Anchor winch packed the free fall fuction - suggestions for replacement

[timddo]

Ok. My anchor winch didn't want to co-operate after 3 years or so. 1st problem was the cable had degraded to a point i needed it replace and now the free fall function is bugger.

I opened her up and now she's fine. Except no free fall. I may be getting old but hauling a boat anchor in 10 meters of water or so is tuff work :'(. This is with 12mm nylon rope. God knows how you would do it with 8mm or 6mm or 10 mm rope. :o.

Looking at my options. There is the standard replacement of $550 - Same model or a drum unit which is $1100 for 600watts or $1400 for $1400 25Meters per Minute or the Expensive stuff at $2000???

I was thinking X wich too?? Mick Winch. ( so many on the market too. ) I think we are paying just for the motor????? Can that motor be that expensive? Comon guys it's a 12 Volt motor with a IP rating????? I'm sure finga can knock one up for less than $100 bucks;D

[ozscott]

Mate my Chinese one is getting tired. It still works ok but its getting slower. The freefall introduces a clutch and my thought is that it might be weaker. I have free fall and it's very convenient. A mate just got a profish and it's very nice. It's not freefall but still seems to go down reasonably quickly. Cheers

[Jarrah Jack]

If you want one the same style as the one you've got now then the lewmar are good and well priced...http://www.mauriprosailing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=LEW6656011107301&Category_Code=LEWPROW

The X winch made with the help of HH565 on here is worth considering. I see there is a thread up about it now.



Hope that helps Tim.

[John Buoy]

Just fitted an X Winch and very impressed with build quality
Member here HH565 Spiro is a director and the man to speak to.
Also a gentleman who backs his product with Gr8 service .
Will place a post in boating that was posted by X winch on another froum!!

Regards Frank ;)

[timddo]

The Clutch mechanism is bent i think. The last time i went out it engaged freefall but will not reengage. I took out the free fall function and it's just power down and up. Slow but better then a hand job. Maybe i can get the deckie to do some work next time and pull the anchor up.

I can never go back to the old way of hand pulling the anchor. It felt like i was hauling in a big rock against the current. The Bouy is not an option as i have had it stick on the propella once.

I may anchor up and down a dozen times per outing.

John. Can you pm a price as i can't find it anywhere online. I know you pay for what you get

[John Buoy]

give em a call 0417125546 theres a few models !

[scuttlebutt]

down and up. Slow but better then a hand job.

ummmm, O.K....

[BM]

Also try ##############.com.au

They do a 1000W drum winch for $1400 which is probably the best price around for a quality drum winch. $1100 for a 600W version.

Cheers

Edit: just realised that you were most likely referring to the lonestar winch in your initial post (at $1100 and $1400). The cheaper winch you referred to I assume is a South Pacific and if the one you have has served you well then perhaps replacing with the same is the logical and economical approach?

Personally I like the concept of the lonestar winch because the owner of the business is putting the winches out there at the price that I personally think drum winches should be sold for. They are simple to produce by comparison to capstan style winches so on those grounds alone I believe they should be quite a bit cheaper and if not then you are paying too much for what you are getting.

My opinion and I'm entitled to it;D;D

[HH565L]

Choose carefully, there are lots of Chinese imports being sold in Australia by people that know very little more about the product than what the OEM has told them. In some cases specs and capabilities are being well overstated. ;)

[BM]

Could not agree more. X-winch, Lonestar, Stress-free, Micks Winch etc etc etc all need to be independently assessed to verify the veracity of the manufacturers claims. A good winch shoot-out article in a boating mag would be excellent. No doubt they are all parts essentially domiciled in China.

An independent test, via a media not paid sponsorship/advertising by any winch manufacturers should enable a level playing field.

Seems like Choice magazine should get into the boating assessment market...

Cheers

[timddo]

I have a south pacific 710s 300 watts. It's still working. Just the freefall is not working. Yes was taking about lone star but may have another supplier. Will hear from tomorrow. I think all drums are made in china. Only the motor is made somewhere else .

[HH565L]

Could not agree more. X-winch, Lonestar, Stress-free, Micks Winch etc etc etc all need to be independently assessed to verify the veracity of the manufacturers claims. A good winch shoot-out article in a boating mag would be excellent. No doubt they are all parts essentially domiciled in China.

