Windlass question

OLDFISHER

Cadet
Joined
Jul 17, 2011
Messages
25
Greetings, I am planning on installing a winless due to tight passage to the bow for each quick stop. Question is I am looking at Lewmar CRW-400 Winlass Stainless Steel Chassis Boat Anchor Winch max 40lbs lift for my 3800# 21' cruiser equipped with a 15# plow type anchor. It will mostly be in intercoastal waters but near inlets with a pretty strong current at times. Any comments please? Thanks
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,416
It wouldn't be my choice....wouldn't take much to overload.

No free fall is a problem for "precision" anchoring
 

Grub54891

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
5,908
wind?lass
ˈwin(d)ləs/
noun
noun: windlass; plural noun: windlasses
  • 1.
    a type of winch used especially on ships to hoist anchors and haul on mooring lines and, especially formerly, to lower buckets into and hoist them up from wells.
verb
verb: windlass; 3rd person present: windlasses; past tense: windlassed; past participle: windlassed; gerund or present participle: windlassing
  • 1.
    haul or lift (something) with a windlass.
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
7,952
Ohhhhh....WinDlAss.

When I googled "winless' it talked about poor sports teams.
 

Maranvin

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jan 29, 2017
Messages
41
Not trying to Jack the thread. But when a windlass is used and retrieves the anchor line, does it get tangled in the anchor locker?
 

Grub54891

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
5,908
No, they do not, the chain just lays on to of itself, haven't seen one yet that has been tangled.
 

shrew

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
1,309
Lewmar CRW-400

That should be fine for your sized boat with anchor locker restrictions. When used properly, you bump the boat in and out of gear to advance forward on the anchor rode, then windlass is used to retrieve the line and lift the anchor off of the sea/river/lake bed. The windlass will only get potentially overwhelmed if you are pulling the boat to the anchor. That is not proper usage. The only other issue would be if you have so much chain and are anchored so deep, that the sum of the anchor and the weight of the chain vertically is greater than the max capacity of the windlass.
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,416
The windlass will only get potentially overwhelmed if you are pulling the boat to the anchor.
How does pulling the boat to the anchor induce anymore load than a boat pulling from the anchor, as in anchored?

The combination of wind, waves and tide on a #3500 boat could easily exceed the #150 working limit of the unit
 
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