Servicing your winch 

A yacht winch is amongst the more expensive items on your boat, yet it is a fact of life that there will be many boaters out there who have NEVER serviced their winch.

This is because, for most of us, it is a boring, fiddly and confusing job, and the risk of reassembling said winch with several key components missing/left over are extremely high.

However, the fact is that winches need to be serviced regularly. We caught up with Roland Whalley from Lewmar winches for a bit of a chat on how to keep your winches pristine and running freely.

When to service

“At Lewmar we recommend that you strip, clean and re-lubricate your winch two or three times in an active sailing season.

“In addition to this, you should thoroughly clean and check your winch for damage at the beginning and end of each season.”

Tools Required

“For most winches, you will need a small flat bladed screwdriver, cotton wool, cleaning fluid (either white spirit or paraffin), some light machine oil and some winch grease.

“An Allen key set can also be handy, as is a bucket to put all the components in once you’ve taken it apart.”

Getting started

“Nice and easy to start with; wash down the outside of the winch with freshwater, dry with a cloth. You can occasionally use a polish on most winches, but do NOT do so with an alloy winch.”

 “If you have an instruction manual, then all the better, but let’s face it many people won’t. 

“Take the drum (top) off the winch by removing the screw in the winch handle socket, having done this, the socket and feeder arm will lift off and you will be able to remove the drum.

“Be aware that as you lift off the drum, the roller bearings and springs have a tendency to fall out, so do it gingerly, you don’t want to lose them over the side.”

Cleaning

“Place all the components in a container and soak in cleaning fluid (White spirit or paraffin). Following this, ensure that all the parts are thoroughly rinsed off, as spirits will break down grease once the winch has been reassembled.”

Pawls

“Check the pawls are working correctly and open and close smoothly. If they do not, this could cause the winch to slip, which could be potentially dangerous.

“Do not lubricate the pawls with grease, use some light machine oil as grease causes them to clog and stick.

Re-assembly

“This is where things can get a little bit challenging; basically try to remember where everything went, if you have pieces left over, then you’ve done it wrong.

“If you get really stuck, check the matching winch on the other side; just make sure you don’t completely disassemble both.

“Before remounting the drum, ensure that you lightly apply some winch grease. Do not overdo it, as this will only cause problems.”

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 Once you’ve done all that, you can relax and actually enjoy going sailing, or perhaps simply retire to the nearest bar for the evening, exhausted by the technical feat you have just achieved.