The horizontal windlass in my 1995 is not that useful. It only handles rope, so it limits the amount of chain you can have on your anchor to about 3 feet. It is also not self tailing, which means I end up piling the rode on the deck as I pull it off the winch

If I were starting over, installing a horizontal winch, I would [I]only[/I] consider one that handled both rope and chain, and was self tailing.

Installing a vertical winch, similar to the ones in the newer Catalina's might be an option. What are people's experience with the vertical winches?

One final option is to mount a horizontal windlass right on the deck just behind the anchor locker. This would be a true self tailing installation, although it will clutter the deck a little.

Nelson:

I know exactly what your saying and thinking. Your wanting to go to a all chain rode I presume. I to have done much reading and thinking in my head about the same issue as your doing. I have a horizontal windlass for rope from maxwell also and have went to an all chain rode. Right now I hardly use the windlass now as I do everything by hand with the 5/16 chain. I have talked to a couple of vendors and they say that I can take and modify the exit point on some of the chain windlass and it will work fine in putting them in a horizontal position. But being how pricey the windlass are I do not want to be the first to try it and not have it work. If I could find one that is broke or something and use that for laying it out that would be great. As I do not want to take and rebuild the whole anchor locker box. There is plenty of room to mount one horizontal but just not sure it will work ok. Maybe this fall at one of the boat show I will find a rep and physically show them what I mean instead of doing it by phone.

Randy

Randy

Don't know if this will help: [url]http://www.c34.org/projects/projects-anchor-windlass-apache.html[/url] There's another windlass install on our projects page, too, here: [url]http://www.c34.org/projects/projects-anchor-windlass-rose.html[/url]. Lotsa ways to skin the cat.

Nelson,
There may be a way to have the anchor line drop into the locker, but I haven't figured it out yet. Since the winch is not self tailing, you need to keep tension on the line so it doesn't slip on the drum.

When I pull up the anchor with the winch, I stand behind the anchor locker with one foot on the switch. I pull the rope up (hand over hand) and drop it behind me onto the deck. My line is old and stiff, so it doesn't coil well to begin with.

Once the anchor is up, I unwrap the winch and tie it off, then dump the whole wet pile into the locker, and resolve to remember to call ahead and reserve a mooring next time.

The gypsy retrofit is no longer available for the Maxwell 500 as far as I can tell.

I struggled with the windlass question. I resolved it after visiting with another Catalina 36 owner like me with a 1985 model. I mounted a vertical Maxwell VW1000 just behind the anchor locker. I made a chafer guard with 1/4" white marine lumber from WM. I used a 12" SS rub strake at the forward end to take the abuse of the chain going into the locker. In the locker I mounted a roller at the top just below the flanges that support the door. I cut away the flange just above the roller and used SS tangs to reinforce the flanges on either side. The 6" or 8" the chain travels across the deck is no problem.

My rode is 120' of 5/16" G40 chain and 200' 9/16" brait line. I have chain stopper just in front of the input side of the windlass. In reasonable water depths I'm on an all chain rode with enough rope to accommodate deeper anchorages. The Lewmar stopper comes apart to place the chain inside when in use. The chain in this arrangement is stored totally in the locker when not at anchor. I have two foot pedals and a hand wand from Lewmar as control. This necessitates a separate solenoid box made by Maxwell for the controls. I makes sense to me to separate the control circuit from the power circuit with separate lines. The control circuit is 14 ga., while the power is 2 ga. Separate circuit breakers protect each located in the head next to the toilet.

My battery bank (house) is under the port outboard dinnette seats. The run for the wiring goes through the head and overhead under the wood panel in the V berth on the port side. I was able to keep the run short enough to 2 ga. wire.

Sorry no pictures, I take some and post them later.

Hope this helps.

Lou Bruska
Sojourn C36 1985 hull 495
Macatawa Bay (Holland, MI) Lake Michigan

Nelson,

Here are Photos of my installation. The circuit breakers are in the head. The below deck picture shows the windlass wiring with the switch box connected to both foot pedals and the hand wand. The deck phots are self explanatory.

Regards,

Lou

Nelson,

Apparently my photos didn't take.

Lou

Nelson,
My picture files are too large for this website. I'll e-mail them to you, if you'd like. Just e-mail me at [email]rallyback@comcast.net[/email]

Lou

The first link Stu posted is the type of windlass I would like to mount 90 degrees from the picture in the link. I have the room to do it with out and mods or cutting of anything glass wise. The thing I am dealing with it would only wrap 90 degrees around the chain capstan.

