Both the chain and the rope go through the teethy part.

You have to manually deploy the anchor. The model windlass you have is designed to recover the anchor. You may have to take a wrap or two around the smooth gypsy if the rope slips using just the teethed portion.

Entire books have been written about how to deploy anchors, but I assume you're asking only about the foredeck of your own boat. There are two avenues open to you.

First choice, you manually extend the anchor over the bow roller so that the anchor is swinging free of the bow roller. Then, the rode is routed back to the windlass, through the teethy part, then down into the locker. I am not sure which windlass you have, but there is a way (mine is an aluminum bar, about 1 inch wide, 24 inches long, that fits into the top of the windlass) to adjust the friction of the clutches in the windlass, and by loosening that friction, gravity will let your anchor lower to the bottom.

Second choice, and the procedure I use, is to manually hold the chain while the anchor lowers to the bottom. Gloves help, and a good helmsman is essential. This way is admittedly more dangerous, but less fussy.

Larry or others may know the model windlass you have, but a picture would probably help, as Catalina has used different models over the years.

A bit of general advice; any windlass generates a LOT of power and will happily destroy your fingers, toes or any other body part that gets between the rope/chain and the drum. Take great care to stay away from the footswitch while taking the rope or chain on or off of the drum. Also, as Larry mentioned, some models have a slot into which you insert a handle to loosen/tighten the clutch; this allows the drum to spin freely or be locked fairly tight. NOTE that at least on my Maxwell VW1500 the handle spins with the drum. So make an adjustment and remove the handle prior to operating the windlass.

You may know all of the above, but if not, hopefully it'll help avoid an injury.

As to the windlasses, I attached some pics of models I've seen on Catalinas. I installed a VW1500, mounted horizontally to replace the undersized windlass that came on my boat (rope only). It can also be mounted vertically, through a hole in the anchor locker cover. I've never tried routing the rope through the wildcat, not sure that works with this model. The RC10 works with both rope and chain.

Others may have additional info or make corrections to the above.

Rick,

I have hull 1777, just a few dozen newer than yours. Here is how our windlass/rode works:

We have 80 feet of chain leading from the anchor to the gypsy (toothed wheel) of the windlass (Maxwell 800) and down into the anchor locker. To deploy, I use the wrench to loosen the star nut at the top of the drum, then when I lower the anchor off the roller, gravity will let it drop. You can tighten the nut a little to adjust how fast it pays out.

At 80 feet, the nylon rope appears where the rope/chain splice is located. I usually stop at this point (tighten the nut) to re-inspect the splice for any concerns. Loosening the nut lets me pay out the remaining rode desired. I then tighten the nut.

I'll skip the details of belaying the rode, backing down, etc.

To retrieve, my wife follows my hand signals, while I use the foot switch to pull up first the rope, then the chain. They are one piece thanks to the splice, so they are retrieved through the gypsy. The upper smooth drum does not come into play.

Where the drum can be used is to retrieve the rope portion of a secondary anchor, or to help grind someone up the mast in a bosun's chair. Hope this helps.

Glad it helped, Rick. I wish ALL C36 and 375 owners would realize how much value we have for our modest dues.

Anyway, I have a heavy duty push/pull windlass switch on our forward game table settee. When that is on, the red light illuminates on the electrical panel and I know the very heavy wire leading to the windlass is energized.

Try working that switch and watching the light to see what you can get going. If it worked a week ago, it is pretty sure to work today (not always true on boats, but I will go out on a limb for this one).

Rick,
Your "kill switch" is probably a breaker. If you push on - pull off that's what it is. The light is there to tell you if the circuit is on. The general rule her is that you should only have the circuit on when you are using the windlass.
If you have a Maxwell with a single foot switch in the anchor locker for raising the anchor you can add a second switch to lower (add a relay or make sure you don't push both the up and down switches at the same time). If you add a second "down" switch you won't need to loosen the star nut to lower the anchor and can more easily control how fast the rode pays out. There is room next to the up switch, but make sure the hatch doesn't interfere.
Most light up the diesel when raising the anchor for 2 reasons. First is to avoid trying to get enough amps out of a slow discharge deep cycle battery bank, but second is to be able to motor slowly up to the anchor as you use the windllass to bring in the rode. The windlass is powerful, but it should not be used to try to pull your C36 up to the anchor in any sort of breeze. Let the engine do that.
Make sure your chain and nylon rode are correctly sized for your gypsy, and note Gary's comment about fingers (don't ask me about this one).

