Simpson-Lawrence Seatiger 555 Manual Windlass

[Don Haynie]

In 2002 I changed the grease and replaced all of the O-rings:  now I'm doing a complete rebuild, bushings, etc.  The Seatiger worked flawlessly while cruising 3 years in the Caribbean, but I would have enjoyed an electric windlass the times we had to re-anchor 3 or 4 times due to poor holding, depth, fetch, wind changes, etc. During the 7 !/2 year rebuild of Song we decided we did not want the complexity of an electric windlass, heavy battery cables the length of the hull, dedicated battery in the bow, remote control issues, etc.  The Seatiger was installed improperly when we bought the boat!

Disassembly of the Seatiger was quick and simple until I got to the Operating spindle, ratchet and idler shafts, which are at the inside top of the housing and may not have been continuously immersed in grease, thus subject to salt water/air corrosion.  The gears on those spindles are on a taper; I've been advised to apply heat and MILD pressure to remove them very cautiously as excessive force could destroy the cast aluminum case.

Of course, I disassembled before I had the grease in hand, originally Texaco, then Starfax 00 (NLGI Grade 0/00), then Shell Retinax TL 00, then Shell Gadus S2 V220 00 about 3 years ago.  Fortunately, Tim Dean at Florida Rigging & Hydraulics re-discovered a 5 gallon container of the Starfak 00 (its no longer made) and shipped me the 5lbs I needed.  The NLGI grade is critical - primarily a function of thickener used in the grease formulation.  The oil used determines the base-oil viscosity.  Greases with identical NLGI grade could have very different base-oil viscosities.  NLGI grades classify grease consistency.  The thickeners in the grease function something like sponges, releasing the lubricating fluid (base oil & additives).  To low a viscosity and the grease will not separate and lubricate the moving parts (and may leak out of the case), to high and it will interfer with proper function of the springs with the gears.  I had no idea the grease was so critical, and so unavailable.  Apparently no one makes the correct grease any more:  you can only buy what is still in someone's warehouse!

If anyone else has experience rebuilding the Seatiger 555 and can offer advice or helpful tips, please do so.  I certainly don't want to destroy the windlass case trying to remove the last 3 gears.

Don

[crew4...@comcast.net]

Hi Don,

I stopped right where you are 10 years ago, utterly without the courage to risk cracking the housing, and put it all back together with whatever grease I could find, and it has worked fine ever since.  Maybe I'm ruining it, but it certainly works.  I don't recall what grease I used; maybe I just got lucky--sometimes I do.

Have fun,

Jim Handley

Sophie, hull 28

1968 yawl

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From: "Don Haynie" <dgha...@gmail.com>
To: bristo...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2017 1:00:30 PM
Subject: [Bristol39-40] Simpson-Lawrence Seatiger 555 Manual Windlass

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[Scott Rosenthal]

Don,

 

I rebuilt my 555 almost 20 years ago. At that time, I called Simpson-Lawrence in England and had long talks with their technical people. They told me to repack it all after assembly with a waterproof wheel bearing grease—four pounds worth! I used it and haven’t had issues with the 555 cocking up or with any significant grease leakage (a little tiny bit originally around the shaft bushings).

 

Before reassembling it, do yourself a favor and enlarge the chain-stripper hole in the case. The mismatched metals makes getting this out nearly impossible, thus preventing you taking off the gypsy.

 

Regards,

 

Scott

1980 Willow #110

 

From: bristo...@googlegroups.com [mailto:bristo...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Don Haynie
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2017 4:01 PM
To: bristo...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [Bristol39-40] Simpson-Lawrence Seatiger 555 Manual Windlass

 

In 2002 I changed the grease and replaced all of the O-rings:  now I'm doing a complete rebuild, bushings, etc.  The Seatiger worked flawlessly while cruising 3 years in the Caribbean, but I would have enjoyed an electric windlass the times we had to re-anchor 3 or 4 times due to poor holding, depth, fetch, wind changes, etc. During the 7 !/2 year rebuild of Song we decided we did not want the complexity of an electric windlass, heavy battery cables the length of the hull, dedicated battery in the bow, remote control issues, etc.  The Seatiger was installed improperly when we bought the boat!

--

[crew4...@comcast.net]

As always, Scott's suggestions are worthwhile.  He told me the same thing about the chain stripper when I started down the road.  I could not get it out AT ALL!!! so ended up cutting it off and replacing it with a fabricated stainless steel bracket (at fabricated stainless steel prices).  Get it out if you can. 

good luck,

Jim Handley

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From: "Scott Rosenthal" <sc...@sltf.com>
To: bristo...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, January 30, 2017 5:08:02 AM
Subject: RE: [Bristol39-40] Simpson-Lawrence Seatiger 555 Manual Windlass