practice but I have not figured out the logic. If the anchor is controled from the Helm Position with a switch, why do I want to go forward and pull a pin first? Is the windlass not capable of holding the anchor firmly enough during normal transit? Would you please elaborate on the need for a secondary anchor securing device. Thanks,
Harvey
SleepyC

[Dora~Jean]

So far I prefer to secure the anchor with a carabiner while trailering, but leave it 'at the ready' while on the water. I want to be able to deploy it should the need arise -- immediately, especially around breakwaters...

[Wefings]

Sounds like an opportunity to invent a remote,helm operated chainstopper !
Marc

[Professional Hobbyist]

This is just a thought at this point, but if a holder is needed while underway (my anchor is locked to the roller by a pin when trailering) I’m thinking it could be installed inside the chain locker. That way it could be released in bad weather without going forward onto the deck. A short length of chain with a hook attached to the same eye bolt that the anchor line is attached to is my current thought.

After I get my boat back and I'm back on my feet I'll look into this and post a photo of any solution I come up with.

[hardee]

Now there is an idea I like Still wondering about the rationale, though of the windlass not holding that anchor in place 24/7.
Harvey
SleepyC

[Dora~Jean]

I like it, an internally reachable stop. Would have to put a big red flag on the windlass switch to make sure you don't try and deploy w/o disengaging though. Great idea.

[ryder]

A problem that is more frequent than you might think on planing power boats is the anchor releasing while underway. The anchor goes under the boat and damages your engine. Unfortunately I have first hand experience with just that. I have talked to other people who have had a similar event. Since my experience , I have always secured the anchor in some reliable fashion. It isn't a big problem to take a second to remove the pin or what ever method you use before anchoring. You don't want to retrieve your anchor with a windlass and have it jammed tight. You want to take the high tension off the windlass and use another means to keep the anchor secured.

Jim D.

[thataway]

In general we leave the anchor secured in some fashion when running the boat as well as when trailering. I have never run over an anchor or accidently dropped it--but have heard of it happening. I agree that it is more likely to happen in a power boat. The CD 25 we own came with a chain stopper--and no windlass. I removed that--and we just use a line.

When we were long distance cruising we had a bail over the anchor, just to be sure it didn't jump the roller, if we stuffed the bow. On a passage we might either remove the anchors, and stow them aft, or in the bilge or lash them to the anchor roller/pulpit. Frankly, I don't trust windlass clutches all that much! Actually mega yachts do have remotely activated chain stoppers, so this alread exists.

Despite having sailed over 200,000 miles and gone over 25,000 miles in power boats, we have never come on a circumstance where we had to immediately launch an anchor. That doesn't mean that we didn't have emergencies--but that anchoring within seconds was not the solution or prevention. You can always go thru the foreward hatch if you have to pull a pin in seconds--and if you do that you can manually anchor if necessary. Remember the windlass is not designed to holld the load of the boat at anchor, nor to break the anchor out of the sea bed.

[hardee]

Ryder and Dr Bob,
Thanks for the explination re the unsecured anchor. I like the idea of a pin released from the helm, and I also like the idea of not suffering damage from a wild and free anchor. One of the really nice things about this site, is that you don't have to experience all of the "not nice things" yourself, when others are willing to share. The best part is that we each get to learn from this diverse and indepth knowledge bank here. Thank you for your participation here.
Harvey
SleepyC

[Sea Wolf]

This recommendation for an anchor rode lock is certainly valid in most all cases.

However, my set up is bar tight with the Quick 500 Aires vertical windlass, Lewmar pivoting bow roller (with bail), and Fortress FX-16 anchor (31 inch shank), and 1/4" GS-40 High-Test chain.

It's so tight that I can swing my 225lbs around on it w/o any thought that it could ever slip under any forseeable circumstances.

The thought of having to go forward to release a chain-stop, hook, or other device is disconcerting in that one of the primary reasons for having a windlass in a boat this size is to stay off the bow in rough and dangerous weather.

Operating the lock, if required, through the forward hatch, or better yet, internally within the anchor locker from the v-berth, is a great solution.

Let's see what we can come up with!

Joe.