An independent test, via a media not paid sponsorship/advertising by any winch manufacturers should enable a level playing field.

Seems like Choice magazine should get into the boating assessment market...

Cheers

“No doubt they are all parts essentially domiciled in China.” Unless you know this to be fact and can provide evidence to support, it would be wise for you to publicly retract the statement!

Out of the 4 products you mention, 3 are from Australian designers/manufacturers, the other is an imported product from China. Also if you had bothered to do any homework you would know that this ‘import’ has been sold by a number of companies in Australia for quite some time and at similar pricing levels and therefore price barrier break throughs’ you have indicated on this and other forums are in fact non-existent.

That aside, when considering any imported product irrespective of what it may be, the following should always be in the back of your mind.

How much does the seller really know about the product they are importing/selling?

Have they visited the OEM, taken a factory tour and attended specialist training?

Are they fully aware of the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of the product they are selling?

Have they witnessed the engineering calculations from which the specifications and stated capabilities of the product are derived?

Have they performed their own engineering calculations to confirm the data they present to their potential customers is in fact correct? Are they even capable of doing this?

Have they confirmed the materials and components used to manufacture the product are in fact as claimed by the OEM?

In the case of winches, do they have a solid understanding of motor, gearbox and winch/hoist technology?

Are they able to properly perform warranty assessments (mechanical and electrical) and do they keep parts locally?

In terms of pricing, as it seems this is most important to you, it is fact that all 3 above-mentioned Australian designers/manufacturers can easily produce a product to match the performance and beat the price of the imported drum winches. The reason they do not do that is because their focus is on producing a high quality product and one that delivers consistent performance and long term reliability.

As far as independent assessments go, you only have to look at the products to see the very obvious differences in quality and strength. If they are not immediately apparent, then you really have no clue what you're looking at.

[HH565L]

I have a south pacific 710s 300 watts. It's still working. Just the freefall is not working. Yes was taking about lone star but may have another supplier. Will hear from tomorrow. I think all drums are made in china. Only the motor is made somewhere else .

Not true Timddo, you certainly don't need a passport to visit the manufacturer of the drums on my winches.

[John Buoy]

Not true Timddo, you certainly don't need a passport to visit the manufacturer of the drums on my winches.

It's quite obvious from this and above posts that you are passionate of the product you deliver HH565L
Seems a general consensus that when a barrel winch is detected automatically china comes to mind!
Guys you get what you pay for simple as that !!
Im definately more than happy with mine
Regards Frank ;D

[OPTI]

.

Seems like Choice magazine should get into the boating assessment market...

Cheers
boating forums seem to do a pretty fair job of sorting out the dodgy operators ,when the moderators dont delete posts that is.;)

[BM]

Yep, whatever....

I would think that focusing on ones own product and its virtues is always a better option than trying to run another down. Never good business to shoot down your competitors. That would be part of business basics. Spiro, you have replied as I expected you would.

You are referring to a post I placed on the Mr Fisho website where I commented that in my opinion (and I, like anyone else, is allowed to have one contrary to some peoples beliefs) Lonestar were offering drum winches at a price that I believe is where they should be offered.

And no Opti, forums do not weed good from bad, because if they did then things would be very different elsewhere. But thanks for the insight into how quickly the grapevine works and who is part of that increasing grapevine and where the origin of that grapevine is.... Although, those details are already well known or suspected but now confirmed.

Good luck to all winch sellers. As long as you all believe in your product and support your customers then all should be happy.

Cheers

[Alchemy]

Choose carefully, there are lots of Chinese imports being sold in Australia by people that know very little more about the product than what the OEM has told them. In some cases specs and capabilities are being well overstated. ;)

Spiro, tried sending you a PM but your inbox is full. I want a winch that will hold a min of 150m of 8mm nylon. Have been considering the stress free NG but am interested to learn more about your product, advantages, pricing etc.

Thanks,
Dave.

[BM]

Oh, and if the drums of various brands of winches are locally made rather than overseas then so be it (or other components for that matter). I would think that overseas construction or component supply would be more logical and as we all know they can build to a specification, just depends on the price one wishes to pay. Where are the components for the X-winch from?

