jerryk
Captain
When not online I'm likely on Knot Online
Posts: 599
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Post by jerryk on Jul 11, 2022 12:05:21 GMT -5
So the 4th of July when I went to anchor for the fireworks my windlass didn't work at first attempt. I saw that the thermal breaker had tripped so I reset it, then tried to lower the anchor again only to find the motor running very slowly and then stopping after just a few inches of rode pay out. Won't go up or down more than a few inches. So I manually anchored and did a manual lift when we left after the fireworks--great show in Cape Coral by the way. Since then, I trouble shot first the voltage to the motor, finding that there was good +/- 12 volt voltage when I operated the remote switch or the dash mounted switch, and the contactor (a relay type device) did click and so it seemed to be working. I then bypassed the contactor altogether and ran cabling direct from the battery (verified as fully charged and actually under charger use at the time of the testing) to the windlass motor, and got the same performance...sluggish and little movement in either direction. So at that point I figured the motor must be bad and pulled the windlass off the boat and now have it in pieces in my house awaiting delivery of a replacement motor that I ordered. Motor has a burnt smell, so I do suspect it to be toast. Sadly, I had to drill out 2 of the three screws that held the motor in place to the gearbox so now I also have to find some replacement screws to install the new motor, but that should be fairly minor aside from an added delay.
I'll let you know how it turns out once I get the new motor, but I was wondering if this is a common failure. The boat has very few hours of anchoring use, and in prior anchoring done a few weeks earlier it worked just fine up and down. Seems odd that it would just fail, and I'm also wondering about why the breaker might have tripped since my last use of the windlass--maybe it tripped just as I tried to use it on the 4th but I didn't hear it go and did not see ANY movement on the windlass when I first tried to operate it. The gearbox has plenty of grease and there are no obvious marks on the motor showing corrosion or rust drips or anything that show water intrusion of any sort.
Comments welcome!
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Post by hookedup on Jul 11, 2022 17:16:01 GMT -5
Good example for us all: Break Out Another Thousand
My windless has worked fine for 4 years with probably 20-30 drops per year. Always try to bring the boat to the anchor, rather than the anchor to the boat hoping to extend the windless life, but we all know eventually it will fail. Not sure when and I'm hoping to extend it as much as possible. Sorry your's decided it was time to die.
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Post by fishnfool on Jul 11, 2022 18:17:45 GMT -5
That sucks. It's always something with boats...
I can't recall the last time I read a report on the forum of a windless motor dying.
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jerryk
Captain
When not online I'm likely on Knot Online
Posts: 599
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Post by jerryk on Jul 11, 2022 19:47:22 GMT -5
Well I am hoping to get off lucky...I found an open box deal on a new motor at less than $150 and although it's missing a couple of things I can reuse those things from my existing set up. The screws I needed I just procured today and spent about 6 bucks for a qty 50 package on A-zon even though I need only 3...but at today's gas prices I can't start up the car and go searching the local stores for a smaller quantity, so when it all comes in I hope to have it all back together and working fairly soon. While at it I decided to put in an NMEA 2000 backbone and start tying things together to my two Axiom MFDs. I'm kinda surprised that didn't get done from the factory already (or by the dealer) but aside from sonar and the chartplotter/GPS there is nothing networked on my boat right now. THAT of course is where the B.O.A.T. acronym comes into play. My Fusion stereo head gave up the ghost just before the 4th of July so I got a new one and now I need to redo the connection it has with the Fusion remote that's out on the swim platform. So I might as well tie it into an NMEA 2000 network backbone and then my MFDs can see it too. One project leads to another leads to another.........until bankruptcy occurs I guess.
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jerryk
Captain
When not online I'm likely on Knot Online
Posts: 599
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Post by jerryk on Jul 11, 2022 19:53:26 GMT -5
Actually looking back at things, we did have a bolt of lightning hit here close by in late June, I was near the boat at the time and the bolt hit a tree (I think) nearly across the canal from where my lift is. My boat didn't take a direct hit, but I am beginning to wonder if the pulse took out my stereo head and also the windlass at the same time. The time frame would have been right for both failures, I just noticed the stereo first because I went on the boat to mess around a week or so before the 4th and noticed that the stereo wasn't working. Hmmmm.
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Post by finatic on Jul 12, 2022 6:30:17 GMT -5
Makes sense regarding the lighting strike. Mine failed after 11 years of use but wasn't the motor. Mine was with the clutch and was fairly easy to fix. Good luck with the repair.
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jerryk
Captain
When not online I'm likely on Knot Online
Posts: 599
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Post by jerryk on Jul 12, 2022 14:25:51 GMT -5
New windlass motor came today, 6 days earlier than expected and it included both a new gasket (which the open box description specifically said was missing) AND the three screws I needed after drilling out the old ones😊 so the whole thing is back together and ready to install back into the boat. Will probably get that done tomorrow. Updated to add photos of the finished windlass ready to install, and the open gearcase with motor attached. There are some pretty hefty gears in that thing!
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Post by finatic on Jul 12, 2022 14:35:15 GMT -5
Great job captain.
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jerryk
Captain
When not online I'm likely on Knot Online
Posts: 599
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Post by jerryk on Jul 13, 2022 8:49:01 GMT -5
This morning I reinstalled the windlass and with the new motor it works like a champ😊 It is satisfying to complete a diagnosis and repair...but probably not quite as satisfying as never needing to do the repair in the first place!
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Post by footy3 on Jul 13, 2022 9:10:00 GMT -5
This morning I reinstalled the windlass and with the new motor it works like a champ😊 It is satisfying to complete a diagnosis and repair...but probably not quite as satisfying as never needing to do the repair in the first place! I don't know, you go through life knowing there's gonna be a certain amount of repairs required. Tackling something yourself, getting advice, figuring it out, and fixing it, is a great feeling.
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