Conference unifix::sailing

We have an Australian-made Muir manual windlass that is essentially a
better quality (bronze chain gypsy, for example) copy of the
Simpson-Lawrence 555 windlass. We haven't used it much, but a few
things are immediately apparent. 

First, retrieving an anchor and rode is very slow using the windlass. As
long as it is not too rough, you can crank with one hand and tail a rope
rode with the other. Two people is definitely easier. Since the windlass
is quite powerful, pulling the boat up to the anchor is not hard (again,
as long as it is not too rough). With a chain rode recovery is a
one-crewperson chore. Overall, retrieval requires little effort.
Breaking out a 35 lb CQR and 40 feet of chain deeply set in sticky mud
was quite easy. 

Second, retrieving chain is easy and safe. Paying out the chain is 
another matter. The gypsy clutch either grabs or allows the chain to run 
out too fast -- which is scary, but still less scary and considerably 
safer than handling chain by hand.

We normally anchor with a 35 lb CQR, 40 feet of 5/16 chain, and however 
much 1/2 inch nylon rode is needed. When raising anchor we motor very 
slowly toward the anchor, bringing in the nylon rode and flaking it on 
the deck. When the effort required to bring in the rode becomes 
excessive, we use either the rope or chain gypsy as appropriate. 
Transferring the rode from the rope gypsy to the chain gypsy can be
difficult and potentially dangerous unless done very carefully. 

All in all, I'm glad we have a windlass, but I'm not sure it is really 
worth the investment for casual coastal cruising. It is possible though 
quite awkward and slow to use the cockpit sheet winches to get an 
anchor aboard. 

One problem with the Muir (and also with the Simpson-Lawrence I've 
heard) is that the stripper on the chain gypsy doesn't work well. 
Actually, on the Muir the factory stripper (at least the one supplied 
three years ago) simply doesn't work. I made one that works quite well 
after far too many hours of thought and a design that didn't work. 
The standard chain pipe is also too small to allow use of chain 
shackles. I had a 3 inch diameter stainless steel chain pipe made. 
Sealing the chain pipe is also difficult. 

With any windlass be sure to reinforce the deck under the windlass. 
While the safe working load on our windlass is 1200 lbs, I'm sure that 
it will withstand a much, much heavier load. 

Also, before you buy an electric windlass, find out how much it will 
cost to run the wiring to it. Very large and quite expensive cables are 
needed as the stall currents can be 200 amps or more. Electric 
windlasses are not necessarily safer than manual ones. I've heard a 
couple of horrible horror stories about hands pulled under the chain by 
an electric windlass. If you are cranking a manual windlass, your hands 
are well away from the chain and you are standing behind the windlass
away from the chain. 

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Alan

    Al,
    	Thanks for the quick reply -- Some how I knew you'd be the first.
    
    	Some background:
    		I'm one of those stink potters  (sorry 'bout that)
    		I have a 34' Flying bridge crusier
    		Being a stink potter I don't anchor as much as a sail
                type & use mostly nylon rode w/9' of chain.
    
    	I use a 35lb CQR & the biggest problem I have is if I stop
    for some fishing -- deep water, violate all rules about scope (just
    need to stay put for awhile) --- so I end up pulling the anchor
    for about 60+ feet alot.  If my son is with me this seems to be
    no problem; however, if it's just the wife & I she seems prefer
    to take the helm & I get to lift weights.  (I can take the 20' in
    a cove over night but found the extra 40' or so more work than I thought)
    
	I have letting the hook down well in control so thats no issue.
    
        I could use a lunch hook but they don't hold as well on a very
    short scope as we all know & the locker won't take much more rode
    tha the 250' I have on each anchor.
    
    	The piece I don't understand is how you let go of the rode to
    move your hand to a new position for more take up as you are cranking
    away on the windlass -- electric frees up both hands

    	I agree on the comment about investment vs coastal cruising
    esp. since I normaly dock if traveling; but, as I said the back
    is getting old.

    So - is there any trick to moving to a new grip or does the windlass
    some how hold things in position for you?
    
    Also what does the term "self-tailing" mean?
    