"Price barrier breakthroughs", were never my words or intent and its my opinion that a drum winch should never be as costly as a capstan style winch. As mentioned also in earlier posts, it's my opinion and I am entitled to it.

I should point out that I do not have any experience with drum winches so my comments could not and should not be construed in any way to be pro or anti any brand. Any such assertion is a falacy. My view is a laymans view, like any other boater out there. Derived from looking at the items and hearing what the seller has to say about his product.

And quite simply, if it costs more to produce a capstan style winch then it will logically sell for more. Therefore, if the drum winches cost less to produce then logically also they should sell for less, unless I am missing something?

Each style of winch (drum or capstan) has its preferred application and strengths and weaknesses. A head to head test of the drums, as mentioned earlier, would be of great benefit to the buying market and I would expect manufacturers to embrace the opportunity to "prove" their product against the competition in a controlled testing environment. A win-win all round.

Cheers

[HH565L]

You spin me out Bayside. Thanks for the business advice. I look after a $20M plus product portfolio for my employer and have achieved 40% market share, I also run a manufacturing and a retail business in my own time, and both are already very successful and on a rapid growth phase.

Advising people to do their due diligence on any product is sound advice. Unfortunately in this world there are way too many people who will sell anything JUST to earn a quick buck. Suggesting people do their due diligence on any potential purchase is sound advice, and that has been reflected in the number or 'Like' and 'Thank you' notifications received thus far.

Even though you have given me ample opportunity, no where have I run anyone or any business down.

And this grapevine things that you're talking about. What on earth is that. Happy to disclose my phone, email, internet traffic report to any authority for review. The grapevine you talk of exists only in your mind.

[HH565L]

Spiro, tried sending you a PM but your inbox is full. I want a winch that will hold a min of 150m of 8mm nylon. Have been considering the stress free NG but am interested to learn more about your product, advantages, pricing etc.

Thanks,
Dave.

Hi Dave, sorry about the full inbox mate. I've shot you a pm now.

[Lovey80]

HH565L,

Matey I am also in the market for a winch. Could you kindly PM me some specs and pricing on your products? Actually it may be beneficial for other Ausfishers if you gave yourself a free plug and put it in this post (if the mods are happy with this of course).

[fandtm666]

HH565L

id also be interested in what you have a prices , i have been looking at the lonestar
and the south pacific 710fs

[HH565L]

G'day Lovey80 & fandtm666. Please check your pm's.

[DAZMC1]

Hi Spiro.
Have you got any pics of your 565 install because I,m thinking of putting one of your winches on mine.

[Jarrah Jack]

One thing with Spiro he's a good bloke and will back his product. Knows a bit about boats too.

[DAZMC1]

Hi Spiro.
Have you got any pics of your 565 install because I,m thinking of putting one of your winches on mine.Sorry , just looked at the post you started when you done yours. Did you have to beef up the base where the winch mounts?

[HH565L]

No problem at all Daz. Hows that EC of yours going?

No mate, did not need to beef up the base of the anchor well at all. As yours is an EC though, I cannot answer for certain, although it would be reasonable to expect it to be stronger than the original HH565. If you can take two measurements;

1. From the the base of your anchor well to the underside of your deck,
2. The lenght of your anchor well ie from bow to rear bulkhead,

I will be able to confirm winch size for you.

Reason this is important is because it was a squeeze to fit the medium in my 565 as you will note from the pics.

Regards,
Spiro

[HH565L]

One thing with Spiro he's a good bloke and will back his product. Knows a bit about boats too.

Thanks for the kind words Terry.

[DAZMC1]

Hi Spiro
The length of my anchor well is 820mm and the height I could go is 330mm max.
Darren.

[HH565L]

Hi Darren, I'll take some measurements over the weekend and come back to you.

Regards,
Spiro

[HH565L]

Hi Darren,

Here are the measurements from my fit up.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z14/HH565L/XW%20HH565L/XW565068.jpg

Anchor well length bow to bulkhead ~ 530mm
Base of anchor well to bottom edge of hatch/top deck ~ 325mm
Base of anchor well to bottom edge of hatch opening lip = 295mm

Hope that helps.

Regards,
Spiro

[DAZMC1]

Thanks Spiro. So I can use the same size as you have with no troubles.