Nelson:

The Maxwell windlass I have can be modified to use 1/4 chain but not 5/16. As you stated about using the rope drum for chain. I do already as a helper and it as messed the chrome up. Oh well. I have a friend that I just seen his windlass this weekend and his is doing what i described as the chain wrapping only 90 degrees, So now I know it will work as what he does it has a piece of chrome tubing that he holds on the back edge just to make sure it does not pop out. It is a 44 Bentateau and has had it over 5 yrs. Now I need to figure out what windlass to get.

Randy

Good day, all.,

I know this issue must have been addressed on the site, but I am having difficulty locating e answer to the following question:

My 1986 MK1 Last Resort has a horizontal windlass. There arena markings on the windlass. As such, I am having difficulty assessing proper size rope/chain anchor rode.....

Was there a standard of some sort? To me, it looks like the windlass was a a 'factory installed' option rather than an aftermarket.

Thanks much!,

Al

Nelson,last summer i installed(with the help of knowledgable friend) a horizontal Lewmar that runs 5/16 chain And 3/4 nylon 3 strand rope(for which it was designed)It has an aluminum "finger"that keeps pressure on both chain and rope..It works well and doesnt jam..the 100 ft of chain is joined with a chain splice(basically a backsplice)to the rope and feeds thru the chain gypsy and coils itself (with a little help) below the aluminum plate that bridges the port/stbd fiberglass "shelves"inside the locker upon which the Lewmar is mounted.The whole thing is covered when i close the locker lid(i had to router out an area under the lid so it will close...if your interested i can go down to the boat,write down the model and take a pic tho i havnt figured out how to load them onto this site yet,Greig

Here are a couple of shots of the Lewmar Concept 1 rope/chain windlass with integral chain hole to drop into the locker(under the 1/4" alu plate).This is a clean setup.Once the lid is closed,there is no sign of it.You can see the relieving i had to do in the lid to allow it to close fully.The rope/chain splice and the correct chain size for the gypsy is the key to success.I am very pleased with how this works...after trying to reduce the size of pics..and failing,i am unable to post..if you wish i can email them to you,cheers

[QUOTE=greigwill;5736]..after trying to reduce the size of pics..and failing,i am unable to post..[/QUOTE]

Image resizing:

[url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4053.0.html[/url]

Stu,this program is telling me it needs XP to work..it wont run on my Vista.My email is [email]greigwill@hotmail.com[/email] if anyone wants the windlass pics,Greig

I see that Sailnet has the Lewmar Concept One windlass on sale for $560!!Thats a pretty good deal for a $1200 machine...I have had trouble with Sailnet on warrantee on a Northstar wind indicator that stopped working after 8 months(faulty o ring seal at masthead) They refuse to answer my calls or emails...so never again on electronics anyway

Lou, I recently posted this link for resizing pictures for posting on another thread. Here it is again: [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4053.0.html[/url]

Maybe I should just start a new topic...

For anyone contemplating installing (or servicing) a horizontal windlass, you might want to take a look at the following thread in the C42 Forums:
[URL]http://catalina42discussionforum.yuku.com/reply/8687/t/maxwell-windlass....
Garry Willis is a very knowledgeable sailor on the west coast, who used to own a C36 and now is the Tech Editor for the C42 Association. It looks like a great idea to solve the 90 degree problem.

Nelson:

Just a FYI: I installed a vw1500 on our 36 and made 2 of the the brackets the was mentioned the 42 web site. Mine I never installed as there is no room in my eyes for that on our 1990 36. I have now used it a few times and though I need to lay the chain in the anchor locker as it comes in and as I let it out. So far I have not had a issue with it. We are currently living aboard and on our way out of Michigan. So anchoring is a nightly thing for us.

Randy

I cut the anchor hatch in half, beam to beam and installed a ss cover on the front half. I mounted a horizontal windlass on the ss front half and let the all 150 5/16 chain drop straight down into the ahchor well. System works great for the past 5 years. I used the power source from the existing windlass in the anchor well.

We just installed a VW1000, would have gone 1500 but I thought they were a lot more money, turned out where we got ours there was only about a hundred bucks difference. But it was an easy install, some minor enlarging of the original 500 unit hole and had to move the teak board in the V berth back to clear the motor. It works well, I just throw the chain forward as it comes off the gypsy, was awkward at first but not an issue now. Nice thing is that it is working fine with the stock wiring that was already there, the 1500 likely would have needed heavier battery cable.

Was going to split the anchor locker but can't see how I could do that now, I think it would be too full given how much room 100' of 5/16" HT chain and 200 of 5/8" double braid is taking up.