226 V700 windlass, SS bow roller install - any tips?

[zimm]

The prior owner of my boat worked with the Grady factory and figured out that the anchor locker lids from a 283 with windlass will hold a V700 and work on the 226. Also the SS bow roller from a 275 will bolt on and clear the trailer when loading it up.

My local Grady dealer (TMC PARTS) on the website here suggested this list for about $2300:

07-340 Windlass Lid -
07-407 Rope Locker Lid -
10-0184 Dam, Windlass Lid -
10-0185 Bracket Windlass Lid-
10-0265 Bow Roller -(aftermarket/sdg328068)
10-213 Hinge Strap 4” x 1” SS -. (2 needed)
10-280 Lift Knob -
10-948 Stainless Turn Latch -
23-508 Strap Anchor Safety -
23-551 Switch Toggle Windlass -
23-556 Breaker 35 Amp w/ Sm Face Plate Windlass -
23-620 Windlass V-700 -

My questions: What's the best SS roller to use? I see the seadog above, and Lewmar makes them, as well as some others.
Fluke vs delta anchor on the front? I anchor mostly in mud

Anyone do this conversion? Tips? Photos? Thanks in advance!

 

[stevblutu15]

This is very interesting. I have an 87 226. I can't wait to see pictures of this. My concern is at least on my boat, the motor for the v700 would take up way too much anchor locker room. I'm putting a pro sport 550 on this spring. Good luck with the install. I'm using a Lewmar pivoting danforth anchor roller.

 

[zimm]

I have pics from the grady factory showing the anchor doors, windlass and bow roller on the new boats. Prior owner gave them to me. I can scan and post when I get home.

 

[ocnslr]

All windlass manufacturers will state on their web sites or in the installation manuals that "fall" is critical to the proper operation of a windlass. It is the distance from where the line comes off the windlass to the top of the piled up rode in the locker. If the 'fall' isn't sufficient, the line will not flow off the windlass and down into the locker properly.

Vertical windlasses are much neater looking on deck, but they need a good bit more 'fall' to work properly.

I installed a Horizon 500 on the aft end of the pulpit on our 2002 Islander shortly after we purchased it. Operation was OK, but the rode was not dropping into the deepest (and widest) section of the anchor locker. I recently replaced that windlass with a Profish 7000, mounted on the locker hatch (reinforced).

I would never consider a vertical windlass on our 270. Your anchor locker is smaller, and I recommend that you reconsider your plans in favor of a horizontal windlass.

In either case, I strongly recommend you use 8-plait line for the rode, as it 'falls' and 'stacks' MUCH nicer than 3-strand, does not hockle, and can make the difference between a workable windlass installation and one where you spend a lot of time in the V-berth reaching into the anchor locker to clear snarls or guide the rode back into the locker.

Brian

 

[zimm]

Thanks for the heads up. I checked the owner's manual for the V700 and it says 12" of fall required. Is that to the top of that stack of the 200-300' anchor line when it's piled up? Also checked their pro series horizontal and it needs 12" too.

 

[ocnslr]

Yes, they both say 12" but they don't work the same way.

The retrieving rotation of the horizontal unloads, or pushes, the rode downward into the locker.

The retrieving rotation of the vertical is pushing the line horizontally, and the line has to turn 90 degrees and 'fall' into the locker.

I've said my piece and I promise not to say anything else.

Best wishes on your project.

Brian

 

[zimm]

Bumping this thread for the new season. Still looking at doing a Stainless bow pulpit, windlass, and new hatch doors.

Too keep cost down, I might just start with the pulpit and keep the anchor out on it to simplify anchoring witthout a windlass. Won't that make retrieving easier?

 

[DennisG01]

It would make it much easier to just have the roller assembly. That way you can take a step back, stand up and pull the rode in. Much better on the back!

If you got the right roller assembly, would you need the pulpit? My other boat (Sea Ray) came with the roller and a hawse pipe. I added the windlass (and was feeling a little fancy so I did the teak stuff, too ) - but you can see that there is no pulpit. But maybe it's because the Sea Ray locker is longer (fore to aft). With the Grady locker being shorter (due to a steeper bow keel angle), maybe it doesn't allow the windlass to sit far enough back?

