winless problems

Now or never

Got to Cumberland set anchor powered down would not come back up had to raise by hand next day worked fine anybody got any ideas help

brianflhrci

Did the motor run and it just not pull the anchor?

Now or never

No it wold still go down but motor would not run to pull back up if you tried to long would trip thermal overload

TikiHut2

Check the clutch tightness but it sounds like it's binding or needs service.

The Lewmar guy who rebuilt ours before we even used it pointed out the most common reasons for failure:

(1) trying to drag the boat to windward with the windlass. Always use the boat motor to power over the anchor.
(2) trying to lift a fouled anchor. It's a windlass, not a dragline.
(3) Poor voltage due to corroded connections or undersized feed wire.
(4) Not tying an anchor line strain relief or snubber to a bow chock. Non-stop cyclical strain on the gearbox when anchored will kill it.

That's all I can remember right now but a windlass deserves servicing every few years. If it's been a while you may want to see what it'd take to do that. Mine was a bit of a chore to get out but well worth the reliability we now enjoy. Have a great season, Mike

Now or never

Sounds like a plan .it did have some stress we were watching a poker run on lake Cumberland had a 100' of rope out .not good to pull up by hand lol.thanks for the advice.
Marty

MarkB

Before you do anything ...

I had a similar problem and it was a much simpler solution.  My rope was stacking in perfect tight circles and it stacked all the way up to the windlass. Once it touched the bottom of the windlass, it couldn't push anymore into the storage compartment.

Solution, open portal to compartment (behind mirror in v berth) and pull the rope stack down to make space for rest. This doesn't happen often, so you shouldn't have to always do that.

Capt Ron

If your anchor rope is old it could be slipping, the windlass is murder on them. Does the windlass work ok with the chain, if it does then that's your issue. I had the same problem as well. I solved it by going all chain...haven't had an issue yet.

Weber

Did you fix the problem? I had a similar issue last night. It would go out but it wouldn't bring it in. I watched it as my wife hit the button, and it would start to turn and then stop. I took the chain and rope off of it and it would turn a few times and stop. Any ideas?

TikiHut2

Clutch, brushes or switch contact failing would be my guess (in that order more/less). The fact that it jams/stops even w/o a load indicates there might be something going on inside. How old is it and has it ever been out for brushes and grease? It's easy to overlook regular upkeep on something that works so hard and lives in such a tough spot.

Let us know what you find. Good luck, Mike

Now or never

Took mine apart and cleaned and lubed everything also now I tie it off to the cleat .I stressed the **** out of it the day it failed works fine now

gslpro

I called Lewmar last year about this same issue.  I have a replacement, and the original is still working, so I haven't done the swap over, but Lewmar did tell me that they have a program that you send your windlass in and they will fully refurb it for you.  Give them a call and talk to one of the windlass tech support people.  They were great to get help from.

vquad

gary,

how much was the refurb charge???

gslpro

I can't remember the exact charge, but it varied depending on what needed fixing.  I do remember that when he told me what the "normal" charge was, it was way cheaper than trying to find one even used on ebay.  I don't want to throw out a number, because I could be way off.  If I don't write it down, it never happened...hehe.

seguir

Had the same problem....I was lucky....went up front and all it was that the chain/rope was out of the grove.  All I had to do was lift the chain and drop it in the middle.

TikiHut2

I had the name for a guy in Bradenton that rebuilt mine for $75. It was all he did and he had a mountain of dead ones in his shop. Theyre heavy so shipping may be a consideration unless youre down this way on "business". I called ahead and he fixed it in an hour. If it was a long weekend of boating "business" it may work out good.

Just sayin. :-D. Mike

Weber

I have mine apart on the bench, it looks like the gears are jamming when it's turns in the up postition. Going to dig in a little deeper.

vquad

I think maybe that's "windlass john"

hes in Bradenton and his number is 941-321-4269

danglibitz

OK, here's a possibly stupid question! Are all electric windlasses mounted on top or are there any like winches where mall the chain/rope goes? I have an Atlantic 230 with a windlass switch (up/down) but no windlass "up top" I wouldn't expect anything at the bottom of the compartment but it seems strange to have to push wet, pliable rope down a small hole when recovering the anchor before I get to the chain; rather like playing pool with cooked spaghetti. Is it easy to retro-fit a windlass "topsides" and wire it to the existing switch? I am in UK, disabled and really need a non manual anchor.