Retrospective Windlass fitting

[ICENI]

Hi Folks
I need to retrofit an electric windlass to my Bavaria sailboat.    What I hope to glean from you kind people is the route best to take for the two 170amp cables from the saloon berth electric thermal cutout to the anchor locker.   Also best mounting for the solenoid control box?   

Any help gratefully appreciated - thanks!

[Sitesurfer]

If you have a model like mine (Bav 36 2003) then you can remove the backs of the cupboards along the starboard side and route the cables up from the nav table (stopping somewhere to plonk a breaker in) and then onwards to the bow, I fitted the windlass relay under the windlass in the bulkhead area in the front cabin.

Theres a thread in improvements on this forum with images.

[ICENI]

Thankyou sitesurfer.  Mine is a 2002 Bav 32 model so the cupboards are most likely the same.   Most grateful.   I will take a look at the thread - great!

[dawntreader]

Just a thought but if you had your boat supplied by Peter's Opal (as I did) the wiring loom for the windlass was fitted in preparation for an installation prior to the sale of the boat and tucked into a corner of the bow 

[Salty]

Just a thought but if you had your boat supplied by Peter's Opal (as I did) the wiring loom for the windlass was fitted in preparation for an installation prior to the sale of the boat and tucked into a corner of the bow 

Now you mention it, I don’t know if the original/previous owner of my boat specified for a windlass to be fitted. However, the wiring colour of grey for the outer plastic coating on the cable that carries the directional signals and the use of ordinary copper wire rather than tinned plus some other wiring I’ve found onboard but which is not actually connected to anything suggests to me that Bavaria probably fit a standard wiring loom into all boats, possibly also including the heavy 170amp cables. This would be  in readiness for any customer who wants to specify the addition of any of the standard electrical/electronic add-ons that are available.

So ChrisJr, better to check and see what if anything is already in place before you spend out on expensive 170amp cabling !!

If your boat is prepared in the same way as my B36(2002), then you will have space on a board behind the main switch panel for the solenoid control, you will have a multicore cable with at least three small wires for the directional signal from the windlass hand control forward through to the small wire connections on the solenoid plus three 170amp (or thereabouts) cables of which one will be for the negative connection and two for the positive wires (one for up and the other for down). The directional signal wires are all positive wires with one carrying the positive current to the windlass directional control from the solenoid, and the other two carrying it back (either up or down) to tell the solenoid which wire has to carry the 170amp load to the windlass, either the up wire or the down.

[MarkTheBike]

you can also stick a wifi controller next to the solenoid box, which allows you to raise and lower the anchor remotely from the cockpit - very useful when short-handed. Look for 'winch wifi controller' on ebay. Very cheap too. Top Tip: paint the chain white or yellow about 3m from the anchor so you can see when to stop lifting before you pull the anchor through the stemhead fitting!

[Rampage]

I think you’ll need to use the search term “winch remote control” as Wi-fi controller delivers lots of LED light controls.....  That said, they really are a great bit of kit.  We’ve had one fitted for years now, easy to fit by the solenoid box, means you can control the winch from wherever you are and saves using a cabled controller all the time.  This one is but one of many available on eBay for a few quid https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183713673530.

[MarkTheBike]

... “winch remote control” ...

Thanks Rampage. Looks like my aging logic circuits are failing as well as the memory... ho-hum.

[Krill]

i took the cables under the saloon sofa, through bulkhead (there is already a hole under the bottom shelf in the hanging locker) which leads you under the forcabin berth

then clipped on the underside and ran behind the trim where your feet sit.

there is a white fibreglass trim on the bulkhead where you can mount the solenoid directly behind.

video here ----> https://youtu.be/JrVPddlK8-Q

i was going to go wifi controllers but then i couldnt be bothered after finding a wired remote cheap on eBay, although i do have a manual switch left over i could fit at the helm, but not hauling up by hand is a huge improvement as it is so its not high on the priority list.