anchor winch Carver 325
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it should be a Maxwell windlass model 800 I believe.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2007
- RO Number
- 28240
- Messages
- 1,772
quote:
Originally posted by awboater
On my 1995 vintage 325, Carver installed a Maxwell 600 Series 2 "Rope" anchor winch.
Probably not quite as good as a rope/chain windlass would be.
Is that a "for sale" sign hanging on your pulpit rail?
Ram - yes, its a for sale sign. We took this photo when we were purchasing the boat two years ago. I don't know why but it was the only photo I have of the windlass.
The boat is not currently for sale, nor do we have any intention of selling it. We love it too much.
For the 325, unlike an express cruiser, a horizontal windlass would not look all that out of place. The general preference for the horizontal vs. vertical windlass is whether or not there is adequate room in the anchor locker to keep the windlass from jambing (it takes a deeper locker than one might think). But with the 325, you have adequate space in the anchor locker for the rode.
Well, also there is the issue of asthetics.
The only real issue is that most vertical windlasses must be installed slightly off-center. If you are trying to cover up a hawse hole, you may have to do some fiberglass work to fill the hole. For the horizontal version, you may be able to get by with not having to fill the hole - but the caveat is that it depends on where the hawse pipe is on your boat (which must be removed), where the windlass'es rode center-line is (it must match the boat's center-line) and the bolt-pattern of the windlass.
And, with a horizontal windlass - you don't have to drill a 4" hole in your boat - if you are a bit sheepesh about drilling.
I installed a Lawrence-Simpson/Lewmar Sprint 600 windlass on my last boat, so I have a bit of insite here.
Regardless of whether it is a horizontal or vertical windlass, they are generally categorized by their pulling power. The windlass model number typically indicates the pulling power, although this may not always be true. So a Maxwell 500 would have a 500lb pull, and so on.
When comparing manufacturers, one item is that there are two philosophies when it comes to windlass design.
Some, like the Lewmar have a high gear ratio, so that the motor can be relatively low power - say 35 Amps or so. Others, like many of the Maxwell windlasses, have less of a gear ratio and require 60~80 Amps.
Funny thing though - with the high gear ratio motors, they also spin faster, so that the pay out speed is about the same regardless of the type.
But the high-current windlasses I believe may have more reserve pulling power. I am not quite sure though.
But one thing is for sure, the cost of running wire to the bow for the two different types is significant. If you have to run 2AWG vs. 8AWG, the cost difference can be more than $100.
Also a high current windlass, such as a Maxwell is going to cost more due to the need for a contactor, so that low-current wiring for the up/dn switches can be run to the helm and foot switches if desired (although some foot switches are of the high current type).
The Lewmar Sprint type windlasses, on the other hand, can use direct switching from the helm with a 35Amp toggle switch (which usually comes with the windlass kits). But often, you may want to use a contactor anyway, as you may want a low-power helm switch and footswitches. This is what I did with my windlass install on my last boat.
As I stated, I installed a Lewmar Sprint 600 on my last boat, and wrote an article on it that appeared in Lakeland Boating a couple of years ago. The article does include the issue of repairing the hawse pipe hole and setting the windlass off-center.
The article is a bit dated though, as the Lewmar Sprint 600 is no longer available. But it is still applicable for general knowledge.
If you want to see my article; its similar to what was published in Lakeland Boating, but a bit more in-depth (no editor to chop it up), its on my web page:
http://members.toast.net/boatguy/proj-14.htm
The boat is not currently for sale, nor do we have any intention of selling it. We love it too much.
For the 325, unlike an express cruiser, a horizontal windlass would not look all that out of place. The general preference for the horizontal vs. vertical windlass is whether or not there is adequate room in the anchor locker to keep the windlass from jambing (it takes a deeper locker than one might think). But with the 325, you have adequate space in the anchor locker for the rode.
Well, also there is the issue of asthetics.
The only real issue is that most vertical windlasses must be installed slightly off-center. If you are trying to cover up a hawse hole, you may have to do some fiberglass work to fill the hole. For the horizontal version, you may be able to get by with not having to fill the hole - but the caveat is that it depends on where the hawse pipe is on your boat (which must be removed), where the windlass'es rode center-line is (it must match the boat's center-line) and the bolt-pattern of the windlass.
And, with a horizontal windlass - you don't have to drill a 4" hole in your boat - if you are a bit sheepesh about drilling.
I installed a Lawrence-Simpson/Lewmar Sprint 600 windlass on my last boat, so I have a bit of insite here.
Regardless of whether it is a horizontal or vertical windlass, they are generally categorized by their pulling power. The windlass model number typically indicates the pulling power, although this may not always be true. So a Maxwell 500 would have a 500lb pull, and so on.
When comparing manufacturers, one item is that there are two philosophies when it comes to windlass design.
Some, like the Lewmar have a high gear ratio, so that the motor can be relatively low power - say 35 Amps or so. Others, like many of the Maxwell windlasses, have less of a gear ratio and require 60~80 Amps.
Funny thing though - with the high gear ratio motors, they also spin faster, so that the pay out speed is about the same regardless of the type.
But the high-current windlasses I believe may have more reserve pulling power. I am not quite sure though.
But one thing is for sure, the cost of running wire to the bow for the two different types is significant. If you have to run 2AWG vs. 8AWG, the cost difference can be more than $100.
Also a high current windlass, such as a Maxwell is going to cost more due to the need for a contactor, so that low-current wiring for the up/dn switches can be run to the helm and foot switches if desired (although some foot switches are of the high current type).
The Lewmar Sprint type windlasses, on the other hand, can use direct switching from the helm with a 35Amp toggle switch (which usually comes with the windlass kits). But often, you may want to use a contactor anyway, as you may want a low-power helm switch and footswitches. This is what I did with my windlass install on my last boat.
As I stated, I installed a Lewmar Sprint 600 on my last boat, and wrote an article on it that appeared in Lakeland Boating a couple of years ago. The article does include the issue of repairing the hawse pipe hole and setting the windlass off-center.
The article is a bit dated though, as the Lewmar Sprint 600 is no longer available. But it is still applicable for general knowledge.
If you want to see my article; its similar to what was published in Lakeland Boating, but a bit more in-depth (no editor to chop it up), its on my web page:
http://members.toast.net/boatguy/proj-14.htm
Thanks! I went through the article and it gave me a good idea of what I'm getting myself into. For fun I checked to see whether any Sprint 600's are available and a found a few online for around $600-700 (new). Also did a bit of browsing for other models and was really surprised at what these things draw. I'll have to check and see if and what wire is already in place in my 325 and go from there. I don't relish the thought of routing new wires. Did that last weekend for a new GPS antenna in the arch and struggled to thread it through for about 3 hrs!
Bruce; All I know is that in the literature, Carver states that they custom make each wiring harness for each boat - no fits-all wiring. But that I think is at least true for newer Carvers. I am not sure if that includes our vintage or not.
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2007
- RO Number
- 27339
- Messages
- 117
I can tell you my 89 Mariner was not pre-wired (tho an 86 we looked at was). I spent 10 hrs last weekend (that didnt include the time to install the actual windlass on deck)installing a breaker, switch and solenoid, and running wires, soldering, and connecting up our new windlass. It was a royal pain in the a$$, but when my dock mate told me our marina quoted him $2200 just for the labour to install a windlass, that pain wasnt quite so bad.......now I have to try splicing rope to chain....oh joy!