Adding an Anchor Electric Windlass

There is no doubt that an electric windlass on the bow of your boat makes life aboard more enjoyable. This is especially true if you are an avid fisherman, frequently lowering and raising your anchor while moving from one fishing spot to another. When thinking about a windlass installation, first consider your boat. A boat with a substantial foredeck or cuddy cabin is a good bet for an easy installation. The open bow of a walkaround or bowrider configuration presents a more difficult proposition, however. The first step is to look to the boat’s manufacturer, even if you intend to install the windlass yourself. See if a windlass is a prescribed option for your boat. If so, find out how the manufacturer mounts it and which units they use. Failing that, ask owners of boats similar to yours what they have done and how it has worked out. If you get blanks, head back to the drawing board for some more research.

Windlasses are available in two basic styles, vertical and horizontal. The motor of a vertical windlass mounts belowdecks, while the shaft with the gypsy or rope drum mounted on it extends vertically abovedecks. Horizontal windlasses have their motor on deck, and the motor and gypsy shafts are horizontal. Vertical windlass motors are more protected from the elements but require substantial space belowdecks. Horizontal windlasses require less space belowdecks but still require belowdeck access for installation of the fastener hardware and wiring. Both types require sufficient space belowdecks for a chain locker to store the anchor rode. Windlasses can be configured to operate power up/power down (that is, with the motor operating and engaged whether the anchor is being hoisted or lowered) or power up/free fall down. Free fall windlasses typically deploy the anchor rode quicker than power up/power down windlasses. If your boat is on the borderline between two units, always choose the larger of the two. I’ve never heard anyone complain that their windlass had too much power.

Electric windlasses are DC power hogs, and providing that power is a major consideration. You can run cables from your existing batteries to the bow, but such a long wire run will require very heavy and expensive cables to avoid excessive voltage drop and provide the needed power. Another option is to install a dedicated windlass battery near the bow and run much shorter cables to the windlass motor. You will still need to run smaller wires from the dedicated battery back to the battery charger, however, or else provide alternate battery-charging options. You will also need to provide proper overcurrent protection in the form of fuses or circuit breakers. The proper sizing of the wiring will depend on the size of the unit chosen and will be spelled out in the installation manual for the windlass.

Controls for the windlass can take the form of a deck-mounted foot switch or remotely mounted control switches acting through a relay. The relay option allows multiple locations for windlass activation, so you can have a switch at the helm as well as on the foredeck. Unless specifically designed for a windlass installation, most deck areas are not built strongly enough. This is especially true in the case of cored decks. Simply bolting the windlass to the deck will cause the deck to flex and ultimately fail. A backing plate under the deck is needed to spread the windlass load over a wider area. These are commonly made from aluminum or stainless steel plates or marine plywood.

Windlass installation manuals provide layout templates showing exactly where to cut mounting holes and drill for fasteners. The vast majority of decks are cored, so to prevent water intrusion and the inevitable deck rot that will follow, remove the core for an inch or more beyond the edges of the opening and fill the cavity with thickened epoxy. Bolt the windlass in place using liberal amounts of sealant under the abovedeck portion and between the backing plate and the underside of the deck. Do not use polyurethane sealants such as 3M 5200, as they adhere too powerfully and are nearly impossible to remove. Since you may need to remove the windlass someday for servicing, use a good but removable sealant such as 3M 101. Once the sealant has cured, you can further tighten the nuts from below as long as someone holds the bolt heads from above with a wrench to prevent them from turning (which would break the seal).