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windlass

E

ewilfong

edward earl wilfong
I will be installing a vertical, Ideal windlass on my 383. It
will be located aft of the upper anchor locker. My question is
how large should the backing plate be that goes underneath the
deck' ie how many inches per side? Will 3/4" plywood be better
than stainless steel?
 
For a bulletproof installation it's always best to spread heavy loads over as wide an area as reasonably possible. It would be better to start with a piece of 3/4" marine ply that is at least 2-3" wider all around than the windlass base. If in doubt, like the Pontiac ad says, "Wider (and thicker) is better". Bed the plywood under the deck with a mush of resin and microfibers and then back that up with a 1/4" aluminum plate of similar dimensions. The rear mounting bolts are the most important since they will be in tension as well as shear as they try to pull up through the deck. If there's anyplace you want to build the mount "too strong", that's the place. The front bolts are mostly only in shear and therefore under much less stress. Be sure to use some means of locking the threads on all the windlass mounting hardware -- you don't want that puppy coming loose during those times of high anxiety while at anchor!
Good luck....

 
<div>Drilling holes in cored decks will lead to delamination problems if not properly done. First drill an oversized hole ( if using 1/2 inch bolts drill 1 inch holes ). Then use tape to seal the bottom and fill the hole with a fiber/epoxy mixture. When this sets you re-drill the hole for the hardware. If this is not done you will compress the wood between the laminates when you tighten down the backing plate. Once the wood compresses, the whole structure will become loose, then you tighten it down again, ect. Pretty soon you have a mess.
If you are using wood as a backing plate make sure it is marine grade plywood. Regards
Jose Santin


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When at anchor, the load should not be left on the windlass. A snubber should be used to absorb any load. The only should be when the anchor is raised and that should be countered with forward motion.
 
Thanks You guys you have given me a lot of excellent informaion. I will start the installation next month and will let you know how goes the installation. Thanks again
 
<div>I want to install a windless on my 1982/383, top side,aft of the locker. If anyone has details on mounting, chain pipe design,recommended windless, or any other info that would help me avoid mistakes, I would really appreciate hearing from you. I read the current postings with great interest..ie; proper backing and oversize drilling/epoxy filling. Thankscarl
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I would like to install a windless on my 1982/383, aft of the chain locker. Any advice that would help me avoid mistakes would be appreciated .ie,discription of the tube installation that feeds chain back into the locker,would a rework of the locker interior be required for about 300ft combo line and chain, type of windless recommended etc.
Does the rode freely feed into the locker or is it piled on deck and then hand fed into the locker?
Thanks
 
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