Windlass control from Helm Bav 30 cr 2005

[DrCS]

Hello,
Just bought a bav 30 cr. I intend to do a lot of sailing with the wife and kids in Greece. I'm an experienced sailor  but this is the first sailing yacht I've bought and I'm quite anxious about it.
 The boat has a lewmar windlass ( sorry don't know the model) that came with the boat.
I want to fit  controls on the helm or a remote control. I'm not a big fun of remote controls, as they rely on batteries that fail, and frequencies that may occasionally suffer from interference etc. I like the reliability that comes from the simplicity of a switch at the helm. 

I'm very capable with electronics. My first thought is to get access to the solenoid and wire it myself. But were is the solenoid? Does someone have boat schematics or any other info that might help me?
Also: Does the solenoid has any safety feature to protect it in case someone presses up on deck and down on the switch at the anchor lock?

I have a bunch more questions regarding this boat, but I thought I'd start with this that is my biggest concern right now.

Thanks in advance.

[PEA-JAY]

Look for the solenoid behind the control panel in the cabin. At least mine is located there on my 39C. Raph.

[Yngmar]

I've fitted this on my boat (Lofrans windlass). Comes with two remote controls, one of which lives in a plastic bag, the other as backup on the nav table below. The remotes have a "on/off" switch on the side, which is great to prevent accidental keypresses.

Works reliably so far and range drops out at about 50m, so plenty to cover the length of the boat and then some.

Price is unbeatable, and much simpler to install than a wired switch, which was my plan at first.

I've had the Lofrans control box apart for cleaning up and don't remember any solenoid safety feature, but my original controls are on a wired spiral cable remote in the anchor locker, which can be disconnected - although there's no risk of accidental button pushing there anyways.

[Lazy Pelican]

I have the same remote as Yngmar, firstly on a Lewmar Pro Series & now on a Lofrans Cayman. Works perfectly. I think I've changed the batteries once in 5 years.

[Salty]

I've fitted this on my boat (Lofrans windlass). Comes with two remote controls, one of which lives in a plastic bag, the other as backup on the nav table below. The remotes have a "on/off" switch on the side, which is great to prevent accidental keypresses.

Works reliably so far and range drops out at about 50m, so plenty to cover the length of the boat and then some.

Price is unbeatable, and much simpler to install than a wired switch, which was my plan at first.

I've had the Lofrans control box apart for cleaning up and don't remember any solenoid safety feature, but my original controls are on a wired spiral cable remote in the anchor locker, which can be disconnected - although there's no risk of accidental button pushing there anyways.

Goodness me Yngmar, and I thought I was pushing the boat out with a £10 radio control unit off eBay.  Like yours it also works a treat, has much the same range, and is fitted with an automatic switch off if it hasn't been used for ten minutes. It has only very recently been fitted, despite that I've had the device for about two years, so I cannot comment on the longevity of the transmitter battery. I have however, decided to back it up with a wired in controller, also from eBay which cost the exorbitant sum of £3.22 including postage from the far side of the planet. The wired controller does only claim to be rainproof, so I will need to unplug it after use.
Going back to the radio control device, a friend of mine has an identical one for operating his recently installed bow thruster. That too works a treat and amongst other purposes, he uses it when single handed mooring in the marina on those occasions that the bow starts to drift away before he has the ropes all in place

[Symphony]

Fixed windlass controls at the helm are of limited use compared with a remote. The curly wire standard control is very vulnerable to damage - on my old 37 I had that hard wired inside the forecabin and led through the hatch. That kept it away from windlass and allowed a much wider scope of operation. Subsequently fitted a remote. New 33 has a remote that does both windlass and thruster. Never used the fixed control.

[Kibo]

I have a great remote for my windlass..... the clue is in the "lass" part of the name...... she is very flexible and can be 46 feet away or right next to me on the helm !

[ITIL MAN]

My winch is a Quick Windlass and the solenoid is within the winch itself.  Removed the grey cover and there it is.  I intend to sail around Greece soon as well so had a two position switch fitted at the helm for mooring med style without my wife being at the front.  We have a remote on a short lead for normal anchoring but pleased with the position of the helm switch.  The switch is isloated when not needed by the anchor switch on the control pannel.

[Ricd]

Hi
I fitted a windlass (Lofrans X1 -700w) to my B34 -2000 last season and thought long and hard about a helm operation system.  In the end I decided from a safety perspective only to have the control at the anchor locker. Reason being somebody always needs to go to anchor locker to release the anchor ready to drop.  The last thing I wanted was for somebody at the helm to miss-understand the communication from the bow and remote drop the anchor while the bowman was still handling the anchor/chain.  Just thought of hands being entrained with chain/bow roller or worse.

[Symphony]

This where a remote really pays off as you only have one control - simply do not attach the the control at the locker. Then no danger of getting caught in the windlass and the flexibility of operating from anywhere on the boat.

[Ricd]

Think you miss-understood.  I only fitted one control ..at the locker...reasoning was only the person at the locker knows when it is safe (no fingers or legs in the way) to drop or lift.  A remote offers opportunity for an accident IMHO as it can be used by a second person not at the locker.

[Symphony]

No misunderstanding. Just don't use the one in the locker, which is vulnerable if it is the common type on a curly cable. A moment's inattention can see that cable caught up in the gypsy (guess how I, or rather my daughter knows). The remote is then the only control so only one person can use it at a time. Much more useful being able to operate the windlass from anywhere, including at the bow.

[Craig]

We fitted a remote control in the cockpit of our Bav 38. Our windlass, a Quick windlass corroded badly, broke and stripped the planetary gear. When we purchased a replacement windlass, it came with a relay for a cockpit remote control. Unfortunately we are now in Australia. You may find someone else that has had a similar issue to us and can supply the parts cheaply. We can therefore operate the anchor from the bow or cockpit.

The remote control from the cockpit was hardly used in the Med where I sailed with my wife. One of us on the bow with the anchor controls and one in the cockpit on the helm. I strongly suggest that you need to go to the bow to set up the anchor so that the chain does not pile back into the locker. Also, the person on the bow has a better view of the neighbouring anchor chains ( no parallax error) and can control the drop better. In strong winds you will need to release the clutch on the windlass and free-fall the chain as you reverse. This can only be done from the Bow.

The only times I used the cockpit controls was when I was single-handing a Med Moor. The cockpit control did not need constant pressure on the switch to drop the anchor so I would set up for a 80m drop, reverse the boat, lasso the bars on the quay with the stern lines, then stop the anchor chain from going out further. I would then take up the anchor chain until correct tension obtained.

Unless you are intending to single hand sail, I would not worry about the cockpit controls.

Craig
"Shirley Valentine"
Gold Coast
Australia

[Ricd]

We always free fall the chain and only use windlass to recover the anchor and as you say somebody therefore always needs to be by anchor locker. Also with a Rocna, I was also told to allow the boat to fall back with wind and tide rather than reverse back....stories of stem gear being ripped off by over zealous reversing on rocna anchor to dig it in.

[jonrarit]

The other consideration that may or may not be an issue on your boat is when lifting the anchor the subsequent chain pile builds up and blocks the hawse pipe causing a jam on our boat.

When lifting we have to stop every ten metres or so and collapse the chain pile .... from the helm you wouldnt be able to do that.

We have a anchor switch at the helm but tend not to use it. The one time I did .....of course I forgot we had a snubber on too ..... gypsy and snubbers don't get on

jonathan

[B40-Lefkas]

I used one of those cheap eBay remotes. It was good for the price. During installation I had the problem that it would judder - cut out every second or so. The issue was that when the winch was running the positive voltage dropped so much that it could not supply the receiver so it would cut out. Running a separate positive supply to the receiver fixed the problem. The windlass control box is located behind the panel forward of the V-berth in my B40.

This summer we will be fitting a separate wired controller in the cockpit that also has a chain counter on it. Short handed med-moorings should be a doddle! I found this unit for €289 including counter sensor and remote.

Chris

http://www.quicknauticalequipment.com/resources/downloads_qne-prod/1/CHC%201102M%20GB_FR%20%20REV005B.pdf