Is an electric windlass a necessity when living on the hook solo?

[Nibiruwayne]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

Thank you. That answers my question. For the rest, I'm glad I was able to let the rest of you engage in a the ego autoeroticism of saying: "Why are you asking this question?" I'm glad I was able to liven up your tragic lives.

I appreciate this question. You want to be as independent as possible and be able to handle everything yourself- a good thing.
For me I’ve worried about being injured (sprained wrist, etc.) and not being able to handle a physical problem. So I usually go overboard on redundancy.
Electric windlass allows multitasking - a real necessity at times, but that’s just me. I haven’t sailed or lived solo.

[BoatBumm]

On my solo Great Loop cruise, especially on the inland waterways, I often found myself in the position of having to raise anchor against a strong opposing current. My boat is a Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34 equipped with a manual dual action (moves the chain with both forward and aft movement of the handle) Muir windlass that came with the boat when I bought it, I too am a big believer in the KISS principle. Under normal circumstances that manual windlass was fine to raise my 45 pound anchor with all chain (5/16” BBB) rode. I consider myself a big and reasonably strong guy. But getting the anchor up against some of those currents was, as they say, interesting. Part of the challenge is that because of the current the boat was going to “take off” downstream in an unpredictable direction once the anchor broke free from the bottom. Fortunately the boat also has an excellent Raymarine autopilot, and I have a remote control dongle for it that hangs on a cord around my neck. My final solution was to double/triple check beforehand to make sure everything was in place ready to go. I would then start the engine, put it in forward gear at idle speed, and dash forward to raise the anchor as quickly as I could pump the handle. At idle thrust it made the boat want to “hover” in the current. With the autopilot remote I could make small “course corrections” as needed. And once the anchor broke free I usually had enough time to at least get the anchor above the water, if not fully seated in the bow roller. Good seamanship? You tell me. But the old phrase is that necessity is the mother of invention comes to mind.

[sail4evr]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

I'm worried about having to motor the boat at the same time as raising the anchor if I need to get it loose. Lowering it I can walk to the helm and set the anchor with the engine, but raising it. well, that's about a 36 foot stretch. With an electric windlass I can operate it remotely from the helm.

If you are worried get your self a windless. Peace of mind. If you sprain a wrist or hurt your elbow or shoulder can you lift your anchor with one hand if you need medical attention that you have to motor to. If you are anchored in say 50 ft of water can you lift 50 ft of chain by yourself?

[Pegu Club]

No, it’s not a necessity, BUT, when you start dragging at 3:00 am and the wind is doing forty knots in a crowded anchorage, it would be damn handy. As well if you need to re-drop two or three times to get it to set... and other circumstances that being on the bow for extended periods is not where you want to, or need to be, it’s about being Prepared vs post pared as it were.

We watched a guy at Norman’s key a year ago go through exactly what I described, he was solo and dragged within a couple of boat lengths of us, it was 3:00 am, the wind was howling and the anchorage was pretty full, several boats dragged, it was a bit of a sh-t show you might say...

Fair winds,

[DarwinHolmstrom]

Originally Posted by Pegu Club

it’s about being Prepared vs post pared as it were.

That's a great line! I've spent a lot more of my life post-pared than prepared, but I'm getting to the age where I have to plan things a little more carefully if I want to spend more time enjoying life and less time repairing my own mistakes.

[Sylph VI]

I am not going to disagree with much of the good advice and opinion but will offer an alternative perspective as a long term single hander. I have a 12 ton boat and a manual anchor winch and have operated it for over 20 years all around the world. Only occcassionally have I wanted an electric anchor winch and when I am old and decrepit I will probably install one. My preferred method of weighing anchor is to set the mainsail, reefed as appropriate, sheeted close to midships and helm free. The boat sails up onto the chain, stops and self tacks. During this period I can generally pull the chain in by hand. The process repeats on the other tack until the chain is shortened right in then I bring the remainder in with the winch (2 speed).
One can also motor up on the chain a bit then stop and walk briskly forward to heave in and repeat several times.
OK, can anticipate arguments against above procedures but they have worked for me with my boat in diverse situations for a long time now (blog.mailasail.com/sylph). And I do love the simplicity and reliability of a manual anchor winch, and, for now, quite enjoy the foredeck workout.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Sylph VI

I am not going to disagree with much of the good advice and opinion but will offer an alternative persoective as a long term single hander. I have a 12 ton boat and a manual anchor winch and have operated it for over 20 years all around the world. Only occcassionally have I wanted an electric anchor winch and when I am old and decrepit I will probably install one. My preferred method of weighing anchor is to set the mainsail, reefed as appropriate, sheeted close to midships and helm free. The boat sails up onto the chain, stops and self tacks. During this period I can generally pull the chain in by hand. The process repeats on the other tack until the chain is shortened right in then I bring the remainder in with the winch (2 speed).
One can also motor up on the chain a bit then stop and walk briskly forward to heave in and repeat several times.
OK, can anticipate arguments against above procedures but they have worked for me with my boat in diverse situations for a long time now (blog.mailasail.com/sylph). And I do love the simplicity and reliability of a manual anchor winch, and, for now, quite enjoy the foredeck workout.

