Windlass upgrade. What gauge wire?

dgrumm

dgrumm

New Member
Feb 25, 2008
169
Midland ON
Boat Info
400DB
Engines
7.4l Bluewater
Rope only GOOD needs to be replaced. Got a great deal on a 1000w Quick Antares with 100ft rope,100 3/8 G4 chain. Problem is the existing wire is only 6 gauge. Not a fun cheap or cheap job to replace wire. Online calculators are saying 0/3 gauge for 80 amps over a 40ft run. This seems way too big. Am I missing something? Anyone upgraded and run into this? I an curious what the newer 42/44 SR's are using for wire (if 12v).
 
I think that chart reads round trip... So my 40ft run is actually 80ft which would mean 2 awg. Regardless, that chart is much more reasonable than the ones I was looking at. I was thinking of using the two 6awg together as one side, then a 2 or 1awg as the other side. If I try to run a pair of 2awg it will be difficult to get through some of the tight spots
 
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Excellent idea to use the existing wiring for one side.

That's a heavy amp draw...I replaced my Good "rope only" with their new F850 and was able to use the existing 6 ga.- main breaker is 60 amps. No way to exactly measure the existing wire run, I do think it's slightly undersized; but it's the way SR wired it.
 
I am being told that using the two 6ga wires as a single 3ga is not a good idea. I was thinking of using these as the positive and a new 2ga as the negative. Any comments from experienced wiring guru's? I'm just not sure I have the room to pull two new wires though!

Thanks
 
I can't think of any reason it would make a difference...but I'm not an electrical engineer.
You might want to post this Q on the electrical forum.
 
I read this and thought "80 Amps!!! Wow...Tesla was right when he proposed changing Edison's plan of supplying New York with DC. There would have been 4" diameter cable and a transformer every 200 yards!!!:smt101 Then everything changed to AC and the voltage increased to give us the distribution grid we have today.

I have to say...when you start running 80 feet of 4 AWG and larger to handle an 80 Amp draw...I think it's time to consider 110/120 VAC.:huh: I would think that the newer large Sea Rays have an AC winch/windlass.

There is some good info here: http://www.maxwellmarine.com/gen_which_winch.php
 
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