ELECTRIFYING WINCHES

Tired of breaking my biceps on manual winches, I’ve employed some great tools that help—and that also do a whole lot more on the boat.

ROGER HUGHES

ON-DECK SYSTEMS A self-tailing electric winch makes it nice and easy to wind the winch on a sailboat. There was a time when electric winches imposed high electrical surges on batteries and quickly drained them, but this is less of an issue now, with high-capacity batteries, powerful alternators, and portable generators to replace any loss. However, the major obstacle remains: the high cost of electric winches. I have six Lewmar manual two-speed self-tailing winches in the cockpit of my schooner, Britannia. To replace them with electric versions, the cost would be $3,000 to $3,500 each. Even converting them to electric would be about $2,500 each, depending on the suppliers. Instead, with a cordless, battery-powered winch-winding machine, I made all the winches on my boat “electrified.” I made a simple winch-winder…

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Cruising World (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2023

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