42DS port electric winch issue

[ds42]

Hope someone here can start me in the right direction. 

Was using the cabin top port electric winch to hoist someone to the top of the mast to repair the windvane.  The winch quit about half way up.  Had to hand crank after that.

So, I need to find out why the winch quit.  Checked the on/off at the panel - OK.  Looked around the main electric panel for any tripped breakers - none found.

Next step will be to remove the ceiling from the main bath to get access to the underside of the winch to see where the contractor is or to see if there’s a hidden fuse.

Any insight b4 I get into this?

Thanks,
Mark

[Syrah]

When we were doing the initial inspection for our 42ds a couple of years ago, the power winch on the port cabin top was not working. It ended up being a tripped circuit breaker in a hidden position. I can’t recall exactly where it was though, as the agent selling the boat found it. Perhaps under the aft bed? I know it was a flick the switch fix. We haven’t had any problems with it since (touch wood).

[Syrah]

I’m nowhere near our boat at the moment. Most power winch kits show a breaker that looks like this Harken one:

[jdl01]

My harken 40 power deck winch was installed by the dealer who put the breaker where he felt was best. Can you find the original dealer and ask where thy normally put the breaker? In my case it was installed on a corner of the main breaker panel.

[ds42]

Ill be at the boat on Wednesday.  Will look under the bed for the breaker. The winch was factory original, so i would have expected a more convenient location for a breaker.  Not like its occasionally mission critical...

Thanks,
Mark

[deepblue]

The overload breaker is with breaker for the ancorwinch etc and the main breakers against the bed. I had your problems and it turned out that the factory installed breaker was fried. Replaced it with Harken breaker. It has a different configuration so you need to either bypass the old trip breaker and place the harken somewhere els or do some sawing on the org.spot Problem solved.
When the winch is abused the overload breaker still will trip and needs resetting.

[Mistroma]

Jun 11, 2019 13:11:04 GMT deepblue said:

The overload breaker is with breaker for the ancorwinch etc and the main breakers against the bed. I had your problems and it turned out that the factory installed breaker was fried. Replaced it with Harken breaker. It has a different configuration so you need to either bypass the old trip breaker and place the harken somewhere els or do some sawing on the org.spot Problem solved.
When the winch is abused the overload breaker still will trip and needs resetting.

It is on a panel under the starboard side seat by the bed on our 2009 42DS. The panel sits beside the main panel which has the windlass trip and battery isolation switches. I can't imagine anyone not spotting it as it is pretty obvious. Perhaps the panel is an extra on some models (i.e. Not fitted if no electric winches or bowthruster). Ours has a trip for bowthruster plus Winch1, Winch2 and Winch 3 (2 & 3 are blank covers on ours). The trip shouldn't be hidden as easy access is required to turn it on/off and reset if required. I certainly don't leave our winch powered up when not sailing.

I'd agree that the breaker might have failed. I had a problem with the windlass trip after 12-14 months. It seemed to be working but wasn't passing much current. I replaced it, took the old one apart and could see a lot of marks from arcing inside. The trip had internal features to reduce arcing but they had not worked well.

The on/off you mention is probably the trip I've described.

[Syrah]

Pretty sure that for our 42ds there is an isolation switch on the panel under the stbd side bed seat, but there is also a separate circuit breaker that is under the end of the bed or perhaps under the seat. Have a really good look around this area. Most of the circuit diagrams for power winches show it like in this link:



www.harken.com/uploadedImages/Product_Support/Dr_Harken_Tips/Electric%20winch%20connection%20layout_750.jpg

[ds42]

Found it.  On a 2008 42DS with factory port cabin top winch, the breaker is located in the ceiling of the head under the winch.  Remove the wood cover plate and the breaker, contactor and a fuse are accessible.  

[shawnkaplan]

Super helpful thread. A breaker under the seat. And a fuse in the ceiling. Someone must have bumped the breaker. Thanks!

[alenka]

Shawn,

Just a word of caution.

It is not advised to use electric winches for putting someone up the mast.  A few years ago there was a really bad and well publicised accident in the Caribbean.  The push button stuck in the on position so you can imagine the result when the poor chap got to the top of the mast and the winch just kept on pulling. To make matters worse his wife, on the winch, tried to remove the halyard from around the winch but only succeeded in getting her hand caught which resulted in severe injury and the loss of several fingers.

If you have to use an electric winch for this task make someone is on the circuit breaker ready to kill the power.

We have had our winches stick in the on position on several occasions caused by the rubber perishing on the button.  You can buy new rubber covers.
 
For some years I have issued crew a written safety brief showing the location of fire extinguishers, flