Davit Winch / Recommendations?

[Philip L]

I'm looking to replace my boat's davit winch. Current winch is "Endurance Marine 12 Volt DC Powered Electric Winch - 2,000 Lb. Capacity, Stainless Steel Cable, Model: EMD2000SS". I was wondering what other GB owners have on their boats, and what they would recommend. Thanks much for your thoughts and recommendations.

 

[mvweebles]

Apologies for responding despite not being a GB owner, but thought the question was more generic.

Solely as food for thought (versus a recommendation), I went with a self-tailing sailboat winch instead of an electric winch. NOTE - in my opinion, max is about 250 lbs of dink + outboard. I just never felt like I could rely on my electric winch to operate after sitting for a while, though perhaps there are better models than the ubiquitous Rule winches of years past.

Despite being manual, a decent sailboat winch is not cheap. I went with a new Andersen 18 self-tailing that I found on sale a couple years ago for around $450 (they are now over $600). A 28 would have been a better choice ("18" or "28" is the mechanical advantage). In my opinion, also requires installation of a rope clutch to prevent accidental deployment.

Benefit of lifetime service is obvious. But there are a couple serious disadvantages too. First, to lower the dink, you 'belay' the line meaning you let it slip around the winch by loosening the line. Fine for ex-sailor. Not fine for many (not sure my wife will be comfortable). And it does take some strength, though I have a snatch block to form a 2-part lift to halve the effort. Also, can use a beefy cordless drill instead of manual handle.

Not for every taste, but I offer as an unusual option.

Peter

 

[IRENE]

Warn Hoists

We have had good service from our Warn 12VDC hoists. I believe they are original equipment from 2011, owned by us since 2017. They have had a tough existence outside in the wet Northwest. They show some surface corrosion and require periodic cleaning and coating, nothing unexpected.

Ours are the DC1000 model, though it appears that there are now different variations (e.g. DC800). I would replace with like units.

 

[Sealife]

You also want to use a hoist not a winch. Hoist are for lifting and have internal braking components for safety. Winches are for pulling horizontal. One of the reasons hoists are more expensive. Warn makes nice small 12VDC hoist.

 

[Bongi]

I just upgraded my GB42 Davit from Nick Jackson Davits which they custom make for a GB42. It had a 500lb unit from Nick Jackson and I needed a heavy duty one for our new dinghy and so opted for the 700lb GB42 pipe Davit.

I was able to do it myself because Nick and his son, Brenton were fantastic in their help to take the mystery out of the change.

Pipe Davits

 

[IRENE]

A bit of drift -

We had EXCELLENT service from Nick Jackson, who provided us with a pipe davit. Good communication, easy to work with, can-do attitude, provided useful counsel that was not the most expensive solution, did what he said he would, and handled a couple of issues immediately and professionally. I wish he would open a boat yard.

 

[tomah]

Apologies for responding despite not being a GB owner, but thought the question was more generic.

Solely as food for thought (versus a recommendation), I went with a self-tailing sailboat winch instead of an electric winch. NOTE - in my opinion, max is about 250 lbs of dink + outboard. I just never felt like I could rely on my electric winch to operate after sitting for a while, though perhaps there are better models than the ubiquitous Rule winches of years past.

Despite being manual, a decent sailboat winch is not cheap. I went with a new Andersen 18 self-tailing that I found on sale a couple years ago for around $450 (they are now over $600). A 28 would have been a better choice ("18" or "28" is the mechanical advantage). In my opinion, also requires installation of a rope clutch to prevent accidental deployment.

Benefit of lifetime service is obvious. But there are a couple serious disadvantages too. First, to lower the dink, you 'belay' the line meaning you let it slip around the winch by loosening the line. Fine for ex-sailor. Not fine for many (not sure my wife will be comfortable). And it does take some strength, though I have a snatch block to form a 2-part lift to halve the effort electric winch. Also, can use a beefy cordless drill instead of manual handle.

Not for every taste, but I offer as an unusual option.

Peter
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Many GB owners recommend marine-grade winches from brands like Superwinch, Warn, or Lewmar for davit use. Look for a winch with similar or higher capacity than your current 2,000 lb Endurance Marine model and ensure it’s designed for saltwater conditions. These brands offer durable, reliable options with good corrosion resistance.