Clueless and needing a winch.

[jbdenver]

We purchased a 1986 Bayliner Ciera Sunbridge it is 24 ft. It came with an anchor, but not a winch. It will be used on Table Rock Lake mostly. Any recommendations on a winch?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

are you wanting a windlass? Anchor Winches & Windlasses - Electric & Manual

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

USUALLY the smallest boat you will see with a windlass is about 30 feet.... Most folks on 24'ers pull em by hand.....
Now if that is what you were asking about and you still want one then the next step is evaluating the bow layout to see if and how it could be mounted..... Also be prepared to spend a fair stack of c notes on it.

 

[jbdenver]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

Just looking the necessity at this point. This is our first cabin cruiser and I am sure it will be just a starter. It came with an anchor, we just need the line and a winch. Our plan it to just use it for a few years, sell it to our son and get us a newer model.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

for a 24' I would not bother with a windlass. however you do need a good anchor line. remember, for the depth you are anchoring. your line should be 10X that. so if you anchor in 35' of water. get 350' of line.

I would also have about 10' of chain on the end as well.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

There are exceptions to what some are saying, it's all personal preference. There are plenty of smaller boats with windlasses, especially where getting to the bow is a bit more difficult. I had a 21' CC with a windlass because when fishing offshore, I got tired of pulling up 250+' of rode and anchor whenever I missed or wanted to change my spot. I put in a freefall windlass for simplicity and that way I could drop the anchor while holding the boat steady in wind/current and never had to leave the helm. If you boat solo, then it's almost a necessity, as you don't want to pull your anchor free and be drifting while trying to drag up 300' of line.

Standard anchor rode should have approximately 1' of chain for every 1' of boat, so you should be around 20' of chain (your boat may be 24' LOA, but you only have about 18-20' in the water). Average scope recommendation is 7:1, but 8:1 is preferred.

 

[shrew]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

As for Windlasses, there are a few big players in that market; Lewmar, Lofrans, anf Maxwell. You will need to decide whether a Vertical or Horizontal bet meets your needs. A vertical windlass is low profile on the deck, however it requires space for machinery in the anchor locker. Vertical may need some additional deck space, however the mechanicals are not in the anchor locker. Both will require a mininum amount of space for chain and line fall inside, so check the specs carefully.

Horizontal: The Lewmar Pro-Sport 550 would be fine

Vertical: Lewmar V700 would be fine.

Take a look at Maxwell as well.

 

[drrpm]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

The length of anchor line needed really depends on the conditions and intended use. Overnight anchoring in deep water is very different from anchoring in a cove for an hour or 2. For the latter situation, a 100 feet of line, 10 feet of chain and hand setting would be fine. Try it and see whether you really need the winch. The previous owners didn't need one.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

jbdenver, your anchor locker may not be deep enough for a windlass, which is what everyone is talking about here. Look at winches (like the Powerwinch line), too.

A windlass winds your rode into the boat, where it free-falls through a hole in the deck into the anchor locker. A winch winds the line onto a drum. You don't need the anchor locker at all

Much cheaper, and as long as you can 1. mount one n the foredeck (same concerns you'd have mounting a windlass), and 2. the drum is big enough for the length of rode you need, it might be a better bet. My friend has had a Powerwinch on his 25' Larson Hampton (an express cruiser like yours) for years. It works fine.

My .02

 

[dingbat]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

USUALLY the smallest boat you will see with a windlass is about 30 feet.... Most folks on 24'ers pull em by hand.....

guessing you ain't from around heer...lol
Pretty standard equipment on any boat big enough to install one. Pull a #25 anchor with 10' of chain and 200' of line against a 3kt, tide a few times a morning, not to mention being bounced around like a rubber ball in the process. Good way to dislocate a shoulder

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

No I'm not and neither is the o/p

a windlass is great... I have one on my 28'er and plan to put one on my 20'er BUT in inland lakes we don't have current or swells. We rarely boat in waves over 2'... Very few of us have more than 150' of rhode. Of course I'm talking oboit the majority and there ARE plenty of exceptions and I'm not at all trying to talk the o/p out of one.

