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.