'Weighing' in on anchor winches

[tuned]

The old bod ain't what it used to be and I'm tired of hauling line by hand. Time to power up.
After reading all I could find on drum style anchor winches, all I can do is agree with Bamby in one of the old threads, I ain't gonna drill holes in my nice new boat to mount something that is obviously CRAP. I don't like losing anchors, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna worry constantly whether my new stainless hook is going to be there when I hit the switch

I've been sick for a couple of days and really hit this subject hard. The only US available consumer winch brands that I can find are both junk from what I see. MinnKota and Powerwinch both are undersized, cheap, and won't accept a decent size rode. Believe me, I called them both about this. Neither said that I could upsize from their winky little 1/4"ish line and both said that chain would void their warranty! Bleh to them

Sooo, my search went on. Seems the Aussies know how to make real winches. Here's one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lone-Star-Marin ... 27c8cedd0d
There are others as well. Drawbacks? Much more expensive and half a world away for service issues.

Hopefully somebody here has seen or perhaps owns a decent alternative...even a quality homebuilt design would be acceptable. I found a few homebuilts that were pretty poor.

My rode will consist of the following:
22# claw anchor with self launching bowsprit roller
About 15 feet 3/8" chain.
Minimum 75' 3/8" to 1/2" rope

A little help here please?

[jimrs]

What are you trying to anchor, a Battleship? That much chain is overkill. Plus you can most likely get by with a little smaller anchor. If you only need 75ft of rode then your not in very deep water or much wind. I have 200 feet of 1/2" rode and 5' of chain and a 18 or 20 lb anchor and I used that in Galveston bay and Gulf of Mexico with no problems.

If your having trouble getting the anchor back on the boat is it because your pulling the boat to the anchor as the wind blow you away. You need a first mate who can move the boat with the motor over the anchor while you pull up the rope, then the anchor. It's an easy system but if your trying to do it by yourself you can get into trouble real fast in a heavy wind or sea.

[tuned]

What are you trying to anchor, a Battleship? That much chain is overkill. Plus you can most likely get by with a little smaller anchor. If you only need 75ft of rode then your not in very deep water or much wind. I have 200 feet of 1/2" rode and 5' of chain and a 18 or 20 lb anchor and I used that in Galveston bay and Gulf of Mexico with no problems.

If your having trouble getting the anchor back on the boat is it because your pulling the boat to the anchor as the wind blow you away. You need a first mate who can move the boat with the motor over the anchor while you pull up the rope, then the anchor. It's an easy system but if your trying to do it by yourself you can get into trouble real fast in a heavy wind or sea.

Thanks for the input jimrs. I have been anchoring boats for many years and have found out the hard way on my very large lake. To answer some of your questions:
I am indeed going to be anchoring a battleship . 'Al' is going to be a heavy 25' with a large wheelhouse effectively doubling the 'sail' area. Plus a 3' swim platform to the rear. The skin goes to the top of the rail. It all adds up.

About chain. I like chain. It accomplishes a number of things for me, but only in slightly longer lengths.
1. It provides weight to help gain angle and bite without putting a ton of rope out. I do tend to anchor in shallower coves most of the time. It is a quicker and neater hookup that way.
2. It makes for a great 'shock' absorber, as waves must lift the chain from the lake bottom before even starting on the rope stretch. And we DO get waves. I sometimes sleep on that boat at anchor (with a drift alarm set on the GPS) and the chain will help steady me somewhat.
3. It provides excellent chafe resistance. My lake bottom varies greatly, from mud to sand to lots of SHARP granite. I have seen too many of my lines chewed up.

About rope. I run with hundreds of feet of spare line to be used as needed. For my day to day needs, all I need is a 'quick hook' at the bow. I always have a second anchor on a long line available as well. If the winch allows for more line, I will put it on. The 75' was only a minimum.

About smaller anchors. I've tried many types of smaller ones on boats large and small. Not a chance in hell.

About pulling up. I usually have a first mate who is more feeble than I. We are quite the pair, what with the back, knee, shoulder, hand surgeries, the list goes on. Between us, we have about a single whole body. We ALWAYS run the boat forward and break anchor out with the motor. Sometimes I am alone and you are correct that it can suck. I am trying to build a nice low-effort boat here and it is worth it to me to put on some righteous gear. This is one area that I will not skimp in any way.

[Gonefishing]

I to have been looking for a winch and can't find one

[PlaynDoc]

That Lone Star winch system looks awesome... Way pricy though....

It is very weird that no company in the US makes a similar product....

I bought a 'anchor winch' and drilled through the deck..... it lasted 3 trips, and the gears stripped. Luckily, I bought it at Bass Pro, and they refunded purchase price, without hesitation. Now, I have holes in deck, and *still* have to pull the anchor by hand.

It seems as though there are so many engineering people on here, and elsewhere.... that could get a motor, mate it with gears... make some homemade device that works well.....

[RJF]

In my Great Lakes cruising days, aboard the Sea Ray "Took A Chance" I had a bow "wench." She got mad at me calling her that, so I looked for a winch. There are many out there, but they do not store the rode. All they do is provide the pull to lift the anchor. Your link shows the only one I have seen that does what you are looking for. I'm about to go with the Minn-Kota Pontoon model. I think it will do nicely. I have chain on my current anchor line (a throwback to the cruiser days), but feel it can be left off. My anchoring is usually short term for fishing or swimming excursions. I'll not leave the boat unattended on hook.

Rick

[Bamby]

Something to consider but I know this isn't exactly what you're looking for but it is reasonably priced and could or or should I say would work for your application. Anchor Ring with Buoy Also see How to Use an Anchor Ball to see how it actually works.

[tuned]

In my Great Lakes cruising days, aboard the Sea Ray "Took A Chance" I had a bow "wench." I have chain on my current anchor line (a throwback to the cruiser days
Rick

Did you use that chain on your bow wench?

That Lone Star winch system looks awesome... Way pricy though....

Might be worth it when you figure it is one of the more important pieces of gear on a rather expensive toon.

It is very weird that no company in the US makes a similar product....

LoneStar is about to branch into the US in a month or so. The guy is originally from Texas, go figure.

I bought a 'anchor winch' and drilled through the deck..... it lasted 3 trips, and the gears stripped.

My guess is that it was one of the aforementioned MinnKota's or PowerWinch

It seems as though there are so many engineering people on here, and elsewhere.... that could get a motor, mate it with gears... make some homemade device that works well.....

I am still seriously considering making a quality homebuilt. I can make a decent drum without much trouble. Use real bearings, not bushings. Motors are probably not too hard to come by (starter motors?) The hard part would be the gearbox. It needs to reduce motor shaft speed to the proper output shaft speed. In addition, it MUST be a 'worm drive', so there is no possibility of backslip. Probably an oil-filled worm drive. Anyone have any ideas on the gearbox???
The final engineering challenge would be to make it look sort of OK and not too Redneck Yacht Club. My shack already accomplishes that nicely

[Toonfisher]

Ever considered an ATV wench? Lots of sizes/brands to choose from. Finding a freefall style and space considerations may limit options. Just a thought.