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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Forespar winch maintenance

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DanM
Captain

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USA
256 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/10/2006 : 06:33:34

The cabintop winch for my main halyard is siezed. I removed the center screw, but it does not provide any access to the innards. There is no apparent c-ring. There is a marking on top that says "use no lubricants".
Anyone have suggestions for maintenance? Thanks.

DanM _/)
'85 C25 4870
Buffalo, NY-Pt.Abino, ON
www.buffalocanoeclub.com

Edited by - on

John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 07:47:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by DanM
 The cabintop winch for my main halyard is siezed. I removed the center screw, but it does not provide any access to the innards. There is no apparent c-ring. There is a marking on top that says "use no lubricants".
Anyone have suggestions for maintenance? Thanks.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

 
Dan,
I would contact [url="http://www.forespar.com/index.shtml"]Forespar [/url] directly.
Although they don’t seem to have any mention of maintenance of the Marelon® winches they say this;
“it is important to know that while Marelon® fixings are corrosion resistant, they do require twice yearly lubrication maintenance.”
I found that on [url="http://www.forespar.com/resources2/techTips/marelonLube.shtml"]Forespar's Tech Tips page.[/url]
You could just try spraying it with WD-40 but you might not get it free untill you can figure out how to open it.
Cut a hole in a box and put it over the winch so parts don't go everywhere.
I tore my Lewmar's apart this year and the box trick was important.

Underlined words are a HOT link.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 08:39:41

not sure what all the inner parts are on that brand of winch, but if you have delrin or other polymer pawls, I'd avoid the wd-40.

I agree with John, contact Forespars technical support.

Edited by - on

John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2006 : 09:33:16

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Duane Wolff
 not sure what all the inner parts are on that brand of winch, but if you have delrin or other polymer pawls, I'd avoid the wd-40.

I agree with John, contact Forespars technical support.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

 
I probably should not have said to use WD-40 it does not like some synthetic materials.

For the Valves they (Forespar) make out of Marelon they say
“Swab waterproof grease (water pump grease, winch grease) or LanoCote™, generously, on ball.”

Try the links in my post above.

More info on WD-40 from their [url="http://www.wd40.com/Brands/wd40_faqs.html"]FAQ’s page. [/url]

“What surfaces or materials are OK to use WD-40 on?
WD-40 can be used on just about everything. It is safe for metal, rubber, wood and plastic. WD-40 can be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40.”

So... Not knowing what "Marelon" is I would use caution with the WD-40.

Underlined words are a HOT link.

Edited by - John G- on 05/10/2006 10:48:32

DanM
Captain

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USA
256 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 06:55:44

Thanks guys,
I was on the boat again yesterday and took a second look at the winch. The pawls work fine. It's something deeper inside that is causing the binding. I tried to remove the whole winch to see if the innards are accessable from beneath. It is bedded so well to the cabintop that it wouldn't budge. Before I get a crowbar, I'll check with Forespar's tech support.

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DanM
Captain

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USA
256 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 07:23:04

Well, I didn't find anything on winch products in their tech tips. The lubrication suggection was for marelon valves which, by the way, tells us we should be working the valve handle every 30 days to keep them from siezing! Oops! haven't had that problem, yet.
Anyway, I emailed randy@forespar.com with my question and will share the answer here.

Edited by - on

DanM
Captain

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USA
256 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 15:37:17

They must have a lifetime guaranty! Forespar said they have no maintenance option; just return it and they will mail a new one.
Now, I have no idea what the winch is bedded in. Anyone have a suggestion how to remove it (after backing off the nuts from underneath) from the poptop without wrecking something?

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 19:48:09

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by DanM
 They must have a lifetime guaranty! Forespar said they have no maintenance option; just return it and they will mail a new one.
Now, I have no idea what the winch is bedded in. Anyone have a suggestion how to remove it (after backing off the nuts from underneath) from the poptop without wrecking something?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Dan,

Your winch could be bedded with anything from silicone to 5200. I would think that with the larger surface area, it just has a tenacious grip. I would suggest using the piano wire or kite string trick, but since the screws are still probably hanging down through the holes, that might not work.

I've used wood shims to remove bedded hardware before since they won't easily cause gouges like a metal prying device would. Maybe you can get several shims and work your way around the winch base until the sucker lets go.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2006 : 21:03:10

With a return policy like that it makes me wonder how hard it would be to "seize up" my 28 year old lewmars ???

Edited by - Champipple on 05/12/2006 20:36:00

DanM
Captain

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USA
256 Posts

Response Posted - 07/02/2006 : 07:40:20

Forespar came through! They sent us a brand new winch and also returned the old one in the same box we had sent it in. The new one has four mounting holes, while the old one has six, and the lower pawls are different, but otherwise it looks the same. The mounting instructions show a parts explosion and require you to take it apart to mount. EASY!

Now I know why I could not gain access to the innards of the old one. There are no bearings, the shaft was siezed on the bushing. A very simple design.
I'll bet someone used WD-40 on it and caused the Marelon to swell and bind the shaft to the bushing, as John G thought. Keep that in mind.

Don Lucier, a big thanks to you for the wood shim removal tip. I had some wedges cut from 2x4 lying around and tapped them in from either side of the old base until the sealant let go.

Edited by - on

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