Posted: March 23 2008 at 13:22 | IP Logged

I have installed a windlass on my boat previous to owning a doral, here are some suggestions -make sure you have enough room in your locker for plenty of rope.  If the locker below in shallow, you may have to get a all chain instead of rope.  Chain is very very heavy - 200 pounds in your bow. Use very large gauge wire to handle the heavy current. If you can - it is very handy to have remote switches up/down at the bow for those times when the anchor rope or chain or whatever gets stuck/jammed and you need to go up there and free it. watch those fingers!  You will need to run the power all the way back to the battery - period, not to a buss bar at the helm.  Mounting a horizontal winch requires a 5 or so inch hole cut in the bow - are you ready for that challenge?  Maybe a vertical is less risky since you don't need to cut such a big hole.  I installed a horizontal - but was very nervous cutting that hole in the event I did not line it up right.  If you are not very mechanically experienced - I would get someone who is to help.  It is always a handy thing to mark your rope when it is still dry/clean with colors every 10 feet, or chain, so when you are at the helm and you let out the anchor you know how much is out by the color that just went by.  I spray painted my chain every 10 feet.  there are tags you can buy that wrap on the rope, but they won't work on chain - the tags when on chain, get jammed in the sprocket of the windless. Get a powerful windless with a 270.  Free fall is a nice feature for a windless but I did not have it and it was fine to use without. They recommend an anchor stop/catch so you dont have tension on the anchor all the time when the anchor is up - tension all the time can harm the windless but that is pretty unsafe when you are out and you need to throw the anchor fast - if you lose power near an inlet or on rough water and dont want to go to the bow and fall over while feeing the anchor from its catch - you just want to throw anchor.  I bought one and dont use it - rather be safer when going in/out the inlet. BUT - some say that without that safety cable for the anchor if the windless fails and the anchor swings down while you are under power - it can fall, catch on the bottom and flip the boat or the anchor can slip a few feet down, and swing like a pendulem and punch a hole in the boat - pretty scarey thought.  On very rough water I suppose it is more possible the anchor could cause the windless to lose its gears or slip and that could happen.  I was quoted $2000 to install plus the cost of the windless - so I did it myself.  Good luck - measure twice, cut once.

Roger

Posted: March 23 2008 at 14:13 | IP Logged

Timberline

I have never installed a windlass. My Doral Se 310 has a factory installed one. I comment because you are concerned that the hatch may not be strong enough. I would be concerned as well because I doubt you want to install on the hatch. You may need access to the rode and etc. The hawes pipe would most likely be in front or behind the hatch. There are models available that are mounted under the hatch as well.

Posted: March 23 2008 at 14:30 | IP Logged

Larry

on my 270 there is a hatch, open the lid and the hawes pipe is in the bottum of the hatch. no room for windlass behind or in front of the hatch. It is a pretty big locker, but threw the hawes pipe and down is huge rope locker with access from beneath front berth mattress.

Posted: March 23 2008 at 16:33 | IP Logged

The hatch lid (which i havent seen) is no way strong enough!!  That windless is going to be pulling with hundreds of pounds of pulling power to raise the anchor - unless you are bolting the windless to 1 or more inch thick bow deck wood, it will rip right out when you pull up the anchor. You might replace the hatch with a piece of stainless steel - 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick? that is securely bolted to the wood deck of the bow.  If you are not very mechanically inclined and have experience with wiring 12V power, I suggest you not attempt this.  Working with a 50 to 60 amp circuit for the windless - if you short that out - you will have big trouble - a fire, all sorts of dangerous issues.  By the way - the rope locker probably should be at least 2 feet deep, or when the rope is fed in, it will bunch up, pile up and reach the top instead of falling to the bottom, and jam the windless.

Roger

Posted: March 23 2008 at 18:11 | IP Logged

Thanks again Roger, I also think the hatch lid will not hold. I have a powerwinch windlass 36' class. I guess I'll need one designed for under the hatch. thanks again for the suggestion.

Timberline

Posted: April 10 2008 at 16:57 | IP Logged

Hello Timberline

Hope you are having success with your windlass.  I have a 1996 270SC, and  just mounted a Pro-Fish 770FF windlass under the hatch, still waiting to have it wired.  After reading this thread, it sounds like the design of the lockers may be different.  Ours has a notched area in front of the hatch lid for the rode to pass thru (with the hatch closed) and the pull angle for the windlass is in spec, I had to widen the hole in the bottom of the hatch area (to match the template) and get a friend with skinny arms to tighten the nuts on the mounting bolts (the inside of the hatch compartment has two round screw in covers 4"+6" for access to the lower compartment). 

I bought 130' of chain, which won't work unless I find a way to feed it down into the hull (it just wants to pile straight up) I'm hoping to get 100'  of line to work.  I did feel a hole in the aft postion of the lower compartment, but I'm not sure if 1: it's large enough and 2: the chain will feed itself down thru it.   

Please let me know if the setup sounds the same, and how yours is working out.

Thank you

RD

Posted: April 10 2008 at 19:25 | IP Logged

HI rdatcms, they sound similiar. I got the boat home last saturday and haven't had much time to work on it yet. Weather permitting I am plannig on doing something with it this weekend. My anchor locker also has the front open, but I haven't tried setting the windlass in there yet. Thanks for the reply.

timberline