Electric trailer winch

[Graham W]

Does anyone have experience of these? I'm thinking of getting one with the following attributes:
1.  12v on a long enough electric cable to reach the socket in the boot of my car
2.  Will easily cope with my BR20, with or without a full ballast tank
3.  Quickly demountable from the trailer when not in use (to deter the light-fingered)
4.  Robust, doesn't mind seawater
5.  A remote control, either wired or (preferably) wireless, and with a reasonably long range.

There seem to be plenty of options in the US but not many in Europe. Any European recommendations?  Failing that, I'll import one from the US.

[Andy Dingle]

Graham.

I have one that I bought for my Bayraider, not just for recovering onto the trailer, but also for assisting the boat/trailer combination up my driveway which is on a slope. However I found I didn't really need to use it after all as the boat is so easy to recover and - after I widened and enlarged my driveway - I can easily just tow it up.

I use it now just for general assistance around my garden and garage now. But I have included the use of it in my list of 'things to consider' for my BR23 when it comes. So I too have an interest in this matter,

It will easily cope with the BR with full tanks,  comes complete with a bracket that fits over the tow bar, though not with the trailer attached! But it would be very easy to make up a bracket to fit on the trailer A frame. It is therefore easily and quickly demountable. I haven't dunked it in the sea, but it does get wet/grubby/abused - I have used it for recovering small cruisers on trailers up a muddy slipway without problems.
It has a wired remote control with a decent length of cable. Steel cable(30 ft)  with a meaty hook on the end.
However, this model (and I suspect all models) requires a direct connection to the vehicle battery (mine is with crocodile clips). The currents required would I suspect very quickly burn out the 12v 'accessories' socket.

As an aside - I also have one fitted on my 28 foot cruiser which has an electric lifting keel - essentially exactly the same, this one is an American 'strong arm' model (still available) - the keel weighs 700 lbs and is easily raised in a direct lift - again with the wiring direct back to two 110 aph batteries.

The only drawback I have found with them is that they are very slow in operation - which I suppose is no bad thing.


(Just nipped out to the garage - the one I have is a Rolson branded model 12v 25w 300 amps. 6000 lbs rolling pull or 2000 lifting pull - I forget exactly where I got it, but suspect it would have been Maplins).

Hope this is of some help?

Andy

[Graham W]

Andy

I think you just saved me from making an expensive mistake!  I hadn't thought about the power requirements and assumed that the rear power socket in the car, which I now see is only 120W, would be sufficient.  Even the weediest-looking winch seems to draw 300W.  I want to be able to use the winch when the trailer is attached to the car, so will have to have a rethink.

[david]

Graham
I have seen them used with a direct line installed to the battery. Seemed to work ok. Just a little slow as Andy said. The line was run from the battery to the boot - where it was plugged in.

David

[Graham W]

One of the reasons that I'm looking at an electric winch is because my manual winch pulls the boat to port as it ascends the trailer. It's very difficult to winch and to try to counteract this at the same time.  I have a CLH trailer - do other BR owners have this problem? Would anyone like to guess at possible causes?

[Peter Cockerton]

Probably stating the obvious but the winch is offset i.e not pulling centrally.
File the fixing holes to put allow you to swivel the back of the winch and lock it down.
I can,t believe the winch pedestal has been welded offset

Peter

[Graham W]

It used to be worse - when the trailer was delivered, the winch had been bolted to a set of holes on the port side of the pedestal.  It now looks like it is central but I'll check again.

I've just spotted a previous thread which mentions the strap problem - http://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php/topic,477.0.html  If we can put a man on the moon, it ought not to be so difficult to get a winch to pull true.

[Peter Cockerton]

I now use a lifting winch on my trailer, the advantages are, enclosed gears, deep drum for the strap, and the handle locks by itself so it needs manually turning to unwind. Safer i think when towing as it can,t self release with the ratchet stop slipping. Nice steady pull, very easy to recover the boat and as i said before i can stop winching and it locks automatically.

I have now incorporated it into my mast raiser system as well for this season, i have put a hefty steel plate between the winch and the trailer fixing pad with enough length protruding out the front to have a section of 50mmx50mm steel box welded to it. This rises to a point just higher than the the bow but below where the mast rests in the travel position. A home made fairlead is bolted to the top of this post. A gin pole clamps to the tabernacle swivel pin and a bamboo pole slots into the mizzen tabernacle to raise the mast to a less acute angle for raising. The clever bit which i Andy D found is the rigid baby stays which are fixed to a pin which slides up and down the mast luff groove to stop the mast lateral sway whilst raising and lowering the mast. The other end of the rigid stays are clamped to the deck on swivels.

I only need this for single handed mast raising of my one piece wooden mast for my bermudan main.

Peter

[Graham W]

Peter,

Do you have photos of the winch and of the mast apparatus?

[Peter Cockerton]

Here are some photo's i took earlier.

[Graham W]

Thanks Peter.  It looks like your winch is one of these http://www.dlhonline.co.uk/delta-galvanised-lifting-winch-1351-p.asp  It appears more suited to the job than most of the cheap and nasty winches that we all seem to use.  Winching the boat back on the trailer is my least favourite task and anything that makes it less of a chore is worth the outlay.

[Peter Cockerton]

Thanks Peter.  It looks like your winch is one of these http://www.dlhonline.co.uk/delta-galvanised-lifting-winch-1351-p.asp  It appears more suited to the job than most of the cheap and nasty winches that we all seem to use.  Winching the boat back on the trailer is my least favourite task and anything that makes it less of a chore is worth the outlay.

Graham

Thats the one and i,m very pleased with it. The only drawback which is a minor one is the need to unwind to release the strap. If i have help when launching i release the winch hook and with a slight lift of the bow the boat slips into the water under the control of mooring lines held by crew. If i,m on my own i leave the winch strap attached and control the descent with the winch, just before the bow goes in i stop the boat with the bow mooring line by putting a couple of turns around the winch pylon. Then release the strap hook and put the hook on the end of the trailer ready for retrieval without having to unwind it again.

[Graham W]

Peter,

I think I can guess the answer but do you have the small one or the medium one, weighing in at 8kg? And you use a strap, not cable or Dyneema?

In the meantime, I've found a way of pivoting my winch a little which may help the problems I am having with centring the strap and the boat as I wind it in.

[Peter Cockerton]

Graham

Its the Delta BHW 1200 550kgs and i use the standard strap.

Peter

[Rob Johnstone]

Does anyone use a standalone battery for their trailer winch? I noticed that two BC26s were at Gwbert the other week, both fitted with winches and battery boxes. What's the spec for the battery?