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#31
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Electric Windlass: How Important?
Gogarty wrote:
In article , says... snip Now that I think about it, I remember more times that we have had to reset than I did originally. They didn't turn up in my memory because they were really non-events compared to all the times that the anchor held beautifully without resetting even in fairly violent stormy conditions. For instance when we turned into Mile Hammock Bay, an artificial dredged anchorage (on Marine Corps property - Camp Lejeune NC) at 2:30 pm in the rain in November 2000, there were 3 other boats already there . Bob decided to anchor on the inner edge of the dredged area away from the other boats. We had difficulty because we would start out in 10 feet of water and as he let out the anchor chain, we would be blown out onto the shallow part and end up in 5 feet of water. Bob reset the anchor once, and then just decided to put out less scope. Eight other boats came into the anchorage later, including a trawler who appeared to have anchored on top of our anchor. But the trawler left very early so we didn't have to decide what to do about that. We didn't anchor in that anchorage again because we figured our mileage so that we didn't have to - mostly because the entrance to the anchorage was a bit shallow, and Bob hates going aground but also because there was a cheap marina in Swansboro which we stayed at on subsequent trips. (Although on the last trip in the spring of 2004 the docks appeared quite deteriorated so I don't know if we would go there again.) There! See? My point is that we evaluated the anchorage and decided we didn't need to go there again. What would be foolish is if we went back again and again and had the same trouble all over again each time. You don't want an electric windlass? Fine. But don't make others out to be somewhat less than pure if they desire to have one. Best umpteen bucks I ever spent. And I looked at manual ones. Never looked back. I didn't try to make someone out as less than pure - I think that was someone else. We have a manual windlass (and we have NEVER considered being WITHOUT a windlass) because we felt that the problems that would come with an additional battery for it, or additional battery cables to charge the battery or to get electric power to the windlass from the battery were more than we wanted to deal with. Bob didn't want to run long stretches of big electrical wire through the boat. And it isn't because he didn't know HOW to do it, because he converted an Escort station wagon to run on batteries and drove it to work for the last 6 years before he retired. So he COULD have done it - he just decided that he didn't want to. We chartered a boat like ours and it had an electric windlass, which he had a chance to use. Our boat came with an electric windlass, but it was inoperative. We had to chisel it off the bow where it was rusted in place before we could put the manual one on there. BTW most of the wiring on the boat had to be replaced with better quality and more heavy duty wiring. Perhaps someone can explain to me how it is that every dinky power boat has a windlass but on sailboats as large as 45 ft and even larger a windlass is not standard equipment? Our 37 footer and an Endeavour 40 belonging to a friend aren't even windlass friendly when it comes to adding one. They just were not designed for after-market windlasses. Most power boats don't have anything like an adequate anchor rode IMHO and many of them don't have a windlass. I've seen what my SIL thinks is adequate for his boat. And he had to install it because the boat did not come with a windlass. A lot of them don't even have a way to anchor or at least they don't use an anchor if they have it - they seem content to sit and fish, just drifting around. Our friends with a trawler have a set-up where he can't even see the anchor from the helm and he has to yell at his wife when to let it go. It is electric though. |
#32
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Electric Windlass: How Important?
On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:10:58 -0400, Gogarty
wrote: Perhaps someone can explain to me how it is that every dinky power boat has a windlass but on sailboats as large as 45 ft and even larger a windlass is not standard equipment? Our 37 footer and an Endeavour 40 belonging to a friend aren't even windlass friendly when it comes to adding one. They just were not designed for after-market windlasses. There are probably several different reasons, starting with performance. Sailboat bows are narrow with a fine entry for reasons of sailing efficiency. That also makes them sensitive to increased weight on the bow, and an anchor windlass with its wiring and/or battery will not help performance at all. Electrical power is another issue. Most power boats have plenty of battery capacity and frequently have generators available to assist with recharging. It's also a fact that power boats require heavier anchors because of wider beam, more weight and higher windage. I used to anchor a 34 ft sailboat quite securely with a 20 lb Danforth but my old 33 ft sportfish needed a 44 lb Spade to be securely anchored in comparable conditions. |
#33
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Electric Windlass: How Important?
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#34
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Electric Windlass: How Important?
Gogarty wrote:
In article , says... Our friends with a trawler have a set-up where he can't even see the anchor from the helm and he has to yell at his wife when to let it go. It is electric though. My wife does not like being yelled at. So we got a pair of those dinkly little walky-talkies that have about a half mile range. Motorola. Really cool. More than being yelled at, I hate yelling at him and having to repeat everything. We are both a little deaf, so we use hand signals. (middle fingers not included although sometimes when the hand signals get more vigorous I know he is yelling). Walkie talkies do not work for either of us. |
#35
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Electric Windlass: How Important?
"Gogarty" wrote in message ... In article , says... Our friends with a trawler have a set-up where he can't even see the anchor from the helm and he has to yell at his wife when to let it go. It is electric though. My wife does not like being yelled at. So we got a pair of those dinkly little walky-talkies that have about a half mile range. Motorola. Really cool. Are they hands free? |
#36
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Electric Windlass: How Important?
I have a very crappy pair... I think they cost all of $10. They're
hands-free. -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com "Scotty" wrote in message . .. "Gogarty" wrote in message ... In article , says... Our friends with a trawler have a set-up where he can't even see the anchor from the helm and he has to yell at his wife when to let it go. It is electric though. My wife does not like being yelled at. So we got a pair of those dinkly little walky-talkies that have about a half mile range. Motorola. Really cool. Are they hands free? |
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