Difference between revisions of "1987 MK 1 Catalina 34 Horizontal Windlass and New Double Doors"

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'''TYPE''' - The two basic types are VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL. Vertical and Horizontal are defined by the shaft orientation that rotates the gypsy/drum. Some background on each:
 
'''TYPE''' - The two basic types are VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL. Vertical and Horizontal are defined by the shaft orientation that rotates the gypsy/drum. Some background on each:
  
'''VERTICAL''' – When installed the motor shaft orientation is up and down (vertical) so the gypsy rotates in a horizontal direction. The motor and gearbox are installed under the deck. A few but not all Pros and Cons are listed as follows:
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''VERTICAL'' – When installed the motor shaft orientation is up and down (vertical) so the gypsy rotates in a horizontal direction. The motor and gearbox are installed under the deck. A few but not all Pros and Cons are listed as follows:
  
 
PROS –
 
PROS –
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* If installed in V-berth, reduces storage space and will need to build a aesthetic cover.
 
* If installed in V-berth, reduces storage space and will need to build a aesthetic cover.
  
'''HORIZONTAL''' – When installed the motor shaft orientation is horizontal so the gypsy rotates in a vertical direction. The motor and gearbox are installed on top of the deck.
+
''HORIZONTAL'' – When installed the motor shaft orientation is horizontal so the gypsy rotates in a vertical direction. The motor and gearbox are installed on top of the deck.
  
 
PROS –
 
PROS –

Revision as of 02:20, 26 January 2018

By Jon Windt; Della Jean

NOTE - Before doing any projects, I highly recommend that you first go through the “Critical Upgrades” list and verify that your boat has all of the applicable items addressed. There is a link on the Message Board (copied here) entitled “CRITICAL UPGRADES – DO THESE OR ELSE!!!” that will take you to them. It is a good way to both learn your boat and make sure it is safe. Don’t put it off.

Original Anchoring System Description

I purchased my Catalina 34 in April 2015. She is a 1987 MK1, hull #493. The MK 1 design has a double door to access the inside of the anchor locker. There are no provisions for an electric or manual windlass that I could see. My boat came with two sets of ground tackle.

Primary Ground Tackle - consisted of 35 feet of very corroded 3/8” chain, 250 feet of very old ¾” 3 strand rode stored in the anchor locker, and a medium sized Danforth type anchor stored in the port cockpit locker.

Secondary Ground Tackle - consisted of 30 feet of good condition 5/16” chain, 150 feet of newer ½” 3 strand rode, and a small Danforth type anchor stored in the port cockpit locker.

Due to the condition of the chain I have not done any anchoring since buying the boat. I also had no interest in straddling the anchor well and hoisting the anchor, chain, and rode by hand.

Background

I am refitting my C34 for future short and extended cruising. A priority for me is positioning myself to have as many anchoring options as possible. This project is being done in two phases. The first phase was replacing the original small OEM bow roller and stemhead fitting with a more robust bow roller and continuous 3/8” thick SST stemhead fitting. The following two photos of the new bow roller and stemhead fitting are provided for reference.

Starboard Qtr (resized).jpg Starboard (resized).jpg

With the bow roller upgrade completed, the next step is to install an electric windlass. I read the write ups in the Tech WIKI of what others had done to solve this problem. I had also looked at other boats. One that stood out to me was a Catalina 34 for sale in Hawaii that had a horizontal windlass installed on the deck above the anchor locker. They had removed the double doors and replaced them with two SST plates. One was an access door, and the other a fixed plate that the horizontal windlass was mounted to. I thought this was a very interesting approach that would maximize the space for chain and rode in the anchor locker, and make maintenance of the windlass easier.

This write up provides a summary of the electric windlass upgrade I did with photos, plus a parts list. I've numbered the photos to help with connecting the text to the associated photo.

My 1987 MK 1did not have a windlass or a provision to install a windlass (electric or manual), so for me this was a very complicated project. The steps were to choose between a vertical and horizontal windlass, develop a concept to mount the windlass, define how to wire it, decide where to put the up/down solenoid, breaker/isolator, helm switch, rode counter, receiver for the wireless remote, fuses, and other parts of the system. The windlass electrical system will tie in nicely with the wiring I had already run as part of my complete electrical upgrade completed in the 1st Qtr of 2016. Details for that are in a separate write-up titled “1987 MK 1 Catalina 34 Electrical System Upgrade” that I added to the “Electrical” section of the Tech WIKI.

As a final note, every boat is different. The routing, methods, and windlass type I used may not work on your boat or for your needs. This is only a summary of what I did, not as a manual of what you must/should do. This is one way, not the only way. Good luck and I hope you find this write up helpful.

Before Photos

The following photos show the anchor locker before adding the windlass system upgrade. The text description for each group of photos is above them. They are provided to help give you a picture of the starting point.

Photo (1) is the OEM anchor locker double doors when closed. The blue tape was used to define the boat centerline.

(1) Original Double Doors (resized).jpg

Photo (2) is the inside of the anchor locker with the OEM double doors removed. The ground tackle in the locker is the ¾” 3 strand and 35 feet of 3/8” chain, plus the 30 feet of 5/16” chain and 150 feet of ½” 3 strand anchor rode. I did this to get an idea of how much I could put in the locker. On the starboard side of the locker is the small Danforth type anchor. This will be stored in the port cockpit locker as a back-up, not in the anchor locker.

