Trojan Boat Forum

I have been doing a lot of searching and have found this Windlass
Thinking of buying this for my F25
Does anyone have experience or comments on it?
A dealer is selling it NEW for less than $450 delivered
I prefer the above deck install as I don't wish to use up all the space in the bow for motors etc... Need the space for the chain and rope.
Pros and cons of windlasses experience appreciated

Reason I am thinking of windlass, is I don't like the idea of travelling to the bow everytime I want to anchor, I know the old fashioned way is always good, but I plan on going out alone, and don't want to fall overboard in a big wave..LOL



New lightweight powerful and compact windlasses for above-deck mounting. Made especially for the rigid conditions of the sea. A perfect choice for boaters with limited space underneath the deck or with a deck thickness above 50 mm (2") thick because the whole windlass mounts above the boat's deck, as opposed to some of it being concealed under the deck. Stainless steel parts in high polished steel AISI316L. Works with chain only or rope/chain combinations. Easy to install.

Model Number SC512
Motor 600 watt
Voltage 12 volt
Max Working Load 220 kgs / 484 lbs
Max Power Pull 540 kgs / 1188 lbs
Current Draw 10 Amp No load.
Drop Speed Chain 40 m / 132 ft
Alt. 1 - Chain 6 mm
Alt. 2 - Chain/rope 7 mm - 1/4 HT G4
Rope Alt. 1 12mm - 1/2" line
Rope Alt. 2 12 mm - 1/2 line
Weight 8 kgs / 17.5 lbs

Model SC512 Comes with:Solenoid and Up/Down Switch

Suggest you check with our sponsors at Beacon Marine, may get it cheaper or a different suggestion.


Larry

Does it have the automatic free drop feature??

Ron

larryeddington wrote:Suggest you check with our sponsors at Beacon Marine, may get it cheaper or a different suggestion.
Larry

You are neglecting to recognize the poster is from Canada... We would probably end up paying $100 or more for Customs and Duty to get a windlass like that across the border. Oh yeah - add shipping on top of it too!

I bought an AC Main breaker a couple of years back - $190 - cost me an additional $70 for shipping and to get it across the border, on top of exchange rates of course.

larryeddington wrote:Suggest you check with our sponsors at Beacon Marine, may get it cheaper or a different suggestion.


Larry

Larry:
The price is less than $450 CDN delivered
no duty, taxes brokerage fees, and shipping is just $22CDN Canada Post
I have emailed Beacon on a few things, have not gotten any response, and their website for parts is "coming soon"

rbcool wrote:Does it have the automatic free drop feature??

Ron

Ron
Down switch,
freefall would be manual release of the clutch at windlass

Best to call Bob. My first time calling he answered while on his back under a Van. He somehow wrote down all I needed and my parts were here in 3 days. But you Canadian guys have a point with all the customs stuff.


Ron

Torcan wrote:

larryeddington wrote:Suggest you check with our sponsors at Beacon Marine, may get it cheaper or a different suggestion.


Larry

Larry:
The price is less than $450 CDN delivered
no duty, taxes brokerage fees, and shipping is just $22CDN Canada Post
I have emailed Beacon on a few things, have not gotten any response, and their website for parts is "coming soon"

rbcool wrote:Does it have the automatic free drop feature??

Ron

Ron
Down switch,
freefall would be manual release of the clutch at windlass

Just do it... that price is lower than anything on the Internet landed.
It looks like a good windlass and meets your small boat needs.
You positive the price is HST in?

ready123 wrote:Just do it... that price is lower than anything on the Internet landed.
It looks like a good windlass and meets your small boat needs.
You positive the price is HST in?

No, seems I missed that one, I will have to pay the $55 sales tax.
Still cheaper than import, brokerage and cross border shipping
New price landed is $508 total

Torcan wrote:

larryeddington wrote:Suggest you check with our sponsors at Beacon Marine, may get it cheaper or a different suggestion.


Larry

Larry:
The price is less than $450 CDN delivered
no duty, taxes brokerage fees, and shipping is just $22CDN Canada Post
I have emailed Beacon on a few things, have not gotten any response, and their website for parts is "coming soon"

rbcool wrote:Does it have the automatic free drop feature??

Ron

Ron
Down switch,
freefall would be manual release of the clutch at windlass

On a True free fall windlass it goes into free fall after holding the down switch for a second or so . For myself I would only buy a free fall windlass .

I do not know that brand but it looks ok . and seems to be a good price .

If it not automatic free fall your still heading to the bow to drop it when your alone kind defeats the need of it doesn't it ? Seems your need will not be met eeh ?

alexander38 wrote:If it not automatic free fall your still heading to the bow to drop it when your alone kind defeats the need of it doesn't it ? Seems your need will not be met eeh ?

It has a Drop Speed Chain 40 m / 132 ft per minute in the down position. So doesn't that meet my requirements?

I don't mind waiting a minute for it to get down there.

As you can see, I am not well versed in these matters, I think the most danger is in retrieving the anchor, am I wrong.

I don't think I would use the clutch for a faster decent anyways.

Correct me if I am wrong. Still learning, I am new to all of this and sometimes the questions might seem stupid, but worse off is doing something stupid for not asking the questions.

The power down is fine if your in no hurry , I know your thinking about safety and you should . But (there is always a but ) I do not get under way unless I have secured the anchor , just to easy to power down the anchor under way by mistake. so I have to go out out the bow anyway.

And don't forget to ad the cost of chain and line not cheap and must be the right type and size for your windlass .

Torcan wrote:It has a Drop Speed Chain 40 m / 132 ft per minute in the down position. So doesn't that meet my requirements?

Where are you thinking you might be anchoring? If off of one of the beaches around Toronto area or elsewhere, you might be anchoring in 3-10' of water. You won't have to pay out too much rode for that depth (people will tell you to use a ratio anywhere from 3:1 to 7:1 for how much line you put out compared to distance from where the line comes off your bow to the bottom - ie NOT just compared to water depth). For beach use in calm conditions, you will probably be looking at 50' of line.

But if you are looking to drop the hook off of Ontario Place (in 50' of water) to watch the Air Show, you are going to be waiting a lot longer to get the anchor down, and get it back up again.

prowlersfish wrote:The power down is fine if your in no hurry , I know your thinking about safety and you should . But (there is always a but ) I do not get under way unless I have secured the anchor , just to easy to power down the anchor under way by mistake. so I have to go out out the bow anyway.

But if single-handing it would be prudent to prepare the anchor for use prior to entering the anchoring area, and leaving the area before going forward to secure it, so the actual dropping and raising could safely be done remotely. If you are alone on the boat and need to leave the controls to prepare or secure the anchor, or even rigging lines/fenders for docking (or collecting them after departing the slip), it is better to do that after moving away from traffic and confined spaces - gives you a lot more room to safely drift just in case the job takes longer than you expected.... and you should also be wearing a lifejacket and always holding on too!!! You never know when some stupid s.f.b. might go screaming by you on plane, or just climbing on to or falling off of it. There are a lot of idiots out there - no matter how much you know about boats or how safely you handle yours, you still have to protect yourself (and your passengers) from THEM!

132' drop on motor ? To me that seems like a tall gear in the windless, I'd look for a free fall unit lot Ron was talking about found them to work best for me. Imo. But if $ is a big factor and it will due then go for it. Best advise any of us can give is be sure before u drill them holes.