Incorrect Mounting of Winches - 2000 bavaria Ocean 38 CC

[Kaptajnen]

I am currently servicing 6 factory installed Harken winches on a 2000 Ocean 38 CC.

The mounting of the winches is totally random and does not follow the
Harken mounting instructions of having the main gear positioned where
the sheet enters the winch.

I am flabbergasted at this sloppiness in an otherwise solidly built
Boat!

Has anyone else noticed this on their Bavarias?

[njsail]

Can you provide any additional details?   I have Bavaria 40 Ocean and the only trouble I've had with the winches is I want another one on the port side dedicated for the genoa furler.  I was caught out in a 30+ kt wind and couldn't get the furler to furl properly.  Without the 2nd winch I had to take off the genoa sheets from the main winch and they were whipping around dangerously.   

Any details on which winches you are not properly set would be helpful.

[Kaptajnen]

Hi njsail,

All the winches (6) are in the correct places on the boat. The problem is that instead of positioning the winches according to the clear instructions given by Harken (http://www.harken.com/pdf/4562.2-99.pdf), whoever installed them at the factory just drilled the holes and mounted the winches wrongly.

The problem is that if the winch gear is not positioned correctly, ie. where the sheet enters the winch drum, the winch mechanism will be stressed and could potentially weaken.

I had a local rigger look at it, and unfortunately the cure (redrilling all 30 holes for the winch trubolts and fiberglass the holes made by Bavaria) is worse than the disease! So i will keep my fingers crossed...

I am just "bummed out" that this basic mistake happened in the first place. I presume that the winches were installed as part of the basic factory package - and not an option that may have been installed after delivery by the first owner of the boat. (if that was the case, my apologies to Bavaria).

By the way, cleaning and rebuilding the winches is a very timeconsuming and messy job!

https://picasaweb.google.com/106055139639489519991/HarkenWinchServiceADauntingJob

[njsail]

Thanks for sharing the links.   Winch maintenance is just one of the necessary things needed to keep a boat in good working order.  I used a trick when taking apart winches to cut a hole in the bottom of a box and put it over the winch.  This way as you take it apart and you hear ping...ting  there is usually not an accompanying plink-SPLASH.   It usually catches what falls. 

Regarding the placement of where winches...I wouldn't worry.  They are way overbuilt for their load.  In fact if I remember the winch mount is one of the stronger places on the boat.  I've even read (for the record I've never tried this) if someone is towing your boat you should work the lines back to the sheet winches vs taking the load on the forward cleats.

I honestly don't feel where the sheet entering is a big issue. There may be an optimal entry and a manufacturer recommendation but in the end you can squish an ant with a shoe or a hammer.  The winch does its job. just make sure to keep maintaining it.   These are just my humble opinions - others may disagree. 

[Kaptajnen]

Thanks for the tip! Just in time as I am about to re-install the winches and was having visions of parts jumping ship!

And I guess the Harken winches will outlast the boat, in spite of the sloppy mounting by the installer.

But I am still baffled that Bavaria's quality control would let this pass...

[Rampage]

We service the winches on Rampage once every 2 years.  We've just done this and it provides a fun afternoon for both of us.  This year it also provided entertainment for the kids off a live aboard catermeran just down the pontoon from us; we just about managed to avoid coating them in grease as well as the various gear chains.

The winches are over engineered and, whilst they may be malpositioned as per the Harken manual, I could find no signs of wear on any of the components.  I am therefore not worried about the positioning of my winches.

[Symphony]

If they are incorrectly mounted, then the "fault" is not with the operative that installed them, but right back on the drawing board as the fastenings are in a plate bonded into the deck and drilled and tapped by a CNC programmed machine.