Windlass Problem on 280DA

[Tippy Canoe]

I had a problem over the weekend while on the hook in Newprt R.I. All was O.K. until it was time to leave. The windlass was struggling, reason being that I had picked up an old abandoned mooring line in the harbor. At one point the windlass just stopped working completely. Wouldn't go up or down. When the switch for either direction was engaged it would only make a ticking sound. Once we freed the anchor and pulled it up manually we ran back for about an hour. I tried it again, hoping it was a battery issue but still nothing but a clicking sound in either direction. Any ideas? It is the standard Lofrin Marlin that Sea Ray uses.

Thanks, KV

 

[RiverRat]

Have you checked the breaker for the windlass?

 

[gerryb]

Tippy, this is a problem we encountered as well. The only thing I can tell you is that it will drive you nuts not knowing if your windlass is going to work or not on any given day. PM me and I'll give more details but for now, check the breaker in the ER, connections on the control box and definately battery output/power.

 

[Half Off]

Same thing happened to us also, turned out to be the breaker in the Engine Room (port side toward the bow).

 

[gerryb]

Same thing happened to us also, turned out to be the breaker in the Engine Room (port side toward the bow).

Bring a flashlight down with you or you'll never find it. It is to the front of the ac/dc punchdown panels, above the genset muffler if you have that options. The 'switch' on the breaker has to be pushed upwards to reset if I recall correctly.

 

[Henry Boyd]

We just had a windlass problem weekend before last. Here is what I learned:

There is also an inline fuse in the anchor rode locker. If like ours it is mounted beside the control box. In the attached photo the inline fuse is that thing that looks like a capped plug.

The control box is a double solenoid that controls the power for up and down direction. If that box is clicking, then the box may have burned a contact making it unusable. This may be the source of your problem.

Best bet is to contact IMTRA (IMTRA.COM). They are the US distributor of Lofrans and are great help. I got the impression that the Marlin windlasses were built with the a variety of combinations of motors and control boxes, so get as much info as you can from the existing parts.

If it is the control box ($ 90.00) , change out is not difficult if you do not try to reinstall in the same spot that Sea Ray did (upside down attached to the bottom of the deck). I tried for a couple hours to get the thing back in place to no avail. I then mounted it to the bulkhead inside the locker hatch. The wiring is long enough and re-routes easily. Also the replacement control box came with big red up arrows on the side with instructions to mount arrow side up. Sea Ray installed the original on its side.

Hope this helps.

henry

 

[gerryb]

Henry, on our 04 the box is mounted as it should be, with the arrow pointing up on the aft bulkhead right under the opening to the locker area... Weird that they would mount it incorrectly? I've had the same clikcing problem with my windlass and ended-up buying a 'spare' control box to install. The problem seems to have gone away for now but I suspect it is indeed the box. FWIW, I took the motor apart and it is really a nice piece of equipment with no signs of corrosion. Tied it directly to the battery to test and it worked great.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Gerry,

I started out by taking the motor out as well because conventional wisdom held that when the windlass would only go in one direction it was a broken motor lug. It turns out that is true on one type of motor, just not on the one we have. But I also cleaned and rebedded the windlass housing and did a complete check of the motor, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

It sounds like Sea Ray may have figured they were doing something wrong between 2002 and 2004, or they started seeing 6 hour R&R control box bill backs from their dealers on warranty repairs! Anyway it is good to know my modification is the way the newer boats are being done.

Henry

 

[Tippy Canoe]

Thanks for all of your responses. I tried the breaker in the engine compartment and it did not appear to be tripped. When the switch is depressed in either direction the windlass makes a loud "click" sound so there is power getting to it. I tried contacting Imtra but when I fill in my information I get a "failed" response. I will have to have a qualified person look at it to determine if is a control problem or a motor problem etc. I don't have the time or experience to do this myself.

What would be the best way to bypass the windlass for now so that I can use the anchor until the windlass is fixed.

Thanks, KV

 

[StressAweigh]

IF you have a Manuel hand crank you can try that and see if the windlass will move.

 

[Luckydogs]

Be sure that all of the connections are good to the motor and control box and like previously mentioned, check the fuse at the control box. I had the same symptons you have and only after replacing the 40A breaker to a 50A breaker and replacing the old motor with the updated 500W version did I find the wiring was all jacked up. But now I have a juiced up system. Good luck!

 

[Henry Boyd]

Tippy,

I just called IMTRA on the telephone. They are in Buzzards Bay Mass, so from RI probably isn't even a toll call. The prices from a person were also slightly lower than the website.

Henry

 

[Tippy Canoe]

Thanks for all of the great advice. I have contacted Imtra and they are extremely responsive. I have one procedure that I am going to try and if it does not work I have to bring a battery and jumper wires to see if it is a motor problem. I think that I am on the trail to getting this fixed. I am getting ready to "Break Out Another Thousand"

KV

 

[Henry Boyd]

If it is a control box you may need a new end for the the negative wire. The OEM box on my 280 had a smaller negative terminal post (probably to keep from being mis-wired) than the positive. The IMTRA replacement boxes have same size terminal posts. I got the terminal end from a local NAPA store - 6 GA Heavy Duty Ring Terminal. You will need large visegrips to crimp the collar, a standard crimping tool won't do it.

Also to save you an additional trip back to the tool box, the windlass, motor, and control box hardware is all metric.

Henry