Windlass installation

[David Knecht]

I am considering how to make pulling up an anchor easier.  We rarely anchor when cruising, but sometimes it is necessary.  I am wondering if anyone has installed a windlass on their 34/36 (manual or electric)?  Alternatively, has anyone tried running the anchor line back to a winch to get most of the rope part up?  It seems like that should work, but I am not sure which winch would work (say that 5 times fast) best.  Thanks- Dave

David Knecht

Emeritus Rear Commodore/Thames Yacht Club

Emeritus Professor/University of Connecticut

Basketball Capital of the World

[Richard Bigley]

Cruising in the Canadian Gulf islands we sten tie regularly.  It's sure nice to have a windless in the chain locker to quickly reposition and adjust the anchor rode. 

sv Jolly Rumbalow 

Richard Bigley | 360.485.2761 | bigl...@gmail.com

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[Blair Clark]

Hi there

We installed a lewmar pro series 1000 this year AND LOVE IT!

What a difference it made in the decision to stop and anchor .

After import from our group I ran the wire outboard to starboard and forward under the tie rail to a terminal block in V berth. Wires ran from the windlass through bulkhead to match.

30 mo breaker was installed on forward edge of aft cabin bunk where your feet would be standing up owing closed door.

Another control point is on my binnacle pod.

Need to size the wire correctly and decide how you want to mount the windlass ie on deck vertical application or in anchor locker where you have to build a stand to mount horizontal windlass on.

It was worth the effort for us. 

I would guess that the project ended up 3500-4000 can.

Hope this helps

Blair

Ps one thing I learned was that if going horizontal and building a stand inside anchor locker that when you do exact measurement and test with stand mock up and windlass in place you need to additionally add clearance for when the chain is in the gypsy otherwise the anchor locker hatch will not close.

[Tim Aseltine]

David.

There are three threads that were back in January. Do a search for Windlass installation.

If you cannot find them, let me know.

Tim Aseltine 

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 17, 2025, at 12:43 PM, David Knecht <davida...@gmail.com> wrote:

I am considering how to make pulling up an anchor easier.  We rarely anchor when cruising, but sometimes it is necessary.  I am wondering if anyone has installed a windlass on their 34/36 (manual or electric)?  Alternatively, has anyone tried running the anchor line back to a winch to get most of the rope part up?  It seems like that should work, but I am not sure which winch would work (say that 5 times fast) best.  Thanks- Dave

[Chuck Scheaffer]

Hey Blair,  How about some pictures showing your windlass project?

David, I did a week long cruise to Chestertown in October.  I anchored out each night in 10 to 15 ft of water and hauled the anchor each morning by hand.  My anchor is a Mantus 2, it weighs 35 pounds and I have 18 feet of chain.  I use a 20 pound kellet lowered till it just touches the bottom, to improve holding, reduce sailing back and forth, and keep the rode well away from wrapping round the keel.  So my method in the morning is to start the engine, I position a bucket of water on the fordeck, bring up the kellet first, wash it off, then pull the anchor rode so the bow is pointed at the anchor, and give it a good tug so the boat glides up over the anchor.  Usually, part of the chain is on deck which I clean as I pull it up.  I cleat it off here with the rode taught and vertical, and sometimes the boat's momentum frees the anchor.  If the anchor is buried well, and resists, I walk back to the cockpit and nudge the shifter into forward to break out the anchor, then back to neutral, and then I go forward and haul up the rode and anchor, clip on the safety line, and then motor away.  I had trouble in Chestertown where I tried to anchor three times and couldn't penetrate the bottom.   The anchorage is small and crowded and two other boats went aground before they could power off.  I went aground once, motored off and decided to anchor further downriver and passed a TowBoatUS on my way..  Another boater told me there must be a hard patch or heavy grass in that spot, keeping anchors from penetrating.  Nobody was successful there.

I would like to have a windlass, but I think I would want the control at the helm so I could work it with the engine helping.  At Chestertown, I had to to haul up the rode and anchor while drifting toward the shallows.  Not good.  In fact there was a full keel Baba 40 with a manual windlass aground and he looked totally baffled as to what to do.  .I tried three times, but it would not penetrate and we dragged, till I decided to go somewhere else.  If I had windlass controls at the helm and an electric windlass, I could retrieve the anchor while using the engine to hold position against the wind.  It would give me better control.       

I anchored easily in the Corsica River in a beautiful spot and enjoyed a nice Stormy Weather as the sun set behind the wooded shoreline.  It's not so hard to work the anchor rode without a windlass, especially if you cleat off the line.  If you pull up on the line when it's taught, you have a 30:1 advantage and can break the anchor out of soft stuff.  For harder stuff, I use the engine and it's easy peasy.  I'm no macho man, I never fight it.  Sometimes a passing boat sends a wake that lifts the bow enough to break free the anchor.   Or high winds send a swell that bounces the bow.  

I'd like to install an anchor locker and windlass and controls at the helm.  But I'd rather spend the money on a topdown furling assymetrical A2 and a Code Zero.

Chuck S

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cc-3436/44D10B04-8D3D-4007-B51D-C4CEA2099646%40gmail.com.

[Blair Clark]

I am not sure if I am doing something wrong but sending pictures via email to our group is extremely frustrating for me as they always bounce back.

I will try to resend the three pack one at a time.

We have a 15kg rocna vulcan with a custom bow roller / spinnaker sprit.

Hope it gets through.

Blair 

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[Blair Clark]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Blair Clark <blairc...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Nov 18, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Subject: Re: Windlass installation
To: <cc-...@googlegroups.com>

Hope this helps 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cc-3436/CAAmhKuvhYoLtYRZKR5K0z7w_RchKVLwvttaTrKaBZ2%3DOzphRng%40mail.gmail.com.

[Blair Clark]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Blair Clark <blairc...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Nov 18, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Subject: Re: Windlass installation
To: <cc-...@googlegroups.com>

Hope this helps 

On Tue, Nov 18, 2025 at 8:05 PM Chuck Scheaffer <scheaff...@gmail.com> wrote:

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cc-3436/CAAmhKuvhYoLtYRZKR5K0z7w_RchKVLwvttaTrKaBZ2%3DOzphRng%40mail.gmail.com.

[Tim Aseltine]

I have my windlass inside the anchor locker. I had these pictures on before but seem to have disappeared. I have the supplied up/down switch at the helm and a corded handheld switch at the bow. I also have 100’ of chain(maybe overkill) but find it easy to put the snubber onto the chain. I added a wash down pump at the bow, so no bucket required.

Tim

Kraken the Wine

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 18, 2025, at 7:25 PM, Blair Clark <blairc...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cc-3436/CAOGQ91ROW%3DhopK%2B9kV5JuSgK97uGQ7Ys4B0oOEbPeXNBBVjFWA%40mail.gmail.com.

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