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Manual anchor winch for small boats.The Best Hand Winch for Boat Anchors
Size and Weight of the Anchor — the size of your boat and how you use it determines the size and weight of the anchor you will require. This will determine what model anchor winches you will be able to select from. Rope or Chain — you will also need to take into account whether or not your specific anchor requires chain, rope of a combination of both. Some winches only work with one or the other and some are more versatile.
Power Supply — obviously, if you wish to install a power winch it will require a power supply either be already available or able to be installed. It is usually recommended that you select a model that utilizes the same voltage as other accessories already installed, even if you will be installing dedicated power sources. Doing so will allows either power sources to be used in an emergency. In either case the use of this design requires that extra space be available.
The large selection of winches available means that manufacturers are often looking for a way to gain an edge over the competition, and this is usually done by offering features customers are looking for. Most times these features are desirable, but there are also times when a feature is just fluff and offers no real functional purpose.
Here are a list of some features we believe you will want to look for:. The choice of anchor winches is so long it could almost be considered endless. Some of these are well suited for a wide variety of applications, others are unsuitable for anything other than a specific situation. We have reviewed many of the most popular models and considered their suitability on a wide range of jon boat designs, and just as importantly in conjunction with the most popular activities those jon boats are best suited.
Here is what we decided are the best of the best. The AnchorMate II is a dual component manual winch system that includes a hand cranked drum and a separate bow fixture. The first allows the users to raise the anchor by means of a hand crank and stores the line on an attached drum. This component can be mounted almost anywhere within the boat that allows the line to run unobstructed to the bow fixture.
That bow fixture is mounted at the gunwale and serves a dual purpose — it guides the line safely over the side to avoid unwanted snags or movement and safely secures the anchor when on in use. All components are constructed of heavy gauge steel finished in electrostatic powder coating for use in both fresh and salt water. Self-lubricating nylon rollers keep the line moving smoothly. The system is rated for use with anchors up to 18 lbs. For additional information, pricing and current availability check out Amazon.
Minn Kota is a leading manufacturer of electric trolling motors and also offers an excellent selection of electric anchor winches for a wide range of bass, pontoon and jon boats. The Deckhand 40 is at the top of that impressive list. As the name implies, the Deckhand 40 is rated for use with anchors weighing up to 40 lbs. The unit is also pre-spooled with ft. With a few basic tools and some knowledge of installing electrical components you can be on the water is no time.
The unit runs on a standard volt battery and can be hooked up to the existing power supply if desired. Raising and lowering the anchor is as easy a pushing a button, although an optional remote control is available as well. The anti-drag system senses the bottom and detects of the anchor is drifting, allowing hands free operation. The unit consists of two pieces — the winch and a davit. As with the manual crank models the davit is mounted at the gunwale and the powerhead is mounted where convenient.
The davit stows the anchor horizontally to prevent damaging movement when not in use. To sum up, most customers found the winch suits best, and no one questions it. Trac offers a variety of anchors for personal choice and yet maintains quality in all the variants. Further, it features a high-efficiency, 12 and includes a limited one-year warranty.
The anchor is easy to operate, it can be bought for good value and has a simple design. Finally, the trac anchorwinch for small boats has a maximum anchor capacity of 40 lb. Almost all customers agree that the anchor is good for muddy bottoms. Further, they also found that the anchor offers their electric anchor winches in fresh water. Moreover, a few say that the anchor winch holds very well. Will the anchor hold the boat in strong currents, depending on the lake or river bottom.
Is it mud than probably not so much. As a result, buyers were eager to recommend it to friends and families. The minn kota anchorwinch forsmall boats is awesome and it works fine. Get precision boat placement and the ability to stay on the fish as long as you want with a deckhand electric anchor winch. Moreover, it is easy to install, works as expected and it works great.
Most importantly, the minn kota anchor winch for small boats works great, works well and it is very nice. Almost all buyers opine that the winch is rated up to 25 lb. The downside of a horizontal winch is that it is more prone to slipping. They can cost more to fix if something goes wrong, also. Vertical Electric Boat Winch: These are more common on most boats. Set up of this kind of winch is often fairly straightforward. They jump less than a horizontally mounted winch will as well.
Since maintenance of these is easier, most boaters prefer them. You need a high quality winch if you want it to last. Some cheaper brands will use plastic components. You can find reviews all over Amazon complaining of these types of winches. They might only last for three or four uses.
