Nilsson V3000 Windless Flange Gone...

[ChinaDoll]

As I went in to service the original windless on the boat, the unit
fell apart in my hands as I unbolted the flange plate. Looks like the
metal is not repairable as it is the type of metal that cannot be
welded?

So I guess I am in the market for a replacement windless. I have
looked at the Maxwell, Jame Nilsson Units, and the Lewmar units. It
looks like the Maxwell (V3500) is the best replacement. But I am not
sure I like not having a set of handles on the unit to open the
clutch.

The Lewmar seems interesting from the perspective the clutch looks
easier to operate and the price seems to be nearly a grand cheaper
than the Maxwell, comparing the Lewmar V5 to the Max V3500, with
similar pulling power and capacity. But it looks like I will have some
deck rework in-store as the footprint looks different.

The Maxwell weighs in at nearly twice the weight of the Lewmar, The
Maxwell is a chromed bronze and the Lewmar is a stainless steel unit;
losing the bronze seems to lose the weight, and apparently a lot of
boat-unit bucks.

Has anyone else had to replace their original Nilsson windless, and
what comparisons can be told between getting the Maxwell vs. the
Lewmar?

Is there another windless "brand" I should look at? I need a unit that
is vertical, has both rope and chain capstans and has the capacity of
the original (similar to a Max V5 with 3/8 BBB chain wheel
selectable).

Finally, has anyone been able to repair (weld) their old Nilsson
flange plate back on, or find a suitable method of repair?

-Thanks.

[Jeff and Jane Woodward]

Adagio has a Lewmar Oceans 3 windlass.  It is a vertical capstan, will handle fiber line, and has a 3/8" chain wheel.  Other sized wheels are available.  It came w/ the boat when we bought her from the original owner.  The windlass has always worked w/o trouble, but when we did our big overhaul, we sent the motor to an auto-electric shop for a rebuild. Preventative maintenance.  New brushes, cleaning, etc.  We contacted Lewmar first.  They said the motor could not be serviced and recommended we replace it.  But an electric motor is just an electric motor and I've got confidence in the auto-electric shop since we've used them for lots of stuff over many years.  So shame on Lewmar.  The only other work done on the windlass was to replace a worn chain stripper.  I wish the unit had a mechanical back-up in case the motor fails, other than that we are satisfied with it.
 
Jeff
 
> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:31:05 -0700
> Subject: [Passport] Nilsson V3000 Windless Flange Gone...
> From: svchi...@gmail.com
> To: Passpor...@googlegroups.com

> --
> Passport Owners Association http://passportyachts.org
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[Gary Wilson]

Jeff,

 

I replaced our original Nilsson with a Lofrans Project 1500 (vertical w/rope-chain gypsy and capstan) shortly after we bought Sidetrack.  The Maxwell would have fit the existing holes, but was much heavier and expensive.  Re-boring holes for the Lofrans gave me the opportunity to do them properly and seal the hole edges with 1/8" epoxy.

 

I researched Practical Sailor and also got a lot of good opinions from the SSCA website.  The Lofrans name kept coming up in a positive light, although not the particular Project 1500 model.  There were some negative opinions about Lewmar.  We have been happy with the Lofrans, but my experience comes from only a sample of one, because the original Maxwell was not functional when we bought our boat, so I never got to use it.  I use it with 3/8 HT chain and 20 feet of 1" nylon at the bitter end.

 

The Lofrans is chrome plated bronze.  It does not have the handles to open the clutch.  I believe you can let the chain free-fall, but I always use it with power-down and power-up.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Gary Wilson

P42 Sidetrack

[Phil Sherwood]

For what it's worth, my Lofrans Tigres windlass (not a Project 1500,
or even a vertical windlass) has been a great performer.

Phil
s/v Cynosure
Bahia de Caraquez

[ChinaDoll]

Thanks for the responses... Just an update...

Looks like only the Maxwell still specs the 3/8 BBB chain and all
others now sell only G40 (G4 HT?) in the 3/8s sizes.

However, the Maxwell is fairly expensive and it appears the difference
in cost between the Max and the Lewmar or Lofrans is just about equal
to the cost of replacing the chain.

Units considered so far:

1. Max-well (named after it's price, apparently)
2. Atlantic by Muir (beautiful unit, and priced like it's pure
gold...)
3. Lemar V5 (nice looking windless, and priced nice too...)
4. Lofrans 1500 (looks like a great unit... great price and write-
ups... slightly under powered?)

