Posted: January 1, 2012 | Tag: Anchoring
I have always been delighted with my Good anchor windlass. It never failed us in many years of service — until recently. I can push the switch either up or down, and there’s no engagement of the windlass. Eventually, with enough “pushes,” it’ll do what I ask it to do — for a while. What’s the best way to check the system?
Normally, I’d send you under the dash with a voltmeter, but the Good windlass changed my approach. The windlass isn’t Good; it’s excellent. Many have been mounted on bows for years. What I’ve found is that they’ve been so failure-proof that nobody ever gives them a second thought, including the bedding of sealer where they’re mounted. The bedding eventually shrinks or cracks, and water leaks onto the motor in the rope locker, making it a pile of corrosion and rust. This will necessitate removal of the windlass; the worst part of that is finding a 3-foot-tall, 12-pound person with 6-foot arms and 3/8-inch fingers to reach the bolts in the locker. The motor is relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Of course, you’ll need to rebed the windlass so it will take care of you into the next century.