Recently Brendan Lee discovered the joys of servicing winches, a good thing to do and I recommend it’s something all owners should do twice a year, doesn’t take a lot of time if you do it regulary. But woe betide anyone that forgets to do this at all. Winches are full of moving parts, hopefully some winch grease and some small but very important springs and palls (those are the things that make the clicking noise when you spin them)
If your winches aren’t making this important sound, or seem to have no noise at all, too much play in the drum or worse still don’t go round very well at all, then you have a problem you need to get on to – immediately.
If you don’t then you’ll have a problem like Brendan just found, some bits not going round at all, one bit stuck inside another so hard that force, freezing and heat wouldn’t budge it. Result – frustration and the need to go and buy a new one at $600+ each.
Lucky for Brendan, he has found another answer and he has had the winch fixed for just $35. Not saying that this is all you have to pay if you have a problem, but the answer for owners of Barlow Barient winches and others is a company in Sydney that we are very happy to promote, THE AUSTRALIAN YACHT WINCH CO, also known as HUTTON WINCHES I believe. Chances are this company will be able to service/fix your winch for a fraction of the cost of buying new winches.
I have bought winch bearings from them previously and they have a very quick and reliable buy and mail out service.
Their full details are:
THE AUSTRALIAN YACHT WINCH (SALES) PTY. LTD.
4 Narang Place
St Marys N.S.W. 2760 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9623 2448
Fax: +61 2 9623 2265
Email: winches@attglobal.net
Website: www.huttonwinches.com
Hi everyone, we have a new page on the site “Mr Fix It”. It will be a page giving tips on how to repair and maintain a J24. If you wish me to discuss any topics please ask and I will post the answers for the benefit of the whole group.