    Thanks for the help (you run a good conference here),
                                                         Lou

Re bringing in rope rode: Crank in three or four feet of rode, use one 
hand to hold the rode while you reposition the other hand, resume 
cranking. Like I said, slow, and that's why two people make the process 
much faster. 

Self-tailing: A mechanical device on the winch holds the 
sheet/halyard/guy/rode/etc tail and strips the it off the winch drum. 
Once you've seen a self-tailing winch, it is obvious. My description 
isn't.

Self-tailing:  A winch without self-tailing needs someone to tension the line.
This requires one person to turn the crank and another to tail the winch
or one person to turn the crank with one hand and tail with the other.
A winch with self-tailing will pull in line by just grinding (turning
the crank).

Wordy, but I hope you get the idea.

    THANKS FOLKS,
    
    	I think I've got the idea.
    
    					Thanks again,
                                                     Lou

    Lou, looooong time no see.  We chartered a Moorings (Beneteau) 43
    this past winter that was equiped with an electric windlass.  It
    was of the non-selftailing variety.  In light conditions it was
    great.  A button was mounted flush to the deck which allowed control
    of the winch while you were tailing the rode.  I didn't pay attention
    to the make but it did seem a little  under powered.  In a blow
    we still had to power to the anchor and also use the boats power
    to break out the anchor.  BUT it was still much better than hand
    power alone.  Again, I didn't check out the wiring, but did notice
    a separate "Battery switch" (not just a breaker on the panel) for
    the windlass.  I have never seen a self tailing windlass (other
    than for all chain rode) but that would be the easiest way to go.
    Let us know what you find and decide on.
    
    Frank (yes, of 8 checkout)
    
    ?Still playing Cribbage?
    

    Hi Lou!
    
    My boat has a Simpson-Lawrence Seawolf electric windlass.  The S-L
    smaller windlass can have a combined chain/rope gipsy.  They basically
    have a standard chain gipsy with a self tailing winch "grabber"
    combined.  This allows an anchor rode to be part chain, part nylon.
    
    S-L recommends medium to hard lay (tightness of twist/construction)
    3 strand nylon line (try New England Ropes, New Bedford).
    
    I've got all chain now so can't say how well it works, but the Seawolf
    is a good windlass.  As with most boats, somebody needs to flake
    the chain if more than 40' is out.  There just isn't enough space
    in most sailboats for a proper chain locker and pipe.
    

re 1776.38:

Gayn, regarding windlasses and all-chain rodes .....

We have a Muir manual windlass. Recovering a chain rode is terribly slow
and I'm not sure it could be done quickly enough to prevent disaster if
the anchor were dragging. It would certainly be difficult and would 
require using the engine to hold the bow into the wind. Were I to 
replace our windlass, I'd probably get a vertical capstan electric 
windlass (expensive) which would require maybe 60' of very large gauge 
electrical cable (expensive). Since we already have three batteries and 
a 100A alternator, we probably wouldn't need another battery. With a 
wimpy OEM alternator and two batteries, you'd be well-advised to add a 
third battery and/or a high-output alternator (expensive).

A problem with all-chain that I didn't realize was so serious when we 
bought our windlass and 200' feet of chain is that, sure, chain 
self-stows, but only in a deep chain locker. The locker I built under
our V-berth is only deep enough to self-stow about 100' of chain before
the chain piles up enough to jam in the chain pipe (the locker will
easily hold 300' of 5/16" chain). This is a serious problem and I would
rebuild the locker before going on an extended cruise, but doing so
would mean the V-berth becoming at best a single berth. 

Adding a deck wash pump is well worth the effort. Ours is a small Jabsco 
pump with the inlet connected to the head intake seacock. I found a nifty 
plastic nozzle that squirts a forceful stream of water about 1/8" in 
diameter. It easily gets even the stickiest Maine mud off an anchor. 
Cleaning 35 lb CQR, 40' of chain, and the foredeck is maybe 10 minutes 
of not very hard work. The same job with a bucket would take much more 
time and effort.

