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| S&S Swan General - New Windlass for 44 |
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Join Date: 20 March 2011
Posts: 88 |
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New Windlass for 44 Hello all I have finally succumbed to presure from my wife and am installing a windlass on Hatha. She says she is tired of pulling up the anchor by hand. The boat came from the factory without a windlass, so this is a new installation. The Lewmar V3 will go where the single bow cleat is on the foredeck, and will run off the engine starting battery which is being moved from the battery bank in the aft cabin to underneath the seat at the nav station.This makes the run about 10 meters one way, and the windlass draws 85 amps. #1 awg cable will run underneath the pilot berth through to the forpeak which brings me to my question. To get the cable through to the chain locker, my preference is to drill through the vertical fibreglass and foam ribs, as high as possible behind the teak battens, probably between the 1st and 2nd, and 2nd and 3rd battens. Is this ok to do, and would it be best to drill through closer to the hull so as to leave more backbone on the rib? I do not recall seeing such penetrations anywhere in the boat, other than the notches cut for cable runs at the very top. I do not want to remove the headliner which I just replaced, and am not sure if that would get me there anyway. Ideas appreciated! Fair winds Tonyh 44 004 Hatha
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Join Date: 29 January 2007
Posts: 1019 |
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Dear Tonyh I want to celebrate with your wife (mine would have killed me if I had asked her to pull up the anchor by hand!)!!! :-) Fair winds! matteo (47/069 Vanessa) |
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Join Date: 30 January 2007
Posts: 461 |
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Tonyh, first of all the important part of the issue: like Matteo I fully endorse the requests of our wives! Second the technical aspect: in my 411 where presumably the windlass was installed by the yard, the cables run in the lower part of the bilge passing through the limber holes and together, where present, with the large ground wire. This means, of course, that the cables must be good for a wet environment. Another aspect to take care of is the use the two thick cable ONLY for giving power to the motor. If you have other electronics like a chain meter or a remote receiver, it should be powered by a completely independent circuit, possibly originating from the house battery bank. The noise produced by the high power motor may totally disrupt the correct functioning of the electronics. Daniel, 411/004 Luna Menguante |
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Join Date: 02 January 2008
Posts: 1547 |
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Dear Tony Without going into the sharing of crew duties on board :-), yachtsmen had a harder life in the old days. When your yacht was delivered there were only manual windlasses, and mostly Simpson-Lawrence was used, see picture below. They are still available in a slightly different configuration, but few captains prefer manual windlasses nowadays.
You mention that the starting battery will be used to power the windlass. It should be noted that Offshore Special Regulations specify that the starting battery must not be used to power other things, as there is the risk that suddenly there is not enough power left to start the engine.
You could consider to compromise this if you always keep the engine running when the windlass is used, and run it for some time afterwards to ensure the starting battery is well charged.
The recommendation is to run the cables high up along the hull/deck joint, but if there is not space left it is preferable to drill the holes in the ribs adjacent to the hull, and leave material at the rib inboard edge intact as far as possible.
Kind regards
Lars
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Join Date: 20 March 2011
Posts: 88 |
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Thank you Matteo, Daniel, and Lars The idea that drove using the starting battery is that the engine would be running whenever the windlass is being used. This makes a simple and tidy installation, and also moves that battery closer to the starter. I had not thought to run separate wiring for the remote switch, thank you Daniel for the advice. Regarding my wife, last winter she began complaining about washing the car as well. So this year I am going to surprise her with a pair of golf shoes for her birthday. I think she will appreciate the added traction on the icy driveway. Fair winds! Tonyh |
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Join Date: 23 October 2011
Posts: 150 |
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;) |
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Join Date: 20 March 2011
Posts: 88 |
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Windlass done! Fortunately, Nautor could not provide a cleat to match the one that had occupied the place where the windlass now is. So I was forced to come up with an alternative. My wife says she likes the pop up cleats- less for her to trip over when we wake her up in the middle of the night to gybe the spinnaker. Fair winds! Tonyh   |
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Join Date: 02 January 2008
Posts: 1547 |
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Dear Tony Also the windlass is a risk for the toes. You may consider making a conical cover over it, perhaps with night illumination for smooth gybing.
Kind regards
Lars
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Join Date: 30 January 2007
Posts: 461 |
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Dear Tonyh, I would rather suggest your wife to have a very strong latch installed in her cabin, lock herself in and sleep peacefully through the whole night! Our great and smart boats can smoothly gybe the spinnaker by themeselves without anybody taking risk near the bow at night! Just kindly ask her to do so (the boat I mean!). :-) Daniel, 411/004 |
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Join Date: 29 January 2007
Posts: 1019 |
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Dear Tony, I strongly endorse Daniel's idea...but I would suggest my solution too, very simple and inexpensive, to protect your wife's toes in case your wife won't follow Daniel's suggestion ;-) Fair winds! matteo (47/069 Vanessa)  |
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Join Date: 15 April 2011
Posts: 393 |
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Dear Tony, I would say "professionally done," however, we have all had "professional" work done to our boats and this obviously exceeds those standards! Excellent Job! I think if your lovely and talented wife has to get up to gybe, just make sure she has shoes on!
With warm regards, Chris Mabel's Casse Tete 43/003 |
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Join Date: 20 March 2011
Posts: 88 |
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Dear Matteo How is your cover fastened? I think I see snaps; are they tapped into your windlass base, or does your windlass sit on a wood pad? Thanks, Tonyh |
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Join Date: 29 January 2007
Posts: 1019 |
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Dear Tony, sorry for my late reply, yes, they are screwed into the windlass base, please see attached pic Fair winds! matteo (47/069 Vanessa)  |
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