So, it looks like it's down to 3 and 4 as the choices, including 300-
feet of new chain.

I was told that 3/8 BBB chain has too soft of an alloy and will get
beat up in on the V5 Lewmar with it's 2000W motor, but my old chain
"just" might work on the 1200W Lofrans...

Not sure when I will have a chance to pick up new chain, but I was
hoping to use the old 3/8 BBB on either windless 3 or 4 with it's 3/8
G40 (G4 HT?) chain wheel, for a least a month or two...

It would probably just jam-up? Right? I know I have the original
chain, so there's no way it is not 3/8 BBB from 1983? (Did G40 Chain
exist in 1983?)

The Lewmar apparently has the manual override as an extra option, at
an extra cost, I can only assume? The Lofrans might just win on price/
features, as I am not really sure I need a full 2000W windless...

[William Ennis]

No one makes things as they did, but I also have the V1000 Maxwell windlass on our 1984 P40. I believe that it had been rebuilt once, perhaps, or perhaps all the silicon was for a leaking gasket. The people at Maxwell were very helpful to the extent that they could be, and many parts are still available. I had the motor rebuilt (it's an old Lucas starter motor, I was told) and I refurbished the gears and, after a lot of searching, found an American substitute for the only lubricant that Maxwell recommends and a V-ring to seal that shaft. I think I've got another 25 years on this thing. Will a new Maxwell have that kind of longevity? Can't say, but they once made a windlass that could.

You might be able to use the chain wheel for both BBB and HT (G4), but if not, just buy another chain wheel. It might not jam, but the chain will slip off the chain wheel since the links are the wrong size. That's been our experience.

Bill

[Beller Family]

Identifying your chain: Normally there is a stamp on the outside middle of
each link:

Hi-test - G4
Proof Coil - G3
BBB - 3B

On older chain, it can sometimes be pretty hard to read, but if you clean it
up a bit you should be able to see it.

-----Original Message-----
From: passpor...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:passpor...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of ChinaDoll
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 5:24 PM
To: Passport Owners

Units considered so far:

--

[rhp...@verizon.net]

I'm curious- did anyone look into the Lighthouse windlass that were used on recent Passports?  My impression was that they were the cat's meow.

 

I'm still cranking by hand.  I'm convinced that it is good exercise and, I'm cheap.  Like other purchases, I'll probably realize how stupid this is only after I get a replacement.

 

Bob Peahl

Anthem P40/70

[Gary Wilson]

The Project 1500 comes with a 1200 watt or 1500 watt option.  The 1500 watt unit is spec'd to lift 2300 lbs, so well over the 3:1 rule of thumb for 300 ft of 3/8 HT chain at 1.5 lbs per ft, and a 55 lb anchor.  However, one time when our anchor was especially well set, it pulled to the max, then the clutch slipped.  I had expected the motor to stall rather than the clutch to slip.  Continued tension eventually brought the anchor out.  Perhaps the tension on the clutch is adjustable.  Another time, I was happy to see the clutch slip when the anchor was stowed in the bow roller and I accidentally stepped on the foot switch.

 

Another surprise I wanted to mention.......the manual override did not work as expected.  It took a lot of force to turn the windlass even without the weight of the ground tackle.  Also it was very noisy, as it clicked past a very strong spring with each turn.  I have not used other electric windlasses, so I don't have anything to compare, but I expected it to work with the ease of a sheet winch and to hear the gentle click of a spring pawl.  I haven't asked the dealer about this, so perhaps I am not using it correctly.

 

Other than these couple of things, I have been very happy with the Lofrans Project 1500.  I once felt the motor after retrieving about 250 ft of chain in a deep anchorage, and it was cool to the touch.

 

Gary Wilson

P42 Sidetrack

-----Original Message-----
From: ChinaDoll [mailto:svchi...@gmail.com]

Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 05:23 PM
To: 'Passport Owners'
Subject: [Passport] Re: Nilsson V3000 Windless Flange Gone...