Another thought: A small riding sail does a marvelous job of keeping a 
boat headed into the wind. This greatly reduces the load on the anchor 
and reduces the possibility of dragging or breaking out the anchor. In 
a 30 to 40 knot wind our riding sail kept us within 5 or 10 degrees of 
into the wind, which was also much more pleasant that yawing widely back
and forth. With a couple of full battens (to be added soon) and a set of 
reef points (to be added soon), I'd certainly use our riding sail as 
part of a hurricane survival package. 

Alan

    Alan,
    
    Thanks for the reply and info (and welcome back).  In particular a
    riding sail designed for Force 10+ winds is one well worth pondering.
    
    Some questions for you and the other windless owners:
    
    1.  Hidden Valley already has three batteries and a (suppossedly) high
    output alternator.  How does one test the adequacy of my setup?  Also
    I assume that an electric windless should only be used with the engine
    on and charging and with the batteries set at "ALL".
    
    2.  Regarding chain locker design.  Given that the chain doesn't
    optimally pack itself into the chain locker, is there any good rule of
    thumb to estimate the inefficiency?  E.g. If you want to carry n feet of
    chain, you should build a locker for N feet of chain, where N is some
    known percentage larger than n.  Also, has anyone had trouble extending
    the chain locker considerably aft of the Hawse pipe opening?  I assume
    that the inefficiency of such a locker would be greater as the chain
    would not "stack" well.
    
    3.  Regarding mixed rode types.  With a few hundred feet of chain, how
    does one follow that with more nylon rode?  Nylon, I assume, won't
    slide down into a chain locker, thus won't the nylon jam the locker
    before the chain starts to go in?  
    
    4.  Here is the set up in my boat now:
    
       --"----------------------
       \ 1 | 2 |V Berth
        \  |---|-------
         \ | 3 |   4
           ----------------------
    
        where the " mark is the Hawse pipe hole, 1 is the current rode
    locker, 2  and  4  are available storage volumes, and 3 is a holding
    tank.  My rough idea for enlarging the rode locker was to run a trough
    from 1 to 2 to 4 along which the chain would slide.  I would attach the
    bitter end to an eye bolt at the lower aft-most point of  4 .  I would
    sacrifice some of the locker volume of 1 due to the way the chain would
    or wouldn't slide.  I would reinforce the deck above 1 and 2 for the
    windless mounting. 
    
    The question is how to estimate the actual utilization of storage 
    volumes 2 and 4?  [This restates question 2 with respect to my 
    layout.]  Would a mixed nylon/chain rode work in this setup?  
    [Restating question 3.]
    
    I'd appreciate everyone's thoughts here.
    
    -gayn
    
    
    
    

Hmmm, some answers to your questions.

1. Electric windlasses draw considerable current. A Maxwell VWC 1100 has 
an 1100 pound pull and a retrieval rate of 35 feet per minute (probably 
at about zero pull -- the rate would decline quickly with increasing
pull). The recommended circuit breaker for this windlass is 80 amps.
(Our Muir manual is rated for a 1200 pound pull.) So as long as your
alternator/batteries can supply at least 80 amperes for several minutes,
you should be ok. 

But a word of caution: The output of (most) automotive alternators is
specified with the case at ambient temperature. The output falls
significantly with increasing temperature. Our Ample Power alternator is
supposed to deliver 100 amps with a case temperature of 200 deg F and
something like 120 amps with the case at ambient temperature. I would
want an alternator with an output equal to or greater than the windlass
stall current. Battery voltage drops rapidly with current drawn, and you
want as much voltage as possible. 

Chain locker design: Somewhere I saw a discussion of this, but I don't 
recall where. The locker must be very deep. Chain piles into a pyramid 
with quite steep sides. 100' of our chain (5/16" high-tensile) will make
a pile maybe a foot in diameter at the base and maybe a foot and a half
high (about the depth of our present chain locker). Perhaps 300' of
chain would self-stow in a locker 12"x12"x36" high. The same chain
wouldn't self-stow at all in a locker 12" high with the same volume.
Some experimentation would be in order here. 

Weight is also a concern. The Maxwell windlass above and our Muir both 
weigh about 50 pounds. 5/16" chain is about 1 pound per foot (we have a 
total of 240 feet in the bow and another 100 feet aft). Cost is another 
issue. The Maxwell is something like $2150 with chain stopper and 
overload protector. Our Muir manual was under $800 several years ago. 
US-made 5/16" chain is around $2 to $2.50 per foot.

