Since I'll be running lines aft to the cockpit from the mast, I'd like to add one or two winches to the cabin top on either side of the companionway. Some boats come with a "thickened" area in those places specifically for winches. I've seen in some catalogs wooden platforms made for mounting winches. I suspect I'd want to thru bolt one of those wooden platforms to a backing plate inside the cabin. I'm already familiar with overdrilling and epoxying the holes before mounting so I don't need a description of that. I also noticed that some of these platforms are cut on an angle. I suppose that's to give the lines the proper angle on the winch or perhaps because the cabin top isn't level. Maybe both. Any hints on proper installation fromn those of you who have done this.
Thanks,
Warren
S/V Sine Qua Non
CD27 #166 (1980)
Setsail728@aol.com
Mounting winch on cabin top
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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len
Re: Mounting winch on cabin top
warren
my cd has the main sheet and staysail winches on the cabin top - they have backing plates under the top layer of the deck sandwich and a cover on the bottom layer for access - they are level with the deck and therefore at a slight angle (tilted slightly to port) - each one has a cam cleat to hold the sheet, those cleats are on teak blocks almost at the edge of the deck - they have worked without problems -
if i was doing it myself, i would bolt them through both layers of the deck because it would be easier
len
md.frel@nwh.org
my cd has the main sheet and staysail winches on the cabin top - they have backing plates under the top layer of the deck sandwich and a cover on the bottom layer for access - they are level with the deck and therefore at a slight angle (tilted slightly to port) - each one has a cam cleat to hold the sheet, those cleats are on teak blocks almost at the edge of the deck - they have worked without problems -
if i was doing it myself, i would bolt them through both layers of the deck because it would be easier
len
md.frel@nwh.org
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Bob Luby
Re: Mounting winch on cabin top
When I bought Grendel (CD25D), I hired Sound Rigging to lead my Spinnaker and Mainsail halyards back to the cockpit. ( I have roller furling.) In the course of doing so, he:
Mounted turning blocks at the foot of the mast;
Installed a Deck organizer;
Removed the starboard winch from the mast and installed it on the cabintop, and
Mounted 2 cleats ( slightly angled ) on the cabintop just before the bulkhead. They work fine. you don't need stoppers.
There have been no leaks in the 4 years since this was done. The installation was completed with Acorn nuts below.
Just thinking - This may be superior to the original installation in that the winch is firmly attached to the deck, not secured by a few milimeters of threads. This may help if you use the halyard for getting to the top of the mast.
Rluby@aol.com
Mounted turning blocks at the foot of the mast;
Installed a Deck organizer;
Removed the starboard winch from the mast and installed it on the cabintop, and
Mounted 2 cleats ( slightly angled ) on the cabintop just before the bulkhead. They work fine. you don't need stoppers.
There have been no leaks in the 4 years since this was done. The installation was completed with Acorn nuts below.
Just thinking - This may be superior to the original installation in that the winch is firmly attached to the deck, not secured by a few milimeters of threads. This may help if you use the halyard for getting to the top of the mast.
Rluby@aol.com
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Stan
Re: Mounting winch on cabin top
For what it's worth, I recently saw an ad from Harken that talked about winch overwraps; they can be minimized by having a 98 degree angle between the sheet and the centerline/axis of the winch. I have always had problems on the halyard winches and I think it may well be because they are mounted on the mast with no angle.