New Windlass: Lewmar, Maxwell, Lofrans Or?

[model 10]

I can't point but it's part # 911. The part with the chain stripper and the "finger" in top left drawing.

[bobs]

So it's this :






Regards

[model 10]

Originally Posted by bobs

So it's this :

Regards

Yes that is the one. I's not solid for some reason, so when the stripper starts moving even a tiny bit the whole thing starts wearing out fast.
The stripper is not very heavy duty. It is not that hard to bend with a stuck chain link or maybe a when clump of seaweed at 2 am, clogs up the works and bends it. When the stripper bends it elongates the holes in the plastic housing. You straighten the stripper out and now it does not fit the plastic thing anymore . The whole thing is a mess. If you were out cruising,I would carry a spare stripper, a plastic block and 3 new bolts as they get bent also.

[bobs]

Sounds scary , maybe i should re-think my plan of attack.
I suppose the stripper is also made of brons ?
What if it could be replicated in S/S , would that help
I do wonder though if there are more boaters with this issue ?
Could be worthwhile launching a separate topic on that.

I thought 1200$ for the 1000 watt ( in Europe) is acceptable for such a nice piece of equipment , given that only the repair of my present windlass ( just carbon brush module) will cost me 400$ .
I has to be said , this windlass has some nice features .

Regards

[model 10]

Someone in an earlier post said if you keep your equipment in good shape it will give no problems. I am probably guilty of not keeping up with the maintenance . Also when the G on the chain starts to go the links stick together and don't go down the hawsepipe hole so they hit the stripper. The stripper is a small piece 1/4"thick stainless.

[bobs]

Thanks again Guy , I've been searching for this expression... " hawspipe hole " quite some time now ;-)
And as for keeping your equipment in good condition so it will not dissappoint you , I do not completely agree with that.
Sometimes it's just the bad design , wrong combination of metals or weak construction.
And most chain strippers are no match for a chain clogging up at the exit of the gypsy.
If you check the topic ' Leroy Somer motor ' you will find some pics of an Alu stripper that has been decapitated.

Regards

[Dr. Sea]

Does anyone know how to translate the numbers provided by the windlass manufacturers into realistic and usable numbers for actual use? For instance, the Lewmar V5 windlass has these specs:

Motor Power 2000 W

Max Pull 3190 lb

Working Load 798 lb

So, does "working load" mean that this windlass is rated to lift 798 pounds of anchor and chain? And what is the significance of the 2000 watt motor power?

[a64pilot]

I'll try based on my beliefs, which may be wrong.

2000W motor is really the closest thing you will get to compare one to another, a 2000W motor will out work a 1500W motor all day long.

Max pull is likely the weight at which the motor will stall, now this can be tremendously different based on gearing, for instance I can gear a 1000W motor to pull three times the weight of a 2000W motor, but it will run at less than 1/6 the speed to do it.

Working load is the max recommended day to day load that will give a good service life, you can go higher, but things will break and wear out sooner.


A 2000W motor is going to take a large bank, and large wires to run it, but it ought to pull like a mule

[Dave Lochner]

A 2000 watt motor will draw about 166 amps. The wiring and the circuit breaker need to be large enough to handle that load and the battery bank needs to be big enough to sustain the draw even with the engine running.

The good news is that the motor only runs for a minute or two, yielding an amp hour draw down of only about 3 amp hours per minute of use. An amount of energy that can be quickly replaced by running the diesel for a short time.

[model 10]

I have giant wires to the windlass, maybe 00 for 15'. It's a 1500 watt motor and it's never stalled. There is a ratchet clutch in the windlass (Lofrans) that you can adjust that slips at the limit you have set, so the motor probably never would stall or blow the c/b. That said, I think it may be hard on the windlass even with the big wires because you are operating at a high performance level with a windlass that is not made for it.
I was checking out a friends Tartan 46'. It had a 1500watt windlass with it's own battery about 10' away. They were using #8 wire! He said he was having trouble with it , it was blowing the C/B.

[Dave Lochner]

It was fortunate that he was only blowing the C/B and burning up the motor windings!

The installation manuals will usually provide guidance on wire size based on distance from the battery. Remember it is a round trip distance. That batter 10 feet away is really 20 foot trip for those weary electrons.

[model 10]

My friend had a hard time believing me when I said buy the biggest wire they have (in Mexico) or you can afford. You buy a nice boat like that you don't expect to be mislead on what the proper wire size is. I think he got to it before it ruined the motor, maybe. At least it stopped blowing the c/b. Even with as much as I protested he still did not go big, maybe #6 and it was not a money thing. Guess he thought Tartan was not off by as much as I thought.

[Starblossom]

I have 2 windless's
a Quick and an Ideal

Have Ideal for 32 years and as good as new. almost 20 years in charter.
no problems - service prompt, reasonable and helpful

Have Quick for 2 years- and have had problems that were not easy to repair, should not have occurred, and were difficult and expensive to fix.

Bit e the bullet and buy an IDEAL

[Dr. Sea]

Several people have recommended the Maxwell 3500 VW windlass to me. It costs just about the same as the Lewmar V5, but it has different specs:

Motor Power-- Lewmar 2000 W, Maxwell: 1200 W

Max Pull -- Lewmar 3190 lb, Maxwell 3500 lb

Working Load -- Lewmar 798 lb, Maxwell 1137 lb

The Maxwell website doesn't use the term "working load" but uses Continuous Pull Capacity". I've assumed these terms mean essentially the same thing. Is that correct?

If so, which windlass would do the better job of hoisting a 100 pound anchor with 200 pounds of chain?

[a64pilot]

I would think either but would assume the Maxwell would run at a lower chain speed with the smaller motor?
Why not the VWC model?


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