Removing windlass

[Russell]

My 1997 windlass stopped working and probably needs replacing. I searched all the windlass articles back to 2006 and no one mentions how to remove the old windlass. It is a small Lewmar and should have 3 bolts. I cannot see any looking at the windlass and underneath everything is enclosed in a fiberglass container with the power wires entering a small hole. I see 4 bolts that seem to hold on the bow pulpit. Does that have to be removed to access the bolts to the windlass? Thanks for any help.

[DougSea]

Best I could find was this: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=633&p=3645&hilit=to ... lass#p3645

Based on the text and my recollection I believe you need to pull the pulpit to get the windlass off.

[Pitou]

Russ, When I replaced mine a few years ago I had to go by feel and a mirror from beneath working inside the anchor locker. It was pretty uncomfortable and unnatural. The pulpit was not removed or the pulpit attachment bolts loosened or touched. I do believe there were three windlass attachment bolts (what I thought were bolts anyway) screwed in from below into the windlass. These bolts turned out to be threaded rods with washers and nuts secured from below. After removing the nuts and washers it took some doing to break the caulk on the bottom and edges of the windlass to rock & lift her out. After that was done my new windlass arrived and as is everything in boating the bolt pattern was different as well as where the rode fell through.

I ended up having a fiberglass guy fill and gel-coat the holes on the pulpit to start fresh and new. The threaded rod that came with the new windlass was too short and I needed to source that out and cut to custom varying lengths to secure the new windlass to the pulpit. The underside of the top portion of the pulpit inside the anchor locker is rough finish and irregular and maybe what seems like a closed box. If it's like mine, which I'm sure it is, it's just the way that they formed the glass for some vertical strength. All of my wires also passed through the rough boxed glass. I disconnected the wiring from the switch gear secured in the anchor locker and did an R&R.

I hope this helps, Kevin

[RobS]

FWIW, here's a shot of someone's 28TE with the pulpit removed that I had saved. I don't have a windlass nor have I worked on one on a 28TE but it looks like Kevin has given you some very helpful feedback. Matt Hanna has removed and replaced his and may chime in here as well.

[Pitou]

Nice shot Rob. As I was typing earlier I was thinking, "boy I sure do wish I had Rob's endless library so that I could help Russell out better" ... and voila .

With Rob's picture it certainly makes it clear that removing the pulpit is no advantage. Thanks Rob.

[RobS]

Thanks, Kev. I do find the photo library I have put together over the last 5 or so years to come in quite handy. Although I keep a maintenance/repair/upgrade XLS spreadsheet, I take a shot of most everything I do on the boat. With the date/time photo file naming by the cellphone camera it makes for the best record keeping possible and also adds to future reference, etc. The 5MP on the droid makes it even better. 95% of what I have is TOY-RIFIC. The rest are from boats I have looked at or shots I stole from the web..

And yes on the no need to remove the pulpit, I know Matt's pulpit was not removed either.

[DougSea]

Fine...don't remove it.

I'm going to pout now...

(Just kidding of course. It does make sense that it would be through bolted. But depending on who installed it I'm assuming it's possible that it could be mounted to just the pulpit.)

[Russell]

Thanks everyone. I need to look under there again and see if I can figure it out. The picture with the pulpit removed is really puzzling. The windlass is sitting on top of the pulpit but if you look through the hatch to the underneath it is not flat as you would expect. There is a round bottom fiberglass enclosure hiding the bolts and wiring to the windlass. The four large bolts that hold on the pulpit pass through the corners of the enclosure. I am hoping that if the bolts are loosened the enclosure will drop down to provide access to the windlass bolts. As Kevin said they are threaded into the base of the windlass so there is no access from above. I will let you know what I find.

[RobS]

Did you drop that plastic splash cover under the pulpit and look inside?

[Pitou]

The picture with the pulpit removed is really puzzling. The windlass is sitting on top of the pulpit but if you look through the hatch to the underneath it is not flat as you would expect. There is a round bottom fiberglass enclosure hiding the bolts and wiring to the windlass.

What you are looking at underneath is the top of the anchor locker not the bottom of the pulpit. Rob's picture just helped me figure this out after being confused while doing the project and for the past three years. I think the best view will be from a mirror or better yet a couple of camera shots from inside the locker pointed up. Then it's all by braille!

[RobS]

I think the best view will be from a mirror or better yet a couple of camera shots from inside the locker pointed up. Then it's all by braille!

I am considering adding a Lewmar Pro-Fish so I figured no time like the present to see what's the Samson post bolts look like. I stopped at the boat this morning. Here's some shot's looking up at the thru-bolts coming down thru the pulpit, etc..

[Russell]

Rob mine looks something like that but your Samson post bolts extend through that hump whereas my windlass bolts do not. I am hauling the boat Wednesday for bottom painting and will investigate this further from shore. Maybe removing the splash shield will reveal something.

[Russell]

My haul out has been postponed until this Wednesday but I did manage to get a picture of the area under the windlass. It appears they mounted the windlass on the pulpit and then bolted the pulpit in place. The power wires exit s hole and are connected to lines at the back of the anchor locker coming from the helm switch. I was amazed how well the picture taken with my cell phone turned out.

[Pitou]

Russ, Funny that you just posted that picture. I was at the boat earlier today and was checking things out in the anchor locker and of course mine looks just like yours. When I replaced my windlass I had my hand up inside the pulpit from below where your chain falls turning wrenches doing the R&R . Royal PITA. Removing the pulpit sounds smarter!

[RobS]

Removing the pulpit sounds smarter!

And then you get to re-bed the pulpit bolts too (remember the glass is always half FULL)