Self Tailing Winches

[Bill Balme]

My 'new' boat has Lewmar self tailing winches. My old boat had standard winches - so I was looking forward to the ease of use of the self tailers.

Unfortunately, I find that pulling line through a self tailer is far more work than pulling it around a standard winch - is this normal or am I doing something wrong?
If one pulls them over the winch without the self tailer, they're fine - but then you have to hold the line while tailing it as you get close - I can manage that, but my wife has a tough time doing it. Is this the way to use them?

Clearly they're great once the sheet is nearly in and you're cranking on the handle without having to keep tension on the bitter end.



(And yes, I have lubed them all.)

[Vasco]

Bill,

Are you putting the line on the self tailing part while you're hauling the slack out of it? If you are, it's not the way it should be done. Just keepa couple of wraps on the drum and haul in the slack. Once this is in put another wrap on the drum and one around the "jaws" of the tailer. Then grind. Sometimes you gotta be quick.

[By Invitation]

Bill,

Somethings not correct here. Self tailing winches are the best thing to hit the boat market in years. When used properly, they are strickly a one handed operation.

Quick description, wrap your line 3 times around the drum as you would a normal winch, on the next wrap you come over the top of the pickoff arm and continue with one more wrap around the top jaws of the drum. You then attach the winch handle and crank away to your hearts desire, never having to touch the line with your other hand at all.

They can be tricky to get used to if you have never used them before, but once you get the procedure correct you will love them!

First time my wife used one she couldn't believe how well they work and how much easier they are to use.

[BC Mike]

The winches may be sensitive to rope size and the grabbing part may not grab as well as it should. That may depend on the winch.
I would try what the others have said. Use at least three wraps of the drum, then try four. If they are working properly it should be a one handed operation. To cleat off I often just go once more around the winch with the tail. My grabbers are getting tired.
I had to post to this because of my number of posts.
Michael

[Vasco]

Hey Michael,

Does something happen after 500?

[BC Mike]

501 happened when I just posted on another thread. And I think I just filled another star.
I seem to be averaging about 4 1/2 posts per week, and you are around 3 1/4.
Maybe I should slow down.
Michael

[Alan Wheeler]

Here's a question. Why has no company designed a retro fit tailing device that would fit a non-tailing winch. Surely there must be a way and surely a large market. The cost of buying self tailers are just horrendouse.

[Vasco]

Wheels,

They have them over here. Blue plastic things you put over the top of the winch. People that have them say they work pretty good.

[By Invitation]

Allen,

Why has no company designed a retro fit tailing device that would fit a non-tailing winch.

They do make them but they don't provide for the pickoff arm that a normal self tailing winch has. I have some friends who tried them and removed them after a while because they did not work very well. All they are is a rubber doughnut that fits over the top of the winch - pretty simple really but certainly do not work as well as an engineered self tailer.

The cost of buying self tailers are just horrendouse.

Have you looked at the price of an electric self tailer??

[Alan Wheeler]

Yeah In know about the blue donut thingy. It's called a Watski wincher. But it they do little else than act as a lock to the line after you have finished winching. I would like a picker. Besides, the Watski whichers sell for about NZ$100.00 here. I reckon that's still expensive for a piece of rubber that does ruffly the same job as the cleat I have does anyway.

[Jon D]

Bill Balme once whispered in the wind:

Unfortunately, I find that pulling line through a self tailer is far more work than pulling it around a standard winch - is this normal or am I doing something wrong?
If one pulls them over the winch without the self tailer, they're fine - but then you have to hold the line while tailing it as you get close -

Bill

What you are experiencing is normal. All my boats have had self tailers by different mfgs and all behave this way.

As said above if you pull all the slack out with out the self tailer you get your 'normal ' feel. The reason for the 'abnormal' feel is if you are just pulling the slack out through the tailer, you are pulling through a high friction area - the jaws and stripper of the self tailor.

Best technique I have found is that decribed above 'By Invitation' with the caveat that the number of wraps while taking the slack out may vary with the size of winch and/or diameter of the line. Also when you put the final wrap over the 'stripper arm' there should not be a large angle from the top wrap over the arm as this puts extra loads on the arm which they are not designed for.

An example of this is on my primary lewmar 65s I need a good 5 wraps before I go to the stripper arm. While on my 40 mainsheet winch it is only 2 or 3 at most.

This picture off Lewmars site is a good example

http://www.lewmar.com/products/index...e_id=9&sub1=49