For the last year I have been mulling over the idea of installing a windlass. I have had my eyes on a Lewmar V2 5/6” G4 as the prices were reasonable ($1.5k) but recently I found the Maxwell RC-8-8 (from my understanding a much better windlass) online for an unbelievable price: $1,048 with free shipping from TheDigitalOasis.com. This windlass normally goes for about $2k. So I ordered it, and it shortly arrived in a factory sealed box from Maxwell. But before ordering, I called Maxwell support and asked them if there where any problems or plans to replace the RC windlass. They said that the RC is one of their best devices with no plans to replace the line, but that they were aware of some retailers having aggressive pricing like Defender.
For additional equipment, I went 150’ 5/16” G4 HT chain, 150’ 5/8” 8-plait nylon rope, Mantus SS swivel, and 44lb Vulcan anchor. Also I read good thing about using a 4WD winch controllers on a marine windlass, so I picked up both a wireless remote and wired remote( and socket) winch controllers from amazon. The wireless controller works great but does have a slight delay which the wired controller does not.
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| Maxwell RC8-8 windlass |
MAXWELL RC8-8 SPECIFICATIONS
| Model | RC8 8mm - 5/16" | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Pull | 600kg 1320lbs | ||||||
| Static Hold | 1200kg 2640 lbs | ||||||
| Chain Short Link | 8mm 5/16" | ||||||
| Rope Size (3 strand or 8 plait) | 14mm-16mm 9/16"- 5/8" | ||||||
| Chain Speed (Normal working load) | 32m/min 105ft/min | ||||||
| Rope Speed (Normal working load) | 28m/min 92ft/min | ||||||
| Power Supply (DC) | 12V | ||||||
| Motor Power | 1000W | ||||||
| Net weight DC Low profile version | 16.5kg 36.3lbs |
Planning
The location of inside bulkhead was transferred to the deck using two strings. Within the v-berth access, a string was stretched from the center of a bow cleat bolt to the center of the opposite bow cleat bolt, one string topside and the other inside (see picture below). An identical string was stretched on the deck from the tops of the same two cleat bolts. Measurements along the string and perpendicular to the string where easily transferred from inside to topside. This allowed for a somewhat precise determination of the bulkhead location which was drawn in pencil onto deck. The Maxwell mounting template was placed by aligning it fore & aft so that the bulkhead was aligned with the template gap between the two hole cutouts. The port & starboard location (i.e. direction along the string) was determined by aligning a straight rode from the left bow roller with the rode location as indicated on the mounting template.
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| A view from within the v-berth, a string was stretched from the center of a bow cleat bolt to the center of the opposite bow cleat bolt. Measurements along the string and perpendicular to the string can be easily transferred from inside to topside. |
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| RC8-8 deck cutout & holes details. Note: the cutout marked as "B" is not required unless one plans to connect a chain link counter. |
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| Final placement of the mounting template. Also shown is the topside alignment string and a tape with a center line indicating the proper parallel rode direction coming from the left bow roller. |
Drilling holes in the Deck
Measure many times, and cut holes once became the crucial plans.
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| Chain hole was drilled with a slight angle from aft to fore. |
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| Partial hole as seen from inside anchor locker looking up. |
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| Drilled hole into anchor locker |
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| Preparing for cutting the windlass drive hole. |
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| View of the roller furler from v-berth up through the windlass drive hole. |
Dry Fitting the Windlass
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| Deck placement of the windlass. |
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| A view of the chain drop hole aligning with the windlass during the dry fit. |
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| Dry fit of windlass without drive unit. |
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| The forward bolt hole interfered with the anchor locker bulkhead. Part of the bulkhead was carved out to provide room for the mounting bolt, nut, and washer. This areas was later sealed with epoxy. |
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| Dry fit of windlass with drive unit. A
little bit (~3/16"x2"x2") of the bulkhead was removed
with a Dremel sanding drum out to provide
clearance for drive unit. This areas was
later sealed with epoxy.
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Sealing the Deck Core
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| Removing/Reaming the balsa coring with a Dremel sanding drum. |
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| Over sized bolt holes were first wetted with epoxy, filled epoxy thickened with colloidal silica, and after curing, redrilled to proper size. |
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| Sealed coring with first an application of wetted epoxy before filling reamed area with epoxy thickened with colloidal silica . |
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| East System epoxy and colloidal silica obtained from Noah's Marine. |
Mounting the windlass
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| Deck masking for easy removal of excess sealant. |
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| After masking the windlass outside and chain drop inside, lots of sealant was applied for the deck mount. An abundance of sealant is needed to provide a watertight seal so that water does not enter into the v-berth. A paper towel & white tape was used to cover the Super-Lube greased drive shaft during installation so that no grease contaminated the sealant surfaces. |
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| Windlass motor and drive unit. |
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| Install without the backing plate initially to set the sealant and form a nice gasket seal. |
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| Installed with 3/4"epoxy sealed marine plywood backing plate. The backing plate also provides mounting surface for the solenoid switch junction box. |
I originally planned to use 0 AWG battery cable, but ordered 1 AWG. To get a better than 0 AWG equivalent, I added 4 AWG in parallel for the long runs to the solenoid switch.
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| Windlass wiring schematic |
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| The switching solenoid unit . |
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| Working installation. |
Finishing the Installation
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| Reinstalling the v-berth headliner. |
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| V-berth with windlass cover box. Bottom panel has a vent to promote airflow and easy inspection. |
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| Feeding 150' of 5/16" G4 HT chain. A future plan includes mounting a stainless steel protective sheet under the chain run of the anchor locker lid. |
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| Several months after installing the windlass and stainless steel plate was add to the anchor locker lid at the location of greatest chain wear. |
I am not a big fan of the commonly used foot switches for controlling a windlass. Not only does it mean cutting additional unnecessary holes in the deck, these switches are know to fail due to the harsh saltwater environment. Instead I chose to install a wireless remote system commonly sold for off-road vehicles (Trucks, Jeeps, ATV). These systems are standardized, pretty robust, easy to install, and amazingly affordable at under $15 Amazon Prime. The unit I purchased came with a standard hand-held remote and a second mini keyring remote. To install connect 4 wire: red & black for 12V power and white & yellow for up & down control. A 5th wire is the antenna for the remote box.
I carelessly dropped the remote overboard during my first week of use and retrieved it as it remained floating. A quick fresh water rinse and all was fine. UPDATE: After 5 years of use, the wireless remote system remains working perfectly. Since the first drop overboard, I have been more careful and have not done so again. The remote works from anywhere on the boat (50ft range claim). I often use it single-handing from the cockpit to the bow. I cannot say enough good things about it. 6 out of 5 Stars.
As a back up, I installed a CSI W130 Winch Remote and CSI CSIW261 Remote Control Socket. The socket was installed in the v-berth. To operate, the wired remote is led out to the bow through the v-berth hatch. I have used it one to test it out and have not need to use it since. Ironically, the wired system cost me $20 more than the wireless system. I view the extra as insurance.
DC 12V Black Wireless 50FT Remote Control Kit for Car Truck Jeep ATV Winch Tuff Stuff keychain remote Warn Ramsey Gorilla Bulldog Latest Long range model Indicator light Universal as listed on Amazon for $14.49.
As a back up, I installed a CSI W130 Winch Remote and CSI CSIW261 Remote Control Socket. The socket was installed in the v-berth. To operate, the wired remote is led out to the bow through the v-berth hatch. I have used it one to test it out and have not need to use it since. Ironically, the wired system cost me $20 more than the wireless system. I view the extra as insurance.
The above photo show the CSI socket and the CSI W130 Wired Winch Remote with 12' cable.
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