(2) Locker Doors Removed (resized).jpg

The Design Goals

  1. Maximize the space inside the anchor locker for chain and rode.
  2. Maintain two locker doors to access inside the anchor locker.
  3. Be able to raise and lower the anchor single handed safely.
  4. Be able to know how much chain is out or returned to the anchor locker from the helm.
  5. Locate all components to be easily accessible and serviceable with minimal effort.

Choosing A Windlass

Like most topics related to a boat, there isn’t a simple choice. Key decisions I felt were Type, Size, Power Up and Down, Retrieval speed, Free fall capabilities, Chain and Rope Gypsy, Brand.

TYPE - The two basic types are VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL. Vertical and Horizontal are defined by the shaft orientation that rotates the gypsy/drum. Some background on each:

VERTICAL – When installed the motor shaft orientation is up and down (vertical) so the gypsy rotates in a horizontal direction. The motor and gearbox are installed under the deck. A few but not all Pros and Cons are listed as follows:

PROS –

  • The motor and gearbox are out of the weather.
  • Torque is horizontal so the load is absorbed by more of the boat deck surface.
  • Most popular because of a lower more aesthetic deck profile.

CONS -

  • Being below deck, installation and maintenance are more difficult.
  • If installed in the anchor locker corrosion and maintenance may be more of an issue.
  • Because the rode makes a 180 degree turn around the gypsy and another 90 degree turn to feed into the locker there is a tendancy to have more snags and hang ups than horizontal windlass.
  • Requires a fall of 18 inches above the rode pile which reduces the amount of ground tackle that can be carried.
  • If installed in V-berth, reduces storage space and will need to build a aesthetic cover.

HORIZONTAL – When installed the motor shaft orientation is horizontal so the gypsy rotates in a vertical direction. The motor and gearbox are installed on top of the deck.

PROS –

  • Easier to install and maintain.
  • Less prone to snags and hang ups than a vertical windlass.
  • Requires a fall of 8 inches above the rode pile which allows the amount of ground tackle to be maximized.
  • Because the rode makes a 90 degree turn around the gypsy and feeds into the locker there is less of a tendancy to have snags and hang ups than a vertical windlass.

CONS -

  • Being on/above deck, some feel the aesthetics are undesirable.

SIZE - The pulling power or load capacity required of a windlass is hotly debated. Windlasses are not intended to pull a boat against a 25-knot wind and 2' chop with the engine in neutral. They are not designed to break out a heavy anchor under 3' of hard sand. They are designed to weigh an anchor and rode that is not under strain and to provide enough tension to break out a firmly set anchor. At the end of the day, it is the engine’s power that should be used to move the boat upwind, and it is the motion of the boat that should break out the anchor — not the windlass. Therefore the strain on the windlass should be limited to the hanging weight of the anchor and rode.

However, I’ve been told that manufacturers use the total weight of the ground tackle because many boaters don’t make proper use of their boat’s power when raising the anchor, so the actual working load is often much greater than the hanging weight of the anchor and rode. Therefore, manufacturers tend to recommend windlasses with hefty pulling power so that you have the capacity to weigh anchor even if your engine is out or it is already running at full capacity or your anchor is firmly stuck.

Sizing the windlass varies by windlass manufacturer. Most windlass manufacturers define the “working load” as the combined total weight of the anchor, chain, and rode. I plan to carry a 35 lb anchor, 200 feet of 5/16” G4 HT chain (1.04 lbs per foot), and 200 feet of 5/8” Yale 8 brait rode (.10 lbs per foot). The total weight for this set up would be 35 + 208 + 20 = 263 lbs.

  • Lewmar says use 4 x the total ground tackle weight to identify the proper size of their windlass. So I would need a Lewmar windlass capable of a 1,052 lb working load.
  • Maxwell says use 3 x the total ground tackle weight to identify the proper size of their windlass. So I would need a Maxwell windlass capable of a 789 lb working load.

POWER UP and DOWN – I’m getting a windlass to make retrieving the anchor and rode simpler. I think dropping the anchor in a controlled manner is also important for safety so wanted to be able to power the anchor and rode both up and down.

RETREIVAL SPEED – Retrieval speed is important for urgent or emergency situations where you want to get the anchor up and get out of the area fast.

FREE FALL CAPABILITY – Free fall capability is important for urgent or emergency situations where you want to get anchored fast.

CHAIN and RODE GYPSY – I wanted to carry both chain and line anchor rode so wanted a windlass and gypsy that can do both.

BRAND – Brand is important for availability, quality, price, aesthetics, and the pulling power or load capacity required. The difference between Lewmar and Maxwell “working load” for example can put you into the next larger size windlass.

MY CHOICE – Experienced cruisers I talked to all preferred the horizontal type windlass for durability, and ease of maintenance. A vertical windlass required more free fall distance for the chain/rode, and the motor would protrude far into the anchor locker. I decided to go with a HRC FF8-8 horizontal windlass from Maxwell. It is compact, powerful, good reputation, and I think a good fit for the MK 1 anchor locker.

At the time I was making this decision, Defender had a great sale on so was able to get the electric windlass for ~ half price plus it came with the up/down solenoid, up/down helm switch, and a wireless remote up/down switch (like a key fob for your car door locks). I also purchased an Auto Anchor 150 rode counter that was also on sale at a steep discount. Can’t beat good timing.