Difference in Anchor WINCH and Anchor WINDLASS?

[Ciera2450]

Just window shopping here....
It would sure be nice to just push a button and deploy or retrieve my anchor. Been doing it by hand thus far, and it can be some real work!
Aside from "windlasses" being thousands of dollars and "winches" being hundreds of dollars...whats the difference?
I just wanna be able to crank up my anchor and rode easily.
I see some winches rate for up to a 40lb anchor and 200lbs pulling power.
I would think that'd suffice, but I'm just not clear of the differences....
Any advice?

 

[JoLin]

Re: Difference in Anchor WINCH and Anchor WINDLASS?

Many use the 2 terms interchangably, but they aren't exactly the same. I got this definition at dicoverboating.com:

The difference between a winch and a windlass is that the line wraps around and around the cylindrical portion of a winch; whereas the line goes into the forward end of the windlass, passes around the gypsy (cylinder/drum/pulley) and exits out the back (or bottom) of the windlass housing.

If you're looking for fairly inexpensive, Powerwinch makes a line of anchor winches that seem to work well on boats like yours, and their site has a 'sizing guide' to help you pick the right one. A friend has had one on his 25' Larson for at least 10 years and it's still going strong.

My Four Winns has a 'vertical capstan' windlass tho I don't know the manufacturer (I just put the boat in the water today). Advantage is a cleaner appearance, but you need a deep anchor locker for the rode to fall into.

You'll need an anchor roller, too. I would not recommend mounting a trailer or utility winch to handle your anchor and rode. They aren't made to be constantly wet.

My .02

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: Difference in Anchor WINCH and Anchor WINDLASS?

Thank you for the advice!
I'll check out the Powerwinch line.
I don't wanna spend a couple grand to handle my anchor. I'm usually in about 12ft of water when anchored, so doing it manually isn't horrible. But if for a few hundred bucks I would be able to just push a button......that'd be nice
I've been looking at manual winches and anchor rollers also. But a quality manual winch isn't too far from the price of some of the electric models.
Thanks again..