[C320-list] Windlass

[jim brown]

Thanks very much Scott. Exactly what I needed to know. As I said I've been thinking of servicing the winch-but I won't admit for how long. Now I know I have to. 

Jim BrownDesafinado

      From: Scott Thompson <surprise at thompson87.com>
 To: C320-List at Catalina320.com; Catalina 320 List <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com> 
 Sent: Tuesday, May 5, 2015 7:04 PM
 Subject: Re: [C320-list] Windlass
   
I've taken the windlass apart more than once to service it and so am 
pretty familiar with how it works. The chainwheel is supposed to 
freewheel around the shaft for purposes of a "free fall" drop, or simply 
to remove tension on the chain if necessary for any purpose. The only 
thing holding it in place should be friction from two cones on either 
side that are compressed against the hub of the chainwheel when you 
tighten the "nut." The cones are keyed to the shaft. The inner one is 
held in place with a set screw but the outer one and the drum are 
supposed to be able to slide slightly on the keyway to relieve the grip 
on the chainwheel when the nut is loosened. If the chainwheel bonds to 
either cone from corrosion, or if the outer cone or drum do not slide on 
the shaft to ease the grip on the chainwheel then it will not freewheel. 
That's probably your situation, especially if you haven't used the 
chainwheel in "freewheel" mode for some time and have kept the nut 
tight. The solution is to disassemble at least the outer part of the 
windlass, clean up any corrosion on the parts, and reassemble using some 
heavy duty waterproof grease on the shaft and cones to keep things 
moving smoothly in the future. This is actually very easy to do. (It's 
another story if you need to service parts of the windlass that are 
under the deck.) I suggest you look at the exploded view in the manual 
(copy on the Association website) to get a better idea of what you are 
dealing with if you take things apart.

My standard procedure for securing the anchor is to bring it fully up 
until the anchor is mostly on the roller. I try to leave a little bit of 
slack so that the windlass doesn't fetch up suddenly when the anchor 
comes home. I then use a small line that I have, with a hook on the end, 
to secure the anchor. The hook attaches to the chain near the anchor. I 
take a turn or two on the drum and hold the end. I then loosen the nut 
and pull a few feet of chain towards the anchor so that the chain is 
very slack between the anchor and windlass. I then tighten the nut and 
activate the windlass _briefly_ to tighten up the line/hook/anchor but 
without putting tension on the chainwheel itself. I then cleat the line 
to secure it. This has worked well for me, and with regular "free wheel" 
use you should find that it does not lock up like you are experiencing now.

Scott Thompson
Surprise, #653




On 5/4/2015 4:29 PM, jim brown wrote:
> I have a Maxwell VW 500 windlass on our boat (hull 973). The foot switch is single and only operates to bring up the chain-and it works fine. I usually anchor in shallow water so usually just play out chain and rode by hand and use the windlass only for hoisting the last feet of chain and anchor (33 lb Spade). I was thinking of servicing it and tried to have the chain and anchor free fall when the top nut is "cracked" open a little with the supplied bar but I can't budge the chain when pulling on it even with the nut very loose (even stood on the anchor). The manual is not very helpful because it describes installation only with an up and down switch. Isn't their supposed to be a free fall mode? If so what would cause it not to release?
> Jim Brown