You have not mentioned your experience level, not sure if your questions are from a novice with a new boat, or experienced moving up to first big boat. I say this with safety in mind, not to offend. Please ensure you understand the proper way to anchor (position, setting, swing, etc) and use adequate scope for your anchoring situation.

That round red 'switch' is actually a big ass circuit breaker, and the red light lights whenever that breaker is ON...that is, when it is *in*.

Proper procedure is to whap it with the heel of your hand to engage it, then start the engine and let it idle, and then use the windlass to retrieve the anchor. As stated, the windlass is not designed to pull the boat to the anchor, but to capture slack while someone at the helm uses the engine to make the boat creep towards where the anchor is embedded. Then, when the rode is *up and down* and the anchor is about ready to become unstuck, the windlass will raise it from the seabed to the bow. I never use the windlass to pull the anchor into the bow roller, but I stop the retrieval just as the shank gets to about 3 or 4 inches from the bow roller and then I grab the chain to pull the anchor into its rest. When the anshor is stowed I go below and pull out the red CB handle.

A general question. I'm aware that all of the instructions for using a windlass say not to use it to pull the boat up to the anchor, just to raise the anchor, as [I]the windlass isn't designed to pull the boat up to the anchor[/I]. As I mentioned above, I installed a new VW1500 last year. That thing is so powerful, I think it would pull the bow under if the anchor got snagged. Being single handed most of the time, there are occasions when the wind is up, where I have no choice but to pull the boat up to the anchor using the windlass capstan to haul in the nylon rode. After the first few seconds getting the boat moving, the windlass is loafing and hauling in the line so fast I usually have to tail it as fast as I can. I stop the windlass and remove the rode from the drum when I get close and the boat coasts over the anchor, at which point I have the chain engaged to pull the anchor off the bottom.

I don't make a regular practice of this, but feel it's safer than trying to motor up to the anchor and possibly get the rode wrapped around the prop. I've never felt like I was abusing the windlass by doing so as it really seems like it's loafing. I used to do it with the puny VC300 that came with the boat and it was still working fine when I removed it last year.

It seems to me that as long as the windlass is of sufficient size, the wiring is properly sized, breaker, etc., that this doesn't seem to present a problem. Can anyone chime in as to why it's generally considered to be a bad idea?

FWIW, Gary, I agree with you based upon the info you gave.

Generalities always have exceptions, and in this case I would do the same as you. I would, however, have serious reservations about single-handing trying to weigh anchor in strong winds, whether I used the engine/prop or just the windlass.

FWIW, I use the windlass to bring in enough chain that it starts to go taut then I stop the windlass and let the chain sink. The weight of the chain pulls the boat forward, not the windlass. Then repeat. Unless there's over 15 knots of wind, that works every time. Has the side benefit of getting a lot of the mud off the chain at the same time. If there's a lot of wind I get Suz to motor us gently forward.

I put in a VW1000 last year and it seems to be pretty stout. The manual I got from Maxwell when I bought it said to not pull the boat with the windlass, that's the only reason why I don't do that. I don't want to risk destroying $1500 worth of windlass. Oddly enough for me I RTFM and obeyed it. Go figure.

If we're anchored in over 35 feet and I have enough chain out to get into the rope rode I use the rope capstan to bring in the rope, I don't let it go through the chain gypsy. It's double braid and I don't believe the rope would enjoy going through the gypsy with all its sharp edges though I gather some ropes are designed for that and it doesn't hurt them.

As Larry described, I stop short of the bow roller and I bring the 45 lb. Manson Supreme in by hand the last bit to give me a chance to blast the massive amount of mud off it that it brings up and make sure it doesn't hit the furler.

