[Passport] Windlass switches

[Brian]

I pulled the Lofrans windlass and foot switches off to refinish my
decks, and now I am debating about what type of switch to go with.
Initially I was thinking of a wireless remote (like a Lewmar). Now I
am thinking of replacing the footswitches, to at least have a wired
backup, and then adding a remote at some point. It seems the wired
handheld controls don't make sense as there is no place to store them
at the bow. Just wondering what other people are using...

Brian Moloney
1984 Passport 40, Toloa

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[Michael Moradzadeh]

Wireless is a cool thing, but if you drop it, or the battery dies, or something interferes, you are on the rocks before you can say "I did it myself"

From sad experience, I can say "always have a wired way of working safety gear."

Not that that helps me, as my wired relay box has corroded in the damp chain locker.  Time to replace and relocate....

Michael
Cayenne (which won the passport regatta this month by anchoring, by hand, without an electric windlass that worked)

[Harvey J. Karten]

An approach, which we have on our boat, is to have a remote switch for the
solenoid mounted in the cockpit, in addition to the footswitches (up and
down) on the foredeck. This permits me to more easily anchor when single
handed. I approach the final anchoring location at very slow speed with the
anchor released from the roller and dangling above the water. When I reach
the desired location, I can then let the anchor down using the 'down'
function on the Lofrans Tigres solenoid.

Might be worth also considering the Quick controller. It controls the
solenoid relay, and has the great added virtue of having a chain counter.
The counter operates by attaching a small magnet to the gypsy, and mounting
a Hall effect transducer on the base of the windlass. The drawback is only
that you have to install a wired connector nearby to plug it in. It still
allows you to control the windlass with foot switches, if you wish.
regards,
Harvey

[P. Sherwood]

When I pulled my windlass and foot switches I
just cleaned up and rehabbed the foot switches
and reinstalled them. I since have bought new
foot switches of the same type and will install
them someday, pretty soon, in the Great and
Shining Future. It was by far the least
expensive option, the switches last a really long
time, and other than some grease or corrosion
blocker on the terminals that stick through the
deck into the chain locker, they require no
attention. And most important, I seem to have
been able to manage anchor operations
singlehanded in any number of anchorages without
catastrophe (so far), thus didn´t see the need for anything different.

I try to constantly remind myself of the KISS
(Keep it simple, sailor) principle to counteract
the siren song of all the cool, whiz-bang stuff
out there. Haven´t had someone tie me to the mast
yet, like Ulysses, but it´s tough to resist some
of the gizmos now available. Having wireless
_and_ a hardwire backup means there are now two
systems to install, maintain, diagnose, repair.
My backup is a stainless steel pipe about 30"
long that fits in the manual ratchet on the
windlass. Just have to be careful not to let the pipe jump overboard...

Your mileage will undoubtedly vary. Cheers,

Phil
s/v Cynosure
Bahia de Caraquez

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[William Ennis]

I've replaced the windless switch to a covered plastic one. Our old Maxwell windlass has no power-down capability, so it's up the bow regardless. With the cover, we're much less likely to inadvertently press the button and jam the anchor shaft into the bow roller.

Be sure to take care of any exposed deck core before you button up that project!

Bill Ennis
S/V Wings

The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is the day they start making vacuum cleaners.

[Bill Schmidt]

I like having the switches on the foredeck on Wind Witch, but not for
anything to do with the windlass (strictly speaking anyway). It has to do
with the singularly best system I ever added onto the boat - the wash down
pump! Let's face it...the goop that comes up smells God awful, especially in
the forepeak at night when I'm trying to sleep. To wash the chain as it
comes up is truly wonderful, but requires being up there to do a decent job.
The chain must come up slowly so as to allow careful inspection of the
washing. Can't imagine using any remote (need at least one hand for the
nozzle of the hose). A "down" switch in the cockpit might be nice, but I
never have found the need/motivation.
Billy Manana, Wind Witch, P40 #53

[Brian]

Thanks for everyone's help! I think I will just go back to foot
switches for now.

Michael - I gotta ask how you won the regatta by anchoring by hand?!

Brian

On May 10, 8:50 am, Brian <bkmolo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I pulled the Lofrans windlass and foot switches off to refinish my
> decks, and now I am debating about what type of switch to go with.
> Initially I was thinking of a wireless remote (like a Lewmar). Now I
> am thinking of replacing the footswitches, to at least have a wired
> backup, and then adding a remote at some point. It seems the wired
> handheld controls don't make sense as there is no place to store them
> at the bow. Just wondering what other people are using...
>
> Brian Moloney
> 1984 Passport 40, Toloa
>
> --

> Passport Owners Associationhttp://passportyachts.org

[Gary Wilson]

We replaced our Maxwell with a Lofrans vertical windlass and I have a couple of thoughts to pass along.  Lofrans says to add a second hard wired switch somewhere, to act as a backup.  This is still on my to-do list, but I think I will put one up forward in the chain locker.  It would be quick and easy to install there, and it may prove useful someday if I want to be up there positioning the chain while retrieving the anchor.  I would also like one back in the cockpit.

 

Another thing we did was put a bright red LED on the forward bulkhead, that indicates when the windlass breaker is turned on.  It's visible from the salon and the companionway and lets us know when we have forgotten to turn it on, or off.

 

Gary Wilson

P42 Sidetrack

-----Original Message-----
From: Brian [mailto:bkmo...@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, May 10, 2010 11:45 AM
To: 'Passport Owners'
Subject: [Passport] Re: Windlass switches

Thanks for everyone's help! I think I will just go back to foot switches for now. Michael - I gotta ask how you won the regatta by anchoring by hand?!

--

[Robert C Young]

are we talking about P40's? if I was ever in the chain locker, the boat better be damn well anchored or docked so I cannot imagine a switch in the locker being used that often. If it was needed, the old super manual windlass (me) would have been hauling away  before then.

 

the only two reasons I have been in the chain locker was to attempt to figure out why the bow light does not work (thank god for the tri color at the top of the mast) and to paint the bow locker when the rest of the hull was painted in an aid to see future leaks etc.