Chain has considerable friction in the hawse pipe. Placing the locker 
anywhere but directly under the hawse pipe isn't a good idea as there 
may not be enough weight of chain between the windlass and the locker to 
pull the chain through the pipe. We have a 3" dia PVC pipe from the deck 
to the locker. This pipe has a 45 deg slope, which I think is about the
maximum that would work well. You certainly want little if any 
horizontal run in the hawse pipe. 

Most windlasses seem designed for chain-only rodes -- the hawse pipes 
are too small for the shackle/thimble required to join a nylon rode to a 
chain rode. One reason we bought our Muir was that the hawse pipe is not 
integral with the windlass -- we had a custom 3" dia pipe made (badly -- 
but that's beside the point). Our 200' main chain rode should be 
adequate for anchoring in less than 40' of water in all but extreme 
conditions. If we added nylon for whatever reason, we'd flake the nylon 
rode on deck or stuff it into a bag as it came aboard. Once the joint 
was on the foredeck, we'd use chain hooks with rope tails to get the 
chain onto the chain gypsy and then unshackle the nylon rode. 

On your boat, I'd move the holding tank aft into space 4 and use spaces
2 and 3 in your drawing for the chain locker. And yes indeed, use a 
length of nylon to secure bitter end of the chain to the boat. 
    
All in all, I'm not convinced that a windlass and all chain rode is a
worthwhile investment for summer coast New England sailing. We've used 
our chain rode a very few times just to practice handling it. Better, I 
think, a short length of chain (30 to 50 feet) and a long nylon rode for 
each of several anchors. But, some anchor types (eg, Danforth and 
Fortress) set better with little or no chain. 
    
Alan

    We had (have) at least 200' of chain on a hefty CQR with a very large,
    not at all compact windlass on St. Kilda.  The capstan is horizontal
    and the chain fed into the forward chain locker without intervention. 
    We did have a problem with stacking which required a third crew person
    to retrieve the chain as it came through the deck and stack it in the
    locker for more compact storage versus just letting it pile up.  If we
    did not do this, it merely spilled into the v-berth and we could not
    get the locker cover closed.  Never had an issue with plugging the
    hawse pipe due to the depth of the locker.  The nylon rode will be
    harder to stow on its own as it does not have the weight to drag it
    into the locker.  Piling it on deck and feeding it into the locker
    would seem to be the best way providing of course that you do not have
    an anchor well in the bow.  A little messy on deck during the operation
    but it may even be possible to pull the rode through from below rather
    than try to feed it from above.  We never used the nylon rode, we
    always used the chain so there is no practical experience here with the
    nylon rode on our boat.  On second thought, from experience on charter 
    boats without an an anchor well, we needed to pile the line on deck since 
    it took both hands to pull it in and there wasn't a lot of time to try 
    and feed it into the hawse pipe.  
    
    Our windlass drew about 20 amps so it was imperative we had the
    engine running while we pulled up.  No need for all the batteries to be
    on but they probably were anyhow.  Securing the windlass is fairly
    straight forward, heavy backing underneath etc.  It proabably is not
    wise to ride at anchor with the chain left in the wild cat but it
    happens quite frequently.  There are a lot of options on windlass types
    and the costs vary as well.  I would recommend a free fall type with a
    clutch to allow a controlled pay out and snubbing.  Having the motor
    below deck with the capstan and wild cat above is trickier to install
    but leaves the deck less cluttered.  Our entire unit is mounted on
    deck.  Our switch was not deck mounted either but was an electrical box
    on a long cord which allowed us to stow it below.  It looked a lot like
    the control box for an electric hoist.  This did not allow us to attend
    to any snags easily since one hand was always occupied.  It also would
    have made keeping tension on a nylon rode tough.  
    
    In any case, having an electric windlass has made cruising that much
    more enjoyable.  On the charter boats we have had without an electric
    unit, it is a long and sometimes miserable job pulling up anchor on
    crank at a time.  It is definitely high on my list of things to have on
    a boat over 35' or so, especially if you carry and use primarily chain.  
    