I suspect I have the same model windless as you do, Rick, and also had the same set-up. That "kill switch" you mention should be what supplies power to the windlass. Are you saying it doesn't work now?

My chain and rope anchor rode was fed directly through the lower part (the part with the "teeth" as you call it) of the windlass. I had to loosen the upper nut that you refer to and this allowed the rode to slip through the windlass when lowering the anchor.

I found this to be a major hassle. Sometimes I couldn't get it loose enough and sometimes I got it too loose and then a little part popped out of place and I had to take the windlass apart.

I ultimately installed a "down" foot switch, which really makes anchoring a whole lot easier.

For your first anchoring off Sausalito, a caution, and a safety tip.

If you are not proficient at anchoring, or are having issues with your new-to-you windlass, I strongly urge you to skip Sausalito as a first try. The current reverses there every six hours and can be pretty strong at times. I have no idea what anchor you have and what your experience with anchoring may be, but even for us diehard regular anchor-outs, Sausalito is NOT the easiest even at the best of times.

For you to have a good experience with the girlfriend, I suggest you consider Clipper Cove. It's completely sheltered and has no current. The only time you'll end up backwards is in the morning when a light east breeze can come up, but so light you'll just be sitting on top of your anchor. There's lots of room in the Cove, whereas good spots in Sausalito are hard to come by because of all of the anchor-outs who have grabbed the good spots. There's a bit of weeds up there, too. And the afternoon winds can be brutal.

If you choose Clipper Cove, check the charts and beware of the entrance bar between the dock and the west end of the Bay Bridge, stay close to the dock on the north end of the entrance, otherwise a pretty simple place.

Your boat, your choice.

[QUOTE=LCBrandt;9563]Both the chain and the rope go through the teethy part.[/QUOTE]

I'm new to my 2004 Catalina 36 and tried the windlass for the first time last night. It has original equipment Maxwell vertical model. It sure looks like there is a rope groove in the chain gypsy, but when I run the rope through it the system sounds like it's getting way overloaded and then the circuit breaker trips. It appears to be getting the rode stuck in the groove and then overloading at the exit, where the little wiper thing clears the groove on the lazy end. At first I thought that the PO had simply purchased the wrong size anchor rode, but when I read the Maxwell manual, nowhere does it indicate the proper rode size to use on the chain gypsy, although it does mention the proper chain size to use on the chain gypsy and it also describes how to switch from rope on the upper capstan and chain on the lower.

Is there any Maxwell documentation that describes the dual purpose? The idea that they both go through the same wheel appears to contradict both my Maxwell documentation and my first hand experience.

G. Jackson

Thanks for the follow-up and good luck with the rest of the mods.

Greg Jackson,

If it helps, our Maxwell 800 uses the 5/16 inch HT size link and 5/8 dia 3-strand nylon, with a chain/rope splice.

If the device which holds the rope tight against the gypsy (forgot the name) is not functioning, usually the rope will just slip on the gypsy and not retrieve. If the rope doesn't exit the housing smoothly, then it will jam and stop the windlass, as you seem to be experiencing.

I would carefully observe the way the rope runs through there and decide on a plan. If the rope is less than 5/8 inch diameter, that "could" be a problem, I am guessing.

I just use the rope capstan. Put 3 turns of rope around it, stand up, put foot on switch, pull on rope enough to keep it taught and press the foot switch, hand over hand feed rope back into locker as it comes off the capstan. When the chain comes up I let off the switch, kneel down, put chain on gypsy, unwrap the rope and carry on. Haven't tried that in 40 knots yet:D. What works for one guy doesn't necessarily work for anyone else though.

I have a 1995 36 tall rig wing keel. My windless doesn't have a gypsy.  Works fine on line but no way to bring chain and anchor in.  I've thought about adding a short piece of line to parallel the chain so I can bring  the anchor all the way up. Has anyone successfully accomplished that?
 

I have the same windless and don't care for it. I'm installing a VW 1500. Believe it or not you can pull the chain up on the smooth drum. I don't like it, but it's works well. I have 125ft of chain.