Just trying to help them understand how it works and find out what the want to do so we can help..... So far they haven't told us anything usefull other than the boat is 24' and they are on table rock.

Looks like that lake is up to 220' deep but I doubt many people anchor in the deepest areas often.


From the first post the o/p sounded as if they thought they HAD to have a windlass.

Sooooo we've clarified that it is or at least may be an option..... Now if the o/p will tell us if they still want one and if so post up some more info about, and some pics of the boat.

 

[jbdenver]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

The way the lake is here, in the arms and coves it is an average of 70' deep, and that is where we would usually hang out and stay overnight. My only concern is 4th of July. They have HUGE displays on the lake....you could probably walk across the lake going from boat to boat. The displays are held in the main channel of the lake, where it is much deeper. I want to make sure we are prepared for all situations. The boat came with the anchor, but nothing....NOTHING attached to it. I do not know if they just never really used it or what. There is a compartment in the front of the boat down in the cabin we know could be used to store the anchor rope, we are just trying to decide the best and honestly least expensive way to go about this. We have a 20 year old son and twin 16 year old girls, they have already "claimed" next owner of the boat. We plan on getting us another one in a couple of years and selling it to the kids, that is why I want to keep expense down, but make sure they (and us in the mean time) will be safe.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

Ok well a windlass will run you IIRC $300-$1000 plus the rope and chain... Plus installation if you can't do it yourself.... Can you post a pic of the bow of the boat?... The compartment in the bow... Is that a rope locker directly below the location where the windlass would mount? Is there an access door there or a solid surface where the windlass could be mounted?

Do you already have a bow pulpit/anchor roller on the front? If not that will add cost as well....


You could start with just buying the rope and chain and decide from there if you want to install a windlass.

Anchor Rode Windlass Rope and Chain Combo 300 Ft | eBay

Various windlasses require different types and sizes of rope and chain so this MAY not work with the one you add in the future BUT and extra anchor and rode rode is never a bad idea in case for example your main one gets fouled and you have to cut it or the windlass jams or fails.


ALSO in the party crowd raft up situation not all boats will drop anchors... you will often have a few of the bigger ones on the hook and several others just tied up to them..... You can likely join a raft up without ever getting your anchor wet..... You will need big fenders and good mooring lines.


The anchor winches mentioned above that wind rope onto a drum aren't going to hold nearly enough rope or a big enough anchor to hold your boat in the conditions you describe.

 

[redneck joe]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

you got teenagers? That's what I used on my 25'


Table Rock you should be fine I assume you will be int he coves not too much line to pull up and back deep the 10 to 1 ratio really isn't needed; you won't get the waves/wind action back there. Not to say don't get the line, just won't need to deploy.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

I pull the anchor up by hand on my 33 foot boat. A windlass is still on my wish list. a 25 ish foot boat should be fairly easy.

anchoring in 70 feet of water can be interesting from a rode length standpoint and the amount of swing that you may get.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

even with a 5:1 scope, thats 350' of rode, and a 700' swing. with a 10:1 scope to the rode, I would find somewhere else to anchor.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

350' of rope would only give 700' of swing if the bow eye was on the bottom of the lake

EDIT: It would be VERY close to 700' tho.... My bad.......at 5/1 scope it would be 342.9' of swing each way for 685.8'..... Close enough to 700 feet for me to eat a little crow LOL........ a2 + b2 = c2

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Clueless and needing a winch.

Hey ~~ I'm 66 years old with a 21' express. I fish alone in the Atlantic many days. A windlass made my life much easier. I found one free,,, listen for someone to complain when his 'broke' and he needs a new one. 99.99999% of the time it is one replaceable cheap part to get it working. I have a total of $17.80 in mine. The old owner has $950 in his 'new' one.
No matter ~~ you still need chain and rode for safety reasons. Get that without delay. If still in the shopping mode a sea anchor or drift sock will HELP in an emergency. I keep one on board always.