    Brian

>>  Most windlasses seem designed for chain-only rodes -- the hawse pipes 
>>  are too small for the shackle/thimble required to join a nylon rode to a 
>>  chain rode. 

Besides the common harp shackles, there are specific chain shackles which 
have the same diameter as a link of the equivalent chain size.  In shape 
they are a simple "U" shape, with an oval pin held in the oval hole, flush 
at both ends, by a small dowel or piece of soft metal rod inserted through 
the shackle and the pin when aligned; the "keeper" hole goes all the way
through so, a) a tight fit on the keeper is essential, and b) it can be
driven out if need be.  Wood was most popular, since if driven tight, it 
would swell and not fall out.  (In extremis one could use a 10-lb
Precision Adjusting Tool to drive the shackle pin itself out, shearing the
wood.) 

Not the solution for a take-apart rode, but it makes a smooth transition 
from chain to rode, and saw frequent application back when combination
chain/rode gypsies first came out.  (These latter items are not in favor 
now, as they are very hard on rode, didn't work nearly as well as capstan 
gypsies, and few people want to bother with combination rodes for normal
use.) 

J.

    I have the opportunity to buy a brand new Simson-Lawrence winlass 
    SeaTiger model 0555 for 1/3 of the price that Defender sells it.
    The problem is that the specks for that particular winlass says
    to use chain BBB 3/8 or High test 3/8 (Before i read that speck 
    I thought that BBB had smaller link than High test) and I already 
    have 250' of 5/16 High Test(I am the guy who puts the cart before
    the horse when the price is right.)With all the Hoopla I read on
    the catalogs about how imperative is to specify chain size when
    buying a winlass,does anyone know if I am looking for troubles or
    little difference on the smaller size of chain won't hurt.
    Of course there is the option to buy a chain gypsy for 5/16 and
    no I don't believe I can exchange the one it came with.
    Thanx for your help !

As I recall from when we bought our windlass several years ago, BBB and 
hi-test chain have similar dimensions and the same gypsy will work for 
both (at least on our Muir windlass). Proof-coil chain links are
somewhat longer and require a different gypsy. 

I doubt very much that you can use 5/16 chain safely on a 3/8 gypsy. 
The links of the chain fit into pockets on the gypsy. If they don't lie 
in the pockets correctly, either the chain will slip (which would be 
very dangerous under load and is what I suspect will happen with 5/16
chain on a 3/8 gypsy) or the chain will jam on the gypsy, which isn't
good either. 

Handling long lengths of chain, even with a proper windlass, strikes me 
as sufficiently dangerous that I normally avoid anchoring with our all
chain rode. I'd suggest contacting a Simpson-Lawrence dealer to get the
proper gypsy. 

Alan

    Thanx Alan.
    Deep in my hart I knew the answer,which is your reply. I just hoped
    that the answer may have been "its O.K."
    Although I don't own the windlass,I have it in my house and I tried
    my chain on it.It fits but not snugly the way I remember it from the
    big ships.
    Well since the windlass is unused I 'll call Simson-Lawrence and ask
    them for exchange -for a price of course- from 3/8 gavanized gypsy to
    5/16 bronze one.Now lets see how easy it is to take it apart.

    I bought the SL555 and installed it last spring. It is a great winch,
    with the 14:1 and 40:1 gearing, there is a tremendous amount of power
    at the end of your arm.
    
    I think you need to consider two issues when you install it on your
    boat. One, how will the chain feed into the locker, and two, how will
    you clean the chain before it goes into the locker. I am going to solve
    issue number two with a wash down pump, mounted down below, and a
    hose connection on deck. I have tried buckets etc, and it doesn't work.
    
    I certainly agree with Alan, make sure the chain fits properly.
    Removing the chain part isn't hard. The retainer unscrews, and the
    gypsy slips off.
    
