Pulling prawn pots with a windlass?

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JDCAVE

JDCAVE

Guru
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Messages
2,905
Location
Canada
Vessel Name
Phoenix Hunter
Vessel Make
Kadey Krogen 42 (1985)
I have a very large Plath windlass, 12 volt. It has a capstan where you could put 2-3 wraps of leaded line and pull up prawn pots. Of course I would lift the anchor chain off first and set it aside. Details: ~300' of leaded line, small weight, 2 prawn pots. The strain on the line would be considerably less than hauling the anchor. Windlass would be powered by the alternator at this point. It's gotta have way more giddy-up than one of those Brutus pot pullers.

Is this ok, or is the duty-cycle on the windlass an issue here?

Jim
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Here's the windlass. Model number 5, 35'/min.

ImageUploadedByTrawler Forum1435297460.787919.jpg

Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
 
Last edited:
I don't see why you can't. No need to lift the chain just loosen the clutch up so the capstan only spins. That's what that wheel on the gypsy is for.
 
A few days ago we used our windlass to pull our pots.

It's more trouble than a pot puller but easily doable.

We had to use the windlass because our pots were stuck and I didn't want to bend the arm on my pot puller. The windlass broke the pots free and we used it to pull the set of five pots.
 
My new LoFrans vertical Project 1000 has the option to crank the manual retrieve handle backwards and it disconnects the chain wheel from the capstan on top so you can use the capstan without removing the chain from the chainwheel. I would imagine the current draw would be very low with the kind of load shrimp spots would be, even with several on the string. The Scotty pot puller would be a great option if you have a down rigger bracket already mounted on your boat. It would probably be awkward getting the pots up over the rail on the bow using the windlass though.
 
Use a heat gun to monitor the temperature as you haul.

Just operating with low load should not cause much heat rise , like hauling 200ft of chain might.

Remember lobster folks use HYD for a reason.
 
I would still take the chain off.

My windlass and I believe most just use a cone friction brake that engages the wildcat half.

Keeping the chain on for a little bit ok, you are cleaning the mating surfaces, for a lot of hauling, not sure what the long term effects are.

Maybe nothing, but how hard is it to lift the chain off?
 
It's easy to lift the chain off once the dog is on. I have tried it yet, but thought it's easier than installing a dedicated unit. I dislocated my shoulder a couple of months ago, so have no intention of trying to pull that amount of weight "Armstrong".

I didn't know what that wheel was for. Thanks for that.


Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
 
That's a beautiful windlass.

I used to pull a pot with my windlass and never had any issues. Heat is not a problem unless you load it up and a prawn rig is much less weight than 200 feet of chain. I agree with the others. I used to lift off the chain because it was easier/lazier than undoing the clutch.
 
Our windlass is so slow that if you don't maintain constant water pressure on the prawns they actually can swim out. That is at least the excuse I used when we got skunked! They had all swam out!
 
Brutus advertises 140' per minute based on 1 trap per line. We had at least two traps per line plus a 10-20 lbs of weight prior to the traps, so it didn't haul anywhere near that if i recalled, it took at least 5 minutes to hall 300 feet of line in. The windlass should is 35' per minute. Considerably slower. Perhaps it will work...maybe not.


Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
 
The Plath folks are still in business so you can call them for advice about your specific unit. Nice folks and very high quality.
 
I have an old Brutus, 110' per minute, mounts on the down rigger base, as does a set of rod holders for when I am halibut fishing. My boat trolls down to 2 knots so I get a lot of use out of the down rigger bases for all kinds of different activities. I wouldn't use my anchor windlass for pulling pots if I was serious about shrimping. I just mentioned that feature on my windlass, which I opted for in case I needed to kedge off at some point in the future. LoFrans is proud of it, so I doubt it would damage anything. Not anything I am planning on using, just a feature they advertise...
 
AKDoug said:
I have an old Brutus, 110' per minute, mounts on the down rigger base, as does a set of rod holders for when I am halibut fishing. My boat trolls down to 2 knots so I get a lot of use out of the down rigger bases for all kinds of different activities. I wouldn't use my anchor windlass for pulling pots if I was serious about shrimping. I just mentioned that feature on my windlass, which I opted for in case I needed to kedge off at some point in the future. LoFrans is proud of it, so I doubt it would damage anything. Not anything I am planning on using, just a feature they advertise...
Click to expand...


I hand pulled my pots for several years from a row boat with nothing more than some black ABS pipe to ease passage of the line over the transom: two pots and an anchor and 300' of line. Now I'm old, obsolete and subject to sudden breakdown, the windlass on my boat represent a serious upgrade.


Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
 
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