Exactly. Same here. At first I had a manual windlass for budget reasons. That was decades ago. I’ve had one on every single boat ever since all the way up to the 50ft high windage cat with 80lbs anchor. A lot of people don’t seem to understand the concepts in your post. Or maybe don’t have the experience with them.

You can pull up ANY size anchor with a manual windlass in any conditions. You pull it in when the chain goes limp between tacks. My 95lbs girlfriend can easily pull up the 80lbs anchor and all chain rode using our manual windlass.

It’s just like anything else on a sailboat. There’s a right way and a wrong way. Experience teaches you the right way to do it. Just like rolling up the foresail on a furler. You can have an awful time fighting it in windy conditions or learn the right technique (let the sheet out to take the load off, and roll from there). Same with a windlass. There are times to crank in and times to wait a second.

An electric windlass is NOT a necessity. It’s a luxury.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Chotu

An electric windlass is NOT a necessity. It’s a luxury.

I don't know, once I had switched from manual to electric on the Downeast 38, I liked it so much I thought of it as necessity!

[Kurlie1]

Hi. Agree with most of above. When I bought my boat (35ft mono) 2 years ago it was fitted with a manual winch. After a few months I couldn't live with the effort so I decided to install a remote electric.


I am very happy with that decision however .... One huge surprise when installing was the size of the 2 cables required. The retail price was almost the same as the cost of the winch. Be aware that the long electrical cabes must be very large - oversize is better. Anothe option is to install a dedicated winch battery up forward. Only small cabes required back to charging regulater. Good luck

[capnorv]

I've ran manual windlasses for twenty years, no problems, knock on wood. The last ten have with a 66 pound anchor on a 27 ton boat and in my mid sixties I've thought occasionally about going power but I like the quiet simplicity and the little bit of exercise it gives. That said, cranking three hundred feet of chain in takes a while, so I try to keep a lookout for shallow spots. It is definitely safer and more convenient to have a helmsman ready, but usually not a necessity if you plan properly. The real concern is the lack of manual windlasses available and waning strength as we age.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

Is an electric windlass a necessity when living on the hook solo? I prefer to keep everything as manual as possible to eliminate electrical malfunctions but I have a heavy boat (Shannon 38) and worry about raising and setting the anchor when sailing solo. I intend to be living on the hook as much as possible from now on.

Obviously an electric winch makes raising very easy. You can control it from the cockpit as well.
I anchored lots of times with an manual winch without having problems retrieving the 45lb anchor on all 10mm chain, however motoring up to it is a bit difficult and slow.
I am solo on 40ft, 13ton boat and having a 1000W winch with remote control certainly makes anchoring easy.
BTW I have a dedicated sepperate cranking battery fwrd near the chain locker which eliminates long runs of expensive heavy cables.
Seems to work well
Good luck

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Kurlie1

I am very happy with that decision however .... One huge surprise when installing was the size of the 2 cables required. The retail price was almost the same as the cost of the winch. Be aware that the long electrical cabes must be very large - oversize is better. Anothe option is to install a dedicated winch battery up forward. Only small cabes required back to charging regulater. Good luck

This is one area where you can get away with non marine cable. You can buy 2/0 cable from an electrical supply house for about one fifth the cost. That was the case when I installed the wiring for my windlass almost 30 years ago. I am still using that same wire.

The downside is that the each strand of the cable is #12 AWG wire and the cable is very hard to bend and install. The lugs on the wire were crimped properly and then soldered with rosin core solder. This is tricky because to get that much copper hot enough to melt solder takes a propane torch. It will also soften the insulation near the crimp. The solder is there to keep moisture out of the crimp. Don't set the boat on fire. If you can accurately measure and put the terminals on while off of the boat that would be better. Although I didn't do it back then I should have taken the extra step to seal the ends with color coded, glue lined heat shrink tube. The cable from electrical suppliers only came in black.

After the cables are attached and tightened down properly spray the ends with Boeshield T9. That will prevent corrosion.

[verb88]

Yes, it is.

[chris in SG]

I've tried to read all posts to avoid repetition and there's a couple of points I felt were not covered well.

1. A helm-mounted remote switch would be useful for the initial drop but, in my view, should not be used for weighing anchor. Assuming the electric windlass is sized adequately only, you need to be able to listen to the motor to avoid overload. If you must use a helm-mounted remote, make sure the 100amp breaker (or whatever) is easily accessible. It is almost certainly not located on a convenient breaker panel.

2. Someone mentioned that "most" electric winches have manual over-ride in the event of electrical failure. I did some research recently when I was planning to upgrade to a model that DOES have manual over-ride because mine does not, and I have been caught out with solenoid failure and motor brush failure. My impression from the online 'window shopping' was that this feature is not well-advertised (either its presence or absence) so 'caveat emptor'. In my view, electric winches which do NOT have an over-ride should be banned..

[JD-MDR]

For me the best advantage of having a electric windlass is when setting in crowded area or unfamiliar area not completely satisfied with how the boat lays or swings ,it's no big deal to pull it up and reset. there have been times when I had to reset two or three times or more.