Want to Find Replacement Gypsy for Muir

[Geoff H.]

I'd like to know if there is a source for replacement gypsy's for the Muir Cheetah Windlass. Mine is probably 25 years or so old, and the actual windlass works perfectly, a real workhorse, but am noticing some rounding on the edges of its' gypsy.
Anyone know of a source?

[wsmurdoch]

I got a new drive motor and reduction gear last year for my Muir 850 from

IMTRA Marine Products

They were very helpful.

Bill Murdoch

[Nauticatarcher]

Get onr direct from manufacturer

Australian Distributors - The World Power In Anchoring Systems - Storm, Atlantic, Compact Winches

[Geoff H.]

Thanks all,
I called a Muir distributor in Fla, who gave me the # for a Jim Thomas at IMTRA (in Maine I think) and boy am I happy. He had me look at the stampings on the inside of the gypsy I have, and shot me back an email with 3 options. (He even has one exact gypsy with those same stampings, though at first when I gave him the #'s he said they were so old he didn't know what they meant.) I've decided to go with a 5 pocket (instead of the 6 pocket I have) which will take 3/8" HT, as he wasn't sure what chain my old gypsy was intended for, and I'm assuming 3/8" HT is going to be relatively easy to find in the world, no? I've never been able to figure out what my old chain is, some kind of strange 3/8", and its seen better days!!

[SkiprJohn]

If your 3/8 chain has quite a bit longer links than most other 3/8 its probably proof coil. Replacing chain, I've found, is more expensive than replacing a gypsy. 3/8 HT and BBB use the same gypsy I believe. It'd be good for you to take some measurements of your chain or take a piece of it to an expert to see what your chain matches before ordering your gypsy unless you are going to replace chain as well.
Just a thought.
kind regards,

[Geoff H.]

skiprjohn, yes, i'm planning on replacing chain. Going to be looking for 300 to 400' length of 3/8" HT to match the gypsy I ordered from Muir. Hoping to find along my current route, maybe Manzanillo, Mx, or perhaps in Panama. If not by then, not sure. In the meantime will continue to beat up my existing gypsy and chain -- they're both pretty tired out.

[SkiprJohn]

Happy cruising and I hope you can find a reasonable price on the chain.
kind regards,

[GMac]

Originally Posted by Geoff H.

I've decided to go with a 5 pocket (instead of the 6 pocket I have) which will take 3/8" HT, as he wasn't sure what chain my old gypsy was intended for, and I'm assuming 3/8" HT is going to be relatively easy to find in the world, no? I've never been able to figure out what my old chain is, some kind of strange 3/8", and its seen better days!!

3/8" chain is getting very hard to find outside of the US, just about everyone has gone metric and there is enough physical size difference that it does make it a situation that if you swap from 3/8" to 10mm you'll quite likely have to swap gypies at the same time.

If you are intending to cruz the worlds oceans more than stay close to the US I'd be very tempted to say go for a metric 10mm chain. Outside of the US 'HT' chain is called Grade 40 or Grade M, often shortened to the more recognisable G40. Metric G40 is easily available pretty much world wide.

If your existing chain is very old it could be anything. There are many old standards not being built to anymore but there still is a lot of that chain out there on boats.