Thanks for the responses... Just an update... Looks like only the Maxwell still specs the 3/8 BBB chain and all others now sell only G40 (G4 HT?) in the 3/8s sizes. However, the Maxwell is fairly expensive and it appears the difference in cost between the Max and the Lewmar or Lofrans is just about equal to the cost of replacing the chain. Units considered so far: 1. Max-well (named after it's price, apparently.The  Atlantic by Muir (beautiful unit, and priced like it's pure gold...) 3. Lemar V5 (nice looking windless, and priced nice too...) 4. Lofrans 1500 (looks like a great unit... great price and write- ups... slightly under powered?) So, it looks like it's down to 3 and 4 as the choices, including 300- feet of new chain. I was told that 3/8 BBB chain has too soft of an alloy and will get beat up in on the V5 Lewmar with it's 2000W motor, but my old chain "just" might work on the 1200W Lofrans... Not sure when I will have a chance to pick up new chain, but I was hoping to use the old 3/8 BBB on either windless 3 or 4 with it's 3/8 G40 (G4 HT?) chain wheel, for a least a month or two... It would probably just jam-up? Right? I know I have the original chain, so there's no way it is not 3/8 BBB from 1983? (Did G40 Chain exist in 1983?) The Lewmar apparently has the manual override as an extra option, at an extra cost, I can only assume? The Lofrans might just win on price/ features, as I am not really sure I need a full 2000W windless... -- Passport Owners Association http://passportyachts.org To post to the group, use "reply all" or send email to Passpor...@googlegroups.com To reply to just the author, just use "reply: For more options, go to http://groups.google.com/group/PassportOwners?hl=en

[ChinaDoll]

Well the Lofrans Project 1500 with the 1500 Watt motor looks like the
winner... Too many good comments on it in the press (SCCA) and a good
buy too.

With our Nilsson it too would slip sometimes... On the Nilsson
Windlass [finally corrected my spelling --thanks] we always used the
two capstans handles to open the clutch and free-fall the chain (no
reverse). Sometimes we would not close the clutch tight enough, and if
we were in the mud or had enough chain out, the clutch would begin to
slip and have to be tighten slightly.

Since you do not need to free-fall the chain and use the reverse, is
it possible the clutch is just needing a slight tightening? As for a
chainwheel, Lofrans' doesn't make or offer the 3/8 (Best Better Bob's)
sizing... So we will have to watch it until i can get some 3/8 HT down
to the boat (that is if I can even get the windlass down to the
boat...)

Luckily the Lofrans' weighs in at nearly have the weight of the
Maxwell, but it still a whopping 82 lbs... It's a lot to carry in a
carry-on bag when it goes back down to the boat in Mexico.

[Alcoop]

I have the Lighthouse on the passport i recently purchased and it
seems to be an outstanding piece of equipment on the several occasions
I have now used it. It only goes up although they make a down upgrade.
After many years of using a manual on my old boat it is almost heaven.
The reviews suggest it is slow but their promotional material extols
its construction compared to other windlasses. It is quite handsome
for those to whom aesthetics is important
Allen
S/V Harmony

[ChinaDoll]

I did look at the Lighthouse windlass but I wasn't quite ready to go
horizontal. For our installation I would have had to place the unit up
on a pedestal of a 18 inches off the deck... This type of installation
is really meant to be placed on a forepeak plank. But I do know a few
times where I could have used both a vertical and horizontal rope
capstan to do deck work, so I do like the horizontal-type windlass.
But without a forepeak plank, and with our fairly tall bullworks, it
would have been a big job to fit that type of windlass.

[Jean-Philippe Gaillard]

In the Caribbean I met a lot of people saying that Lewmar is a good windlass
but you need spares regularily to repair it. It is not heavy duty.

the maxwell is expensive but you get what you pay for.

look at how often you anchor and how deep. if you anchor all the time like
me in 60ft+ you need a heavy duty windlass that will last and you don't want
to rebuild it all the time.

I'd love to fit a Lighthouse on my boat though. That is what I have heard
everywhere as being the best, hands down.

-----Original Message-----
From: passpor...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:passpor...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of ChinaDoll

Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 12:31 PM
To: Passport Owners

-Thanks.

--

[Rick Hurt]

After a pretty lengthy search, I found and purchased a Passport 40. I know
that someone on this list keeps a database of owners, so here goes:

Hull#: PYK400140382
USCG#: 655350
Deck stepped mast
Pathfinder engine
Draft: 5'9"
Previous name: Bora Merak, New Name: PERLA
Pullman Berth, Aft facing Nav station, L shaped settee
I believe I am the 3rd owner.
Rick Hurt
408 Melvin Street
Petaluma, CA 94952

I am going to have a bunch of questions and am happy to have this resource
of experienced owners to help.
Thanks in advance

Rick