AC vs DC Davit winch

Simi 60 said:

No shortage of 12v vehicle recovery style winches on eBay for $100 delivered that are good for around 3000lb.
Know more than a boats with them on with no dramas yet
Tempted to get one as we have 3 speed trailer hand winches. Easy on the light end but the 30hp end on an 800lb outfit gets a bit heavy.

Once lifted we have spectra strops and hooks to take the load off of the winch

Click to expand...

I'd add to this that you should convert to synthetic line vs the cable that will rust and get frayed ..

Larry M said:

You may have a hoist. The term winch is used pretty freely. I'm sure there are winches that are used for hoists successfully. I apologize if I've ruffled your feathers. I'm only bringing it up from a safety standpoint for those who are considering building or changing their systems.

Click to expand...

As a PM job this week, I had our Maxwell windlass solenoid swapped out for a new one. The unit is a sealed "box" and well marked. The markings say Maxwell Winch Solenoid.

As an aside, I have been around many large mine hoists. Brakes, variable speed, reversing, AC to DC drives etc. as you say Larry, never heard these hoists call winches. Somebody better tell Maxwell and others to use their Funk and Wagnalls.

A windlass is a winch.

Mrwesson said:

I'd add to this that you should convert to synthetic line vs the cable that will rust and get frayed ..

Click to expand...

Yep.
$107 with spectra already fitted.


https://www.ebay.com.au/i/153012765...9%26rvr_ts%3D493fa79d1630a9c422c096defff38c7f

The PO installed a 120VAC hoist on my boat. It worked OK, but had manual/free-swing rotation. That rotation was at times far more 'exciting' than I cared for. But had I been able to convert it to 230VAC/50Hz I likely would have kept it. As it happened the manufacturer said 'sorry, parts are no longer available to convert to 230VAC'.

So the obvious choice, as I was in Port Townsend at the time, was a Nick Jackson unit. Hoist 12V, and hydraulic boom lift and rotation also 12V. Five years and no issues apart from a little rust on the hydraulic ram. My dingy is an 14' AB aluminium which runs about 800# from memory incl. Honda 40. About the same the PO's GRP Novurania & 14'/Yamaha 50.

I think 12V is a good way to go, but would only ever use a device (whatever you want to call it) that powers down as well as up, and has a locking mechanism (eg brake) in the event of motor failure. I never want that much weight able to swing loose. Beware the manual rotation systems!

I converted my anchor windlass from a 1/2 hp DC motor to a 3/4 hp AC motor. This was after I rebuilt the DC motor twice and replaced it once. Not sure why it kept failing, but I suspect it was under powered for the job & maybe the wiring was undersized resulting in low voltage operation. Just a guess since for some reason I never measured the voltage when under load (duh). Anyway, the AC motor has been working great for 5 years now. I do have start the generator to run it, but that's no big deal. I used a solid state dc/ac solenoid to activate the motor - dc input to the pick and ac to the load. The hand control was on a cable and I wasn't comfortable with a handheld ac controller standing in the rain on a steel deck! I later added a wireless remote which works great. If I had (have) to do it over again, I'd definitely stick with the ac motor - much less expensive than dc, easier to wire, and more reliable. Via a turning block and block and tackle, the windlass is also used to raise/lower the dinghy its deck cradle.