 

[zimm]

No pulpit, just the bow roller. Not sure how to have the rope coming out the locker if I want to keep the anchor on deck though.

 

[DennisG01]

Install a "hawse pipe". Just google that and you'll see what I mean. Simple install.

 

[zimm]

Stuck at work thinking about this project again.

I'm now convinced the horizonatal windlass will be better (profish 700).

I'm still at a loss for which anchor and roller to get. Delta or Danforth? I anchor primarily in the potomac river which is gooey mud. Danforths have worked fine in the past, never tried a delta.

As for the roller, the seadog marine one flops down when tension is released allowing the anchor to self deploy. Or I could get a fixed Windline in large (URM-3) or medium (URM-4). No idea what will fit best on the front of my 228...

 

[zimm]

Here are pictures I got from my dealer showing the parts for the "kit" grady sells with new anchor doors. I'm not 100% sure I like the raised mounting pad for the V700, especially if I want the pro-fish horizontal. Another option is to bolt down my existing hatch and seal it and mount the winch on it. That saves me $700 worth of parts.



Sea-dog roller:



Here's the fixed Windline roller:

Here's my anchor access hatch.



I'm now thinking about starting with just the fixed bow roller and using it with my anchor manually. If I remove the bail at the end, I can put the anchor back in it's storage hatch.

Then I can work on getting a pro-fish 700 mounted on the existing hatch...

 

[DennisG01]

It looks like the windlass is on a raised platform since the pulpit is also raised? To keep a straight line pull.

 

[zimm]

It looks like the windlass is on a raised platform since the pulpit is also raised? To keep a straight line pull.

Correct. And I don't/won't have a pulpit, so flush mount should be better.

To throw another wrench in the works, I read nothing but horrible reviews on the Lewmar winches on West Marine's website. Looking through thehulltruth.com forums, most people recommend other windlass models like Maxwell, Good, Ideal, Lofran, etc. My head is spinning....

 

[DennisG01]

To throw another wrench in the works, I read nothing but horrible reviews on the Lewmar winches on West Marine's website. Looking through thehulltruth.com forums, most people recommend other windlass models like Maxwell, Good, Ideal, Lofran, etc. My head is spinning....

I read some of those, too. Keep in mind that most people only write negative reviews. Sometimes the internet is a good thing, sometimes it's a bad thing - hence the "head spinning". I went with the Lewmar V700 for my 28' Sundancer, even with the "negative" reviews. The thing is, Lewmar has been around for a long, long time. A company doesn't stay in business for this long if they're doing things wrong (unless it's a government, but that's a story for another day). Is the V700 a top-of-the-line model? No, of course not. But it's not priced like a top-of-the-line model, either. However, if I was going to spend more money, I would get the Good windlass. American company out of New Jersey (although I don't hold the "Jersey" against them... ) and excellent customer service (although I have personally called Lewmar and was very happy with theirs, as well).

 

[ocnslr]

Take a look here.

http://www.greatgrady.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19442&p=119917&hilit=Windlass#p119917

 

[zimm]

Take a look here.

http://www.greatgrady.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19442&p=119917&hilit=Windlass#p119917

Nice write up!

I'm leaning towards doing the same- mount the pro-fish 700 on the hatch. Since I'll use a bow roller, I won't have to raise the windlass off the hatch. I printed out the mounting template, I need to make sure it fits my hatch. I also need to do some measuring for the bow roller. I'm leaning towards the Windline URM-3 (large) or URM-4 (medium). I also need to decide if I need a delta, danforth, or Fortress FX11 anchor (I anchor almost exclusively in mud). Then how much rode to get? 200 or 300'. I anchor mostly in 7-30' of water, so maybe 200 is better to get more drop into the locker.

 

[DennisG01]

All three of those anchors will do well in mud. If it's weedy, though, the plow will likely work best due to it's weight and the ability to get past the weeds. The Fortress will work the least best on a weedy bottom because of it's light weight. Some anchor rollers work best with a specific type of anchor - verify that before you buy.

 

[gnuse]

zimm,

I tried to send you a PM, but being new to this board, I am not sure you got it. Can you contact me?