Sailboat Hardware  

Winches & Winch Handles

Winches & Winch Handles
Andersen, Lewmar and Harken Winches
 

Choosing Andersen Winch Size

Choose your ANDERSEN Winches to reflect the size of your yacht and your sailing requirements. This selection guide is intended for masthead rigged monohull yachts of medium displacement. Refer to the notes in the guide regarding other rig or displacement types. Please note that this table lists typical winch sizing for the given applications, but can not take into account all variables due to the wide variety of sailing vessels and conditions. For electric or hydraulic winches, the size selection is generally similar to that of a manually operated winch. Masthead Rigged Use the Length Overall (LOA) figures as your primary selection criteria.

Heavy Displacement
For boats with heavy displacement and/or a high righting moment, it is advisable to choose a winch larger than those indicated in the table.

Multihulls
Catamarans and trimarans have higher righting moments than monohulls of the same size, and should use winches larger than those indicated in the table.

Andersen Winch Slection Guide

 

Harken Winch Service Guide

Service at regular intervals
Keep your winches clean and operating smoothly by flushing frequently with fresh water. Service your winches at least once during the preseason. Twice a season is best if your boat lives in salt water. If you race your boat hard, you may want to maintain your winches before every regatta. 
Service required immediately if:
Ratcheting seems sluggish or sticky: Pawls may have been greased instead of oiled. Clean any grease off and then oil the pawls.
Winch doesn’t turn freely: Refer to winch manual and clean, grease, and oil winch. Check for damaged springs, pawls, or bearings to make sure nothing else is wrong.
Winch can be turned in both directions: Problem with the pawls. May be stuck in grease or damaged.
Inspect Carefully for: • Signs of damage, wear or corrosion on pawls and springs, bearings, gears, and spindles. Replace immediately. 
 • Loose or missing deck mounting fasteners. 
See manuals online for specific information at www.harken.com/manuals

Q&A

Which parts do I grease and which do I oil on my Harken winches? Grease all metal gears and roller bearings with Harken Winch Grease. It’s highly resistant to salt and fresh water, works in all temperatures, and protects against corrosion. NEVER grease pawls or springs because grease causes them to stick. Instead, lubricate with Harken Pawl Oil for optimal rotation. Radial winches and carbon winches have composite roller bearings that do not need to be lubricated

Harken Winch Quick Service Guide