After that an important gear or pin breaks because it was poorly manufactured. The entire winch is useless at that point. Ideally you want a completely sealed case. This will protect the circuits and electronic components from moisture and corrosion.
The gears should be steel to maintain strength and reliability. Wiring should be tin which can stand up to corrosion long term as well. The motor for your electric anchor winch is no good if it draws too much power. Make sure your anchor matches up with in terms of size with the capacity of the motor.
If you try to haul in a larger anchor than the motor can handle, it will burn out quickly. Installing one of these can further minimize any power used by your motor. We recommend solar panels for any boat. The motor needs to be sealed well, especially if you boat in saltwater.
The corrosion sets in faster than you might think. It can be a real hassle to deal with. Buying a winch with pre-spooled rope is easy and convenient. If you need to replace rope make sure you look up the kind you need and how to do it.
The companies that manufacture winches have already done the work for you. You can count on it being the right length and strength for the job. When you do need to buy your own rope the standard rule of thumb is You need a rope that is three times as long as the water you are in.
This ensures you can safely anchor your boat. In general, most electric boat winches come with feet of rope. Look for an anti-reverse clutch system. This is important to prevent tangles and jams. You probably want to go with a braided anchor rope. Braided rope made from nylon is strong and resists abrasion. Polyester rope is also a popular choice. It needs to be able to handle being wet regularly without getting damaged.
You need to consider what your rope has to endure even when sitting still. If the current starts pushing your boat, the rope is the only thing keeping you steady. It will bear the weight of the entire vessel. Strong rope has to not just pull up a 30 lb anchor. It also has to keep several hundred pounds of boat from floating away by not breaking.
Most rope is rated for about lbs. Some clock in at lbs. Be wary of what you buy and what you need it to do. Obviously one of the big drawbacks to an electric boat winch is cost. Lugging a rope in by hand costs you nothing in terms of dollars.
The cost can still seem steep, over time the value will become apparent. These are great tools to have. They are definitely worth the investment for serious boaters. You should always exercise caution if you see anything this cheap. Do your homework and check reviews from multiple sources. If you are looking to save money but still get quality, you have options.
Used anchor winches are usually available on sites like craigslist. You may also have luck at your local marina. Make sure you test it out before buying, however. We recommend all the models we have posted above as being reliably and fairly cost effective. Obviously the ProSport Windlass is a standout in terms of cost. That said, it is recommended for heavier vessels.
Along with cost comes warranties. Most companies offer a standard one or two year warranty on their products. Make sure you understand the warranty fully before you commit. Certain things can affect the warranty or even void it outright. Modern electric anchor winches are usually not too hard to install. That said, if you buy one from a company overseas it may not come with instructions.
That can make it difficult to figure out. When researching the winch you want to buy, check out YouTube ahead of time. See if there are any videos that walk you through the installation process. You may be surprised to see that there are many models featured with step by step walk throughs. This can offer you peace of mind when it comes to getting it installed correctly. Most people have never installed an electric anchor winch before. When it comes to operations, there are two standard methods.
Remember, a manual winch used to be the only way. That involved a lot of hand cranking and a lot of effort. Electric anchor winches save a lot of time and effort. Remote Control Anchor Winches: As the name suggests, you can use a remote control to operate these. Just like the TV, you can get it going from anywhere on the boat. Switch Controlled Anchor Winches: These are ones you have to control directly.
The switch is hard-wired to the winch. Sometimes you can have these hardwired to the control console as well. Regardless of how a winch is operated, speed is typically static. This is a safety precaution more than anything. Usually a winch will drop anchor much faster than it pulls one in, however. Make sure you pay attention to the weight capacity.
In general, an electric anchor winch will have a capacity between 20lbs and 40lbs. For most boats this is more than sufficient. There can be circumstances in which extra stress is put on the winch. In those cases, a 35lb anchor could become problematic. We recommend overshooting your anchor slightly. Use a 40lb winch for a 35lb anchor. A 35lb winch for a 30lb anchor and so on. This is just a safety precaution. But for added caution, consider tweaking your numbers slightly.
You may think you need a larger winch. This is only true if you have a larger boat. These electrical anchor winches are specifically made for small to medium boats. The kind that could reasonably be used without an anchor winch. Larger boats should already have anchor winches as part of the overall boat design. It should already be well equipped with a high quality anchor winch of its own. For these smaller boats, larger capacity winches are rarely necessary.
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