Windless only goes down.

rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited August 2019 in Electrical Discussions
First, where does the term windless come from or is that even right?

So, out on the water and was hanging on the lake doing some cleaning...windless has only been used a few times. The up and down switch was replaced after I got the boat. The anchor deployed fine when I stopped but when I got ready to leave-zip. It would still go down. I grabbed the wrench (which I have never used) to manually wind it and could not budge it either way. There must be some sort of a release? And some sort of a "switch" to reverse the motor to wind up?
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Comments

  • WillhoundWillhound Member Posts: 4,183 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Sorry @rasbury I can't help mechanically. But grammatically it's "windlass".
    "Knot Quite Shore" - 2000 FV270
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ah...well that's have my question answered!
  • reneechris14reneechris14 Member Posts: 3,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
    part number 19 is the bearing needs to be greased up but must be disassembled to get to. Delt with this a couple weeks ago on a buddy's 310. The heat from the motor must cook the gease out over time. Motor ran find for couple then trip the breaker.
    2005 Rinker FV342  Pawcatuck river,Ct
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    But the fact it will still go down...isn't it all on the same breaker/circuit?
  • WillhoundWillhound Member Posts: 4,183 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If the shaft is sticking it might still go down because of less friction as the weight of the anchor helps. But the opposite going up. Or it could be the switch or a solenoid as I believe there are two, one for up and one for down. Not 100% on that, maybe some of the technical guru's can chime in.
    "Knot Quite Shore" - 2000 FV270
  • IanIan Member Posts: 2,774 ✭✭✭✭
    Does the relay click to drive it up, if not switch or connections. If relay triggers need to see if there is power at unit with button actuated. If so then it appears mechanical.

    Having to dismantle to lube is a pain and a job for me for winter I think. 

    Regards,

    Ian

    The Third “B”

    Secretary, Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club

    https://www.rcyachtclub.com/

  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    What, February? What do I do in between?😁
  • Cableguy GregCableguy Greg Member Posts: 5,011 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Try and tighten the nut on the end of the gypsey. A friend of mine had the same issue and that fixed it. 
    2008 280 Express Cruiser, 6.2MPI, B3, Pittsburgh, PA "Blue Ayes"
    Go Steelers!!!
  • IanIan Member Posts: 2,774 ✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    rasbury said:
    What, February? What do I do in between?😁
    Keep hauling the rode... :)

    Hang on, you're in Florida - afternoon job :D  

    Regards,

    Ian

    The Third “B”

    Secretary, Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club

    https://www.rcyachtclub.com/

  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    hey @Cableguy Greg
    do you mean the nut that sticks out the side, where you would put the tool on to turn it manually? I put the tool on there and it would not budge up or down....guess I have to spend some time with it.....sigh, something else to learn from scratch!
  • rmfridayrmfriday Member Posts: 103 ✭✭
    I literally just had this problem on my 05 342 with the same horizon 600 windlass.
    First off you will read that parts are no longer available and the replacement windlass that is recommended is $700.
    I fixed mine for $22, same exact symptoms.
    The easiest way is to remove it from the boat.
    Turn the breaker off, remove the small access panel under the mirror at the front of the forward bed. Unbolt the 3 13mm nuts that mount the windlass, there are also a few wire straps that you will need to remove, once you have them removed you should have enough slack in the wire for it to reach through the round access hole. Cut the wires and be sure to lease enough slack so you can splice back together.  Now go to the top of the boat and secure the chain or rode to the cleat above the windlass, you will need to remove the anchor and now you can remove the chain/rode from the pulley and lift the windlass out.  
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    so what was the fix @rmfriday ?

  • Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,550 mod
    @rmfriday - that is a great post that I'm sure people will come back to many times!  I'm sure it is something similar for all windlasses.  If it's not working, no reason to not dig in and try to fix before replacing the entire unit.

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great post and thank you for the information. So how should the tool worked to manually raise and lower it? Is there a release or something? I'd bet this thing has not gone up and down 15 times in its life. When I got the boat, a tab in the back of the switch had been broken off somehow, someone pulling on wires or something I guess...previous owner may have never used it!
  • rmfridayrmfriday Member Posts: 103 ✭✭
    I only way to get my anchor up was to get the rode out of the pulley and manualy pulling it up by hand.
  • DanD2DanD2 Member Posts: 847 ✭✭✭
    icoultha said:
    Does the relay click to drive it up, if not switch or connections. If relay triggers need to see if there is power at unit with button actuated. If so then it appears mechanical.

    Having to dismantle to lube is a pain and a job for me for winter I think. 
    @r@rasbury, what is the answer to the above question? You may be tearing windlass apart for nothing.
    No longer a boat owner.....previous boat - 2005 Rinker Fiesta Vee 342
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Well first I'm going to start with the simple stuff as nothing should be worn out at this point in it's life....will check the switch and then to what I'm hearing are two selonoids in the rode locker....have not seen these before so hoping it's just a bad contact there or connections. Just finding the time... 
  • Dude_HimselfDude_Himself Member Posts: 596 ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    rasbury said:
    Ah...well that's have my question answered!
    Or 'half' for those of us north of the FL/GA line. ;-)

    What's a bilut?
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    An auto correction way bad
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Well, got back to the boat flipped the breaker on and off and the dang thing went up...
  • DanD2DanD2 Member Posts: 847 ✭✭✭
    rasbury said:
    Well, got back to the boat flipped the breaker on and off and the dang thing went up...
    Go figure!!!
    No longer a boat owner.....previous boat - 2005 Rinker Fiesta Vee 342
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 3,882 ✭✭✭✭
    If only the solutions to all life's problems could be simple as flipping a breaker.


    Glad to hear you got it.  Every weekend I'm going over the windshield to drop/retrieve anchor by hand and imagine what life must be like for you guys and your buttons!!! 
  • WillhoundWillhound Member Posts: 4,183 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @rasbury happy to hear. Simple is best.
    @PickleRick I have buttons but still head up and over to unhook/hook the safety lanyard I tie the anchor rode off with.
    That windlass gear ever let's go I don't want an anchor and 50 feet of chain under the boat at speed. 
    "Knot Quite Shore" - 2000 FV270
  • aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 8,775 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If only the solutions to all life's problems could be simple as flipping a breaker.
    I manage the maintenance for 2 Gulfstream Aircraft (G550 and a G650) both multi million dollar aircraft. You would be surprised how many times a simple breaker reset or a power down and restart fixes issues. 
    2008 330EC
  • GMSLITHOGMSLITHO Member Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭✭
    yep the printing equipment goes wacky here sometimes  and just turn it off then re start and all fixed 
  • Lake_BumLake_Bum Member Posts: 918 ✭✭✭✭
    I work for the railroad, and shutting down, and resetting breakers, fixes quite a few buggy things on our big diesel locomotives as well.  
    Glad it's working for ya Ras 
    2000 Captiva 232 
  • WillhoundWillhound Member Posts: 4,183 ✭✭✭✭✭
    While I'm happy it worked I'd still be a little suspect of either a loose connection or maybe a sticky switch. A breaker is usually either on or off. Would need to be on for even the down switch to work. So resetting just the breaker shouldn't have really changed anything except maybe all the switching off and on and playing with the windlass switch overcame a dirty contact or sticky switch?
    "Knot Quite Shore" - 2000 FV270
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It has been used so seldom I'm going with a sticky something or another...same thing was going on my remote light...would only go up and dowñ... kept messing with it and it started working...just use it to spot Gators....
  • GMSLITHOGMSLITHO Member Posts: 1,559 ✭✭✭✭
    So ras where you boat you can’t swim 
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