Lighthouse Windlass Gypsy Modification to fit 5/16 G40/G43 chain

[Saltyhog]

Originally Posted by SunnySky

Thank you Terra Nova,
I didn't mean to be vague about the distance between the gypsy and the top of the chain pile, which is about 2' from the bottom of the gypsie to the top of the pile when I have my anchor up and had 325' of chain. Oftentimes there is bit more because I tend to kick the pile back periodically while pulling anchor (the picture I just took was without much chain in the locker because I am currently anchored). Surely that is plenty? There is also less/more than 90 degrees of chain wrap (depending on which angle being measured, since we were measuring the opposite side of 180 degrees).

You can see from the picture that only one link fits in the gypsy properly and the 2nd link is already off about about 1/8" (note: this is the gypsy Lighthouse sent me to "match the chain I sent them" but it is really just a standard 5/16" BBB gypsy which was an improvement from the original old "Acco G4" gypsy which no longer fits the current Acco G4 chain due to the slightly reduced wire diameters of the chain when Peerless purchased Acco in July of 2006 and all old inventory of "old Acco G4 chain" was sold off and the "new Acco G4 chain" was manufactured slightly differently).

Given how incredibly difficult it has been to have Lighthouse concede that they should make gypsies to fit currently manufactured 5/16" HT chain the idea of modifying another manufacturer's gypsy to fit my windlass might be the way to go...

Thanks for your advice,
David

It may just be the photograph's perspective, but it sure looks to me that the chain lead from that second roller to the gypsy is not in plane with the gypsy. It looks to be coming in from the port side a bit. My understanding is that the chain lead should be straight in line with the gypsy.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

It may just be the photograph's perspective, but it sure looks to me that the chain lead from that second roller to the gypsy is not in plane with the gypsy. It looks to be coming in from the port side a bit. My understanding is that the chain lead should be straight in line with the gypsy.

I agree it's hard to tell from a picture if the lead to the gypsy is fair. The 1501 gypsy is somewhat forgiving in this regard. It has a nice vee shape where the chain can be a little askew and it will still lead the chain into the teeth.

If you can take a video of the chain coming aboard and show it skipping it might help diagnose. But as I said earlier I have the same windlass and pretty close to the same setup and have no problems.

[SunnySky]

Problem was definitely an issue of gypsy not sized to fit to the chain.
After way way too long to get Lighthouse to make appropriate 5/16 high test gypsies for USA-made chain, I resorted to asking Lighthouse to simply swap out the 5/16" gypsies I had for the 3/8" BBB gypsies they had in stock.

The 3/8" BBB gypsies and the new heavier/weaker/more expensive 3/8" BBB chain I bought to replace the chain I already had all fit perfectly and there is absolutely no skipping at all with the gypsies and chain sized to BBB. And by no skipping I mean, it has not skipped so much as a single time so the big weight penalty for weaker chain is worth it because I no longer have to dread pulling anchor...

Still puzzled by the difficulty of making appropriately sized high test gypsies for currently available USA-made chain but I do give credit to Lighthouse for continuing to work with me despite the mutual frustration my wanting USA-made high test chain to fit a USA-made gypsy and that other than the 5/16 HT chain gypsy issue they do make a good product.

Dave
Sunny Sky Hailing from Cold Bay AK

[Rigger007]

Sadly I believe they still haven't resolved this issue and it extends to 3/8" G43 also. I asked them about a gypsie for 3/8" G43 and they said their gypsie only worked with 3/8" G40 because G43 had a smaller wire size. Pretty much the same story as the OP in this post...from 7 years ago. They directed me to a vendor in Florida that supposedly has stock of stuff that will fit their windlasses. I actually want 5/16" G70 because it will save me 160# in the bow but they don't seem to make a gypsie for that.



Sadly for me I have just spent a ton of time refabbing my foredeck with custom backing plates and plinths to refit this windlass (previous owner installed it poorly) so I'm not inclined to replace it because of all the time and work I have in it, but I may do so due to this issue,

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Rigger007

so I'm not inclined to replace it because of all the time and work I have in it, but I may do so due to this issue,

This is reviving an old thread, but have you looked at metric chain?

Presumably Lighthouse makes gypsies that are suitable for metric chain, as this is what much of the world uses.

If cruising in a country using imperial measurements, sourcing metric chain will be harder, but should still be possible.

[Hartleyg]

Our Tayana 48 was built in 2000 with a Lighthouse 1501 and a "3/8" G40" gypsy. We've replaced the chain twice since then, most recently in 2021 with ACCO 3/8" G43, and we haven't had any problem with chain slippage since I added a roller forward of the windlass in 2009 or so.
The roller increases the chain coverage to a bit more than 90 degrees - it was about 80 degrees before that, and when the chain started bouncing, it would slip sometimes. Here's a pic:





I just replaced the rubber roller in the pic this past year with a Delrin one.


We also replaced the Lighthouse motor in 2019 after the brushes wore out. The new one has a much more robust seal over the electrical connection than the 2000 model



Hartley
S/V Atsa

[Scubaseas]

I have a Lighthouse 1501 and went from 5/16 G4 to 3/8 G43 chain. I bought a new gypsy from Lighthouse. If in doubt send Lighthouse a length of your chain. My windlass works perfectly with the new chain.