Enkes Strikes Again

[rtooh]

I wish I had consulted the forum before ordering a self tailing conversion kit for my standard Enkes 22. I’ve learned since about others’ dismal experience with the company, just like mine (and unrelated to COVID19). Ronald and Patrick are just plain awful. Now I’m left trying to get my money back. In the end, is the current Enkes just a front?

But I still want a self tailer for the companion way winch to handle my slab reefing system. In an attempt to avoid different winch mounting patterns, I was hoping to buy an Enkes 22 self tailing model on the used market. Does anyone know of a source I might contact?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Rich

[nhschneider]

I have 12 Enkes winches on my boat and I'd like to replace them all. The Facebook page for Enkes is pretty dismal and give little in the way of encouragement in finding parts. I'd suggest you consider looking at Harken, who still provides pretty good customer service. Lewmar's customer service stinks.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by nhschneider

I have 12 Enkes winches on my boat and I'd like to replace them all. The Facebook page for Enkes is pretty dismal and give little in the way of encouragement in finding parts. I'd suggest you consider looking at Harken, who still provides pretty good customer service. Lewmar's customer service stinks.

Fair winds and calm seas.

Never had a problem w/Lewmar customer service, but if you want to change out winches Lewmar ocean winches aren't bad especially when WM has a 2 for 1 sale. They've held the same sale around the beginning of March for the last 2 yrs.
We have a couple of winches up for sale that would probably be good for primaries on your Contest.

[nhschneider]

Originally Posted by Bill O

Never had a problem w/Lewmar customer service, but if you want to change out winches Lewmar ocean winches aren't bad especially when WM has a 2 for 1 sale. They've held the same sale around the beginning of March for the last 2 yrs.
We have a couple of winches up for sale that would probably be good for primaries on your Contest.

I work for a chandlery that specializes in sailboat hardware and I can assure you that Lewmar's customer service is extremely unresponsive and the adjective that I used in my post is accurate, if not necessarily polite. Lewmar seems to be focusing on yacht builders where they have been doing a lot of business, however, it seems to be at the expense of yacht owners and chandleries.

Thanks for the offer of your Barlow winches but I'm not considering anything smaller than 58s for my boat.

Fair winds and calm seas.