Anyone every upgraded their windlass to a faster retrieve model with a free fall release system? I hate how long it takes to drop anchor.
Upgraded Windlass - Anyone?
- Thread starter Capt Armchair
- Start date
Lewmar
I have the Lewmar Pro-Fish 700 on my Offshore........works well but the Gypsy froze this year.......it was my 4th year and it was covered under warranty.
Think I will probably remove/clean/lube the gypsy on a yearly basis for general maitainance.
I have the Lewmar Pro-Fish 700 on my Offshore........works well but the Gypsy froze this year.......it was my 4th year and it was covered under warranty.
Think I will probably remove/clean/lube the gypsy on a yearly basis for general maitainance.
soon as mine dies it's the pro fish 700 for me.Just purchased a Pro fish 700 last week. Have not installed it yet, but it appears MUCH heavier duty than the factory one on my 272.
My 282 came with the Sprint 600 and I replaced it with the Pro Fish 1000 and it has worked great for me. I think the important thing is to reposition the windlass over the deepest part of the locker for the best performance. I have 600' of rode and on occasion need someone to push the rode over to the side from the cabin as it will pile up in the center and foul the gypsy, other than that no problems at all. I think you could use the factory wiring for the 700 model but the 1000 required a larger wire size. In addition, on my original set up the power for the windlass came from the buss bar under the dash and would cause a voltage drop on the electronics when in use. I isolated new wiring straight to the battery and solved that problem as well. IMHO, a free fall model is the way to go if you do lot of bottom bumping.
The profish 700 will not use any of the same mounting holes as the typical windlass grady used, its gypsum is on the opposite side, new bolt pattern so it involves a bit of work. The closest model to the one Grady used on your boat is a prosport 550 but it is just a slightly refined model of what you have and does not have freefall, it uses the same wiring and 2 or the 3 mounting holes. Going to a freefall model for most Grady owners will require a bit of fiberglass work to patch holes and then drill new ones.