    My final comment is that anchoring with an all chain rode, to me,
    is the way to go. The boat dosn't sail around, it is very secure,
    and you know nobody is liable to catch it in their prop as they motor
    by. 

    re : .14 , .16
    
    Well,I called Simpson_ Lawrence and asked if I could exchange the 
    HT 3/8 chain gypsy for a HT 5/16? No problem they do it at no extra
    charge. Checking further the guy I talked to said that if my gypsy had
    seven pockets  and the number on it was RCB 70 it would take both
    sizes of HT chain. Kind off didn't convinced me since the instructions
    that came with the windlass stated BBB 3/8 or HT 3/8 but what could 
    I do,He was relaying to me reading from his specks.
    Well the next step was to call Boat US Product Information and
    after they checked their SL gypsy specks told me the same thing.
    One gypsy for HT 3/8 and 5/16.
    Went home for lunch checked it out.. Seven pockets RCB 70 and
    I still don't owen it.
    A couple more questions for Alan and   __ Hill.
    What kind of adapter you using on your seacock pipe to add the 
    washdown pump hose.Is it special made or readily available from
    the catalogs? Can you elaborate also how you do it.
    The second question is for Alan.Someplace in this note you talking
    about a 3" PVC pipe that guides the chain into the locker and you
    kind of say that it is not straight.How you do that too.
    Do you cement a pvc  corner to a straight pipe.
    I am asking because I am going to do both the PVC pipe and the pump.
    
    

re .17:

The gypsy pockets on my Muir are tapered on both the sides and ends --
smaller at the bottom. If the taper isn't too great, I could believe
that the same gypsy would work for both 5/16 and 3/8 chain. The taper
would also be necessary to accomodate the inevitable small variations in
link length and width.

My deckwash pump is mounted under the head sink. The same seacock 
is used for the toilet inlet, sink drain, and deckwash pump inlet. I 
used a bronze cross (shaped like plus sign) -- the lower arm is 
connected to the seacock with a bronze nipple, the top arm connects to 
the sink drain, and the side arms are connected to the toilet and 
deckwash pump inlets. A high quality garden hose runs from the deckwash 
pump outlet to a garden hose fitting on the deck at the bow. This 
fitting was semi-custom made by the manager of a small boatyard (me). 

The PVC pipe from the deck to the chain locker uses two off-the-shelf 45 
deg pipe bends. If you need other angles, you could custom cut and glue 
the PVC pipe, perhaps reinforcing the joints with epoxy and glass cloth.

I'd strongly suggest making a working mockup of your windlass and chain 
locker to ensure that it will work to your satisfaction. Our locker is 
too shallow even though it is about three times as deep as the pile of 
chain spread evenly over the bottom. After about half the chain is
recovered, the chain piles into the pipe and jams. Someone then has to
go below and knock the pile down. If you're single or shorthanding, this
can be dangerous in bad weather. As the chain comes in, the scope
lessens, and at some point the anchor will break free or drag. All crew
may need to be on deck. Until I rebuild our chain locker (which will
turn our double V-berth into a single at best), we try to avoid using
our all-chain rode. With a rode rider and riding sail, we've not yet had
to use our all-chain rode. Recovering a nylon rode is much less effort
than cranking in a long chain with a manual windlass. 

Alan

    Thanx again Alan.How easy it looks now!One last question and I'll get
    off the subject.
    If I install the deckwash pump on my boat I 'll mount it at the same
    place you have yours. The seacock on my boat is used for the toilet
    inlet,and sink drain and the adapter for it is 3/4 of your bronze
    " cross " To add the pump I would also have to get a new adapter 
    like your "cross" to accomodate the extra function of the pump.
    The question is, did you make the "cross" adapter from pieces
    of threded pipe or you bought it ready made.
    I rather buy it than make it. Lately I work more on the boat than
    I sail it and that is a baaad sighn.

re .19:

The cross is a standard plumbing part, but not one usually found at 
local hardware stores. I bought one at a plumbing distributor. As I 
recall, I was somewhat taken aback by the price. Oh well.

    I have a question, concerning the electrical part of the windlass.
    
    Does the electric motor has two windings (one for up and one for down)
    or only one ?
    
    Or in other words: how many wires are going from the switchbox to 
    the windlass ? 2 or 3 ?
    
    The background to this question: I would like to build my own switch-
    box to save the exorbitant price. 
    
