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CAH

On Mar 9, 9:20 pm, Peter Hendra wrote:
On Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:49:06 -0500, Jack Erbes

wrote:
Your wife and kid were busy so you single handed across the Atlantic?
Sounds like you might not be the average sailor. My compliments sir!

Anyway, don't let me talk you into anything foolish. I am an idle
speculator and my experience with anchor windlasses is limited to having
used a few here and there.

Just as a matter of comparison, here is a manual for theLewmarH2/H3
models. I realize it might not be a direct comparison but the numbers
seem similar to the ones we are bantering around here.

http://en.lewmar.com/support/PDF/win...-H3_manual.pdf

The H3 is sized for 12-15 meter boats and 5/16" or 3/8" chain. It is
rated at 1000 Watts, has a 860kg/12V and 970kg/24V maximum pull, and a
45kg working load. The manual calls for it to be fused at 85A on 12V
and 60A on 24V. So it looks like if yours is similar, starting with a
150A fuse might be a little too high.

I'd probably start with a 75A fuse and make sure the wiring was all
sized right for the run lengths. And I'd agonize over the cost of it
all and also have some 75A and 100A spares available.

If it blew a 75A fuse I'd like to try to immediately get my eyes and
hand on the motor housing to see how hot it had gotten before I went to
a 100A fuse.

Of course having things like clamp on Amp meters to watch with the motor
under load are wonderful for learning about the limits.

I learned the hard way once that a windlass that was properly sized for
lifting the ground tackle was not up to the sustained pull and run of
getting the boat up and over the anchor. Since then I've come to think
of them as something that you should lighten the load on as much as you can.

Good luck with that and the rest of your trip.

Jack

Hi Jack,
Thanks again for the information. I shall do as you suggest and work
up to progressively bigger fuses. This approach makes much sense and
actually makes me feel a little stupid for not thinking of it as my
role is a technical project manager(telecommunications) but sometimes
you can't see the wood for the trees.

As to the Atlantic crossing, thanks but I don't really deserve the
compliment as I really had no choice. As a family we had sailed to
Spain via the Red Sea from New Zealand. To be perfectly honest, apart
from bad head-on weather north of the Canaries where I lay for a day
to a sea anchor, the trip was probably the best long term sailing I
have ever done - days under genoa alone with the seas and wind on the
starboard quarter. The hardest part was to take a deep breath and get
started, as well as the loneliness and the lack of sleep. I made up a
digital counter attached to a piezo alarm that would go off after 20
minutes (or whatever I set - each count was one second) if I didn't
push the reset button. I did worry beforehand however that I might go
crazy from the isolation but after a while it became a spiritual,
peaceful journey that was rather sad to end once I ended up in
Barbados.

Incidentally, getting a parachute sea ancor back on board is a lot
harder by one's self as one simply cannot motor up to it whilst
another person pulls in the rode. In future I may not attach the trip
line and thus will not have to worry about fouling it with the prop.

cheers and again, many thanks

Peter- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

http://www.winches.dk/servicekits.php