It sounds like you may have either a dead/low battery or a connection that is corroded and not allowing enough current to pass through. Check your battery first, then check all the connections to make sure they are clean. That should fix your problem.

 

Perfect thanks! Question. I have 4 batteries on my boat. Two are "House" batteries, one of those also serves as my "Port engine" starting battery. The other two are Starboard engine and generator. Which battery should I be checking? I can check the voltage on all of them just trying to isolate this issue a little bit. Thanks.

 

After checking connections it could be your solenoid. On my boat the solenoid and control box was all one unit. Replaced it and now works great.

 

Looks like the anchor windlass, from what I can gather, has two solenoids ..... I can hear them both click when trying to go up when clicking the "up" button or 'down" button. I'm almost thinking the battery might need charging but need to isolate which battery.

 

I have read that the manufacturer recommends that the engine be running when the windlass is used, If you run the windlass with a near dead battery you can fry the control box. Just some food for thought :grin:

 

I always run the engine(s) when using the windlass so that's not the issue.

 

Tim,
I'll bet money that its the high current breaker in the engine compartment. Lift the hatch and look on the bulkhead in front of the batteries. You'll see a high amp breaker. When that is tripped, there will be a lever/toggle that drops down out of it (in my case it pivots on the left side and the right side drops down). Take your thumb and press that back up so that its parallel/inside the housing. Then try the windlass.

Sounds like you may have had the windlass hauling the boat and the anchor. They recommend hauling the anchor while slowly moving the boat forward to the anchor with the engines. That way the windlass is only reeling the rhode/chain back in and not dragging the boats weight too.

I have another post here somewhere on this same topic with a photo. Will see if I can find it.
Found it: http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/58479-jammed-windlass?p=657523#post657523



James

 

Jim give me a call 443-695-3689

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Will call you from home. Commuting now.

 

Update: I'm getting plenty of power to the windlass and verified via voltmeter. So the motor is getto g power. Do these have brushes? Engine need rebuilt? Help. Thanks Tim

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No problem Jim


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Hey Tim good seeing you on Sunday. So lets rule what it's not. You did good troubleshooting so far! Not the breaker nor solenoid as the Windlass motor is seeing voltage. So for me you are down to either a weak battery or a bad motor. So when you see power at the motor how many volts do you see? If you see below 12v then it might be your battery. The Windlass motor when it starts has the highest current draw as its locked rotor then drops quickly if your battery does not have the capacity nothing will happen. Did you check the water in the batteries and was it above the plates? If the voltage at the motor is close to what you see at the battery well above 12v it could be the motor. They are the only two things left! Good luck!

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15.1volts.... yes you read that right, 15.1 I suspect it's because I replaced the two batteries you and I were talking about and the inverter/charger was doing it's job.

 

Revisiting an old thread... What was the final outcome? Battery, solenoid, motor? Same thing happened to me yesterday... pulling the anchor up my Good Windlass started to slow down... then just stopped with about 3 feet line left to pull in. 60 amp breaker looks to be OK and Batteries check out.

 

 

I am seeing approx. 13.9 volts at each solenoid. No drop in voltage when hitting the button up and down... ??

 

Do the relays click when toggling the switch? One thing that's so easy to overlook is a bad return line (ground). It has to be able to handle all the current that the device needs, so it's not enough to be getting power to the motor; it has to be able to get back to the battery.

 

If you have voltage at the motor and the motor makes no attempt to turn then it is guaranteed that internal parts in the motor, likely the brushes, have failed. Take the motor off of the windlass and have it tested at a shop that rebuilds starters and alternators. That same shop can rebuild the motor.

 

Thanks for the reply’s… had 13.9 volts at both the “raise” and “lower” solenoid, when I would hit the Windlass switch I would have the same voltage going to the motor with no running.

I will pull the motor later today weather permitting… I have the name of a shop that may be able to rebuild and it looks Like Good Windlass sells the motor as a service part… $250.

For those of you that are interested... check the schematic.

 

Just a follow up to the Windlass issue. I ordered a new motor from good windlass for $250… this purchase was recommended by a company that I had reached out to rebuild the current one.

Pulled the windlass and swapped the motor, the new motor is a bit shorter and, from what I can tell spins a bit faster and is a little bit louder that the current one, put the windlass back together back together, installed to the deck, and all is good.

 

Appreciate the follow up. Glad to hear all is well.