2020-09-06; 13:22:05 EDT
Member Since
2019-06-04
Posts: 463
Since the remote on my motorized winch was starting to act up late last summer, I had pondered whether to switch to a manual setup or replace the winch. Now that I hear of the loads mentioned in this thread, I'm glad I chose the path of replacing with a new electric winch. My back gives me problems occasionally and lifting a heavy motor (my 9.8 Tohatsu is no feather) could be problematic. Also, it's best if my wife is comfortable running all operations of the boat as well and lifting a motor that weighs so much, even with the mechanical advantage, may not even be feasible for her. Since I did have concerns about redundancy, I replaced it with a new ATV winch that had both a wired switch and two remotes. That project is summarized at http://rhodes-22.1065344.n5.nabble.com/Replacement-of-winch-for-motor-lift-td56157.html#a56176 I figured that if the motor was ever stuck in the up position and the electric winch failed when I really needed to lower the motor, I could run a line over the stern rail that attaches to the motor and to the port winch like Mike mentioned. After getting that tensioned I could cut the belt that runs from the winch and would be free to lower the motor gradually with the spare line. Raising would be the same technique, only it would not require cutting of the belt. Since my motor will occasionally get slightly stuck on the way down, I give the tracks an occasional spray of silicone lubricant and that helps. All I need to do is give the motor a little nudge on the way down if it gets stuck. It never seems to be an issue on the way up. Jesse Shumaker S/V ZephyrSee the original archive post