    Peter

re .21:

My understanding is that automotive starter motors (or very similar) are 
used in electric windlasses. I'd guess that the direction of the motor's 
rotation is changed by reversing the positive and negative battery 
connections.

       battery +     battery -
          |             |
          |             |
      terminal 1    terminal 2

gives one rotation and 

       battery +     battery -
          |             |
          |             |
      terminal 2    terminal 1

gives the opposite rotation.

The problem with making a switch box is the size of the currents 
involved. The stall current is likely in the 200 to 300 A range.

    No, a DC motor will not run oppisite direction simply by reverseing its
    leads, UNLESS it has permanent magnet field. On either a series motor-
    like starter motors, or a shunt motor, like most small motors in fans,
    pumps etc, reversing the leads switches current through both armature
    and field, so rotation is same direction.
    
    You must switch the field relative to the armature. 

    dual direction solenoids are $150
    single direction solenoids are 18$
    
    In one catalog, it says: for reverse operation (up/down) you need two single
    direction solenoids.
    
    In the other catalog, it says: for single direction, a single direction 
    solenoid is needed and for up/down operation the dual direction
    solenoid is used.
    
    I have studied all my marine catalogs over the weekend and found
    following:
    
    Simpson Lawrence windlass have two connectors on the motor,
    Lofrans have 3 connectors on the motor.
    
    It seems that the Lofrans use a motor with two windings (and do not
    need the reversing relais) and SL are using an ordinary motor, where 
    the polarity has to be reversed.
    
    Peter

    I have an SL555 that i recently rebuilt. The windlass required a great
    deal of extra force to operate against some sort of friction. It turns
    out one of the shafts was bent (for which i got a replacement) and the
    grease had really plasticised (it was 15 years old). I also sandbalsted
    the outside and got it painted.

    Now that it is reassembled with new grease it makes a ratcheting sound
    when operated (sounds like a big pawl). The sound is made by the dog
    (maybe wrong term) geers as they are kicked out of the drive gears.

    Do other SL555s make a ratcheting sound? My theory is that the grease
    was so hardened that it would hold the dogs out from the driving gear
    and that the new (litlium) grease doesn't hold them away.

    Does this sound right?

    tnx,
    paul

    re .25:
    
    We have an Australian-made Muir that is an improved near-copy of the
    SL555.  The ratcheting noise is normal and is the result of the
    internal design for how the high and low gears are engaged.
    
    re .26:
    
    A bent shaft would most probably result only from overloading the
    windlass. I assume that the bent shaft is the one on which the gypsy is
    mounted. The gypsy is cantilevered on the shaft (ie, supported on only 
    one end), so that bending the shaft isn't all that difficult,
    especially if an all-chain rode is used with no shock absorber such as
    a length of nylon rope. The shaft is about 1" in diameter and the
    maximum safe load on the windlass is about 1200 pounds (on ours,
    anyway). 
    
    Alan

    (i don't know what happened to .26, but i think i'm .25)

    The bent shaft was actually the bottom high speed drive  shaft. How it
    got bent, i'll never know. I found that i had to shave down the
    phenolic (sp?) outer bushings a bit to free up the movement. It works
    fine now and can be moved by hand from the top input shaft.

    Having the gears click against each other seems like a poor design,
    however the ability to drive the main shaft with back and forth strokes
    at two speeds, and have the main shaft lock from rewinding, is a rather
    elegant configuration of gears. The desinger clearly must have been a
    software engineer :-)

    Some design details are curious. For example, the two drive shafts have
    one side in a nice metal bushing which is itself inside a phenolic
    bush, while the other side is directly in a phenolic bush. The main
    output shaft is only in phenolic bushings.

    I just wanted to make sure i reassembled it correctly. And i only had
    one extra part (washer) when done!

    tnx,
    paul    

    re .28:
    
    The design would be more curious if there weren't phenolic bushings.
    The phenolic is both a low friction bearing and an insulator to reduce
    corrosion between the aluminum case and the steel and bronze gears. I
    once saw a aluminum mast with a bronze sail track with no insulation
    between the two metals. Definitely an ugly sight.