Show Us Your Windlass/Capstan

[MurrayM]

...I just sold our boat with a genuine Bruce and my wife and can’t praise it enough...

Not trying to be nosy, but what is the current going price for a boat, anchor, and wife?

 

[BrianG]

If you decide to get rid of it , holler at me. I like messing with them.

It's for sale. the Slow speed is fine, the high speed works but you have to really pull on it. Damn thing weighs a ton.

 

[Puffin_NT32]

Lofrans Tigres, taken while at anchor (35# Delta, full chain, snubber on). Second roller on left carries either a 29# folding anchor or 22# Bruce, used for fishing.

 

[Scrib]

This is the set-up of my GB36. I've since had to rebuild the pulpit and mounting arrangement but don't have a pic of the final result. Will be down to the boat this weekend and will take an up to date picture.

 

[socalrider]

Mine is a mess! In the process (with a separate thread) of rebuilding the rotted out platform out of Starboard. Today I had the Samson post support tabs re-welded; should have it buttoned up tomorrow.

Still not going to look as pretty as some of these setups. Proud of my Super Sarca though.

 

[Bob Cofer]

 

[Wayfarer]

Some fine looking tackley bits y’all are sporting. Here’s Sylphide’s simple setup. Single vertical Muir 3000 with power up only and local foot switch control only. I’d like to rework the roller so that it’s a little farther forward to keep the point of the anchor a safer distance from the bow, but if works for now.

 

[menzies]

View attachment 108700

Very salty looking.

Interesting that they installed the through deck to the anchor at that angle to the windlass. I guess no choice with the width of the windlass and position of the anchor on the flare.

It must put some increased sideways pressure on the through deck though?

 

[HiDHo]

Ideal vertical mounted windlass on 1/2” aluminum plate. Rocna Vulcan with 250’ 5/16 high test chain. Port side Fortress anchor on 100’ 5/16” high test chain and 150’ three strand.

 

[menzies]

Ideal vertical mounted windlass on 1/2” aluminum plate. Rocna Vulcan with 250’ 5/16 high test chain. Port side Fortress anchor on 100’ 5/16” high test chain and 150’ three strand.

Your shanks aren't on deck? Do you have a pic of the anchors?

 

[Pack Mule]

View attachment 108700

Very nice Bob.

 

[HiDHo]

The Rocna Vulcan is on the pulpit deck. The Fortress rode is rigged thru the pulpit roller but rigging it vertical is a better option.

 

[ScottC]

First picture: Chain comes up from the chain locker and goes down through the hawsepipe (not clearly visible). This is not a very good picture of the capstan, but it's the best one I could find of an item I never had a mind to photograph before. 130 feet of 5/16" galvanized chain.


Second picture: Anchor & hawsepipe

 

[Island Cessna]

I like the cat head!

 

[Snapdragon III]

My boat has a twin hydraulic capstan that was hand built by the builders of the boat. It is really sweet. I love that it has seemingly unlimited power, and infinitely variable speed, up to max. Really nice when you want to slow down to wash the mud off the chain as it comes up. And also nice to never have to worry about using the engine to pull up on the anchor. There is nothing to overheat, or overload with the hydraulic.

 

[Sabre602]

Former commercial fishing boat...such deck-mounted windlasses are standard equipment on fishers in this part of the world. I have since removed the large central cleat and installed twin bitts closer to the windlass. It's a lot more convenient to deal with dock and spring lines without having to lift the shank of the anchor out of the way.

 

[romany275]

Another old McMurry - still going strong.

 

[FlyWright]

My boat came to me with a Powerwinch on the bow that required man-handling the rode, hand hauling the chain portion and placed mud and weeds on the foredeck each time. It was a royal PITA. The undersized anchor and rode were replaced with 300+ feet of 5/8" 8 ply Brait - 120 ft 5/16 chain and a 15 kg Lewmar Claw anchor.

I replaced the winch with this Lewmar Pro Series 1000 with self-launching anchor roller, lower helm wired remote and dual wireless remotes. I also installed a bow-mounted, recessed raw water washdown hose.

With the safety cable removed, anchoring is a simple one-finger deploy process from the helm with no need to visit the bow until it's time for the snubber. Anchoring have never been easier!!

 

[Xsbank]

Mine, freshly overhauled. New hydraulic control with brake. Up, locked, down, free fall.

Rats! The dreaded iPhone picture-wrecker...

 

[Xsbank]

Oops

 

[oscar]

Here you go....

 

[REO]

I'm surprised the chain lockers were not shown more often. Our Mason 53 had the chain directed too far forward in a shallow locker. My wife had to knock the chain down as the anchor was raised or it would jam. Absolutely no fun raising the anchor when singlehanding.

 

[Scrib]

I posted an earlier pic (#34) but since it was an old picture of the original pulpit I've taken a new pic of the rebuilt pulpit. As the original construction was basically a 3/4" piece of plywood set over a fiberglass box with the pulpit & windlass set on top and through-bolted, over time the plywood deteriorated around the edges and started to rot. I pulled everything apart & replaced the plywood although in a different shape. One of the disadvantages of the original design is that you had to bend down to fish the mooring pennant or dock line through the hawse hole sort of blind as it was under the edge of the finished pulpit platform. I never liked that arrangement so I modified the platform. Although the aft corners of the pulpit now stick out a couple inches it has turned out not to be the slightest of problems ... renovations always have their quirks! Here's the new look.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I'm not usually single handed but don't have a windlass for chain. Should have installed one years ago but decided then that I didn't need one. Still don't but it would be nice and now safer at my age.
Anyway here's my setup.

When we had our first trawler (Albin 25) I just hand pulled the Claw anchor.

And when we bought the Willard she had nothing but a imitation Sampson Post. 1st pic.
Later I acquired a 35lb anchor and planed on a 28lb Supreme. So I bought an Erdurance Marine capstan. It worked fine but was very noisy. I think it went kaput and wouldn't work so I searched out and found the Endurance facility in Surrey BC. Went up there and discussed my problem. They had developed a new winch (much the same but w a newly designed drive. It's a planetary drive but the put rubber bushings (or someth'in) in the drive system.
We bought an R&D unit that still had primer paint for a very low price and went home.
Huge difference in noise. Still have it but I wish I had a chain winch now.

In the Albin I put the nylon rode down in the chain locker as per usual but after our trip to Juneau the constantly wet rode began to smell.
Since then I've put the rode in a plastic box that looks more RV than boat. Only problem was in the nasty it tended to slide around. Put a rubber pad on the deck and that solved that problem.

So in the 2nd pic you see the rig as it is today. Except the anchor is further modified and I haven't used the short cable for some time. It's mostly for best anchor penetration. And works best w very soft bottoms. The 3/8ths chain is of course very short but heavy for a 30' boat.



Good rig for a young man but I should have a winch.

1st pic is as we bought Willy. I still have that Danforth.
Last pic is the first Endurance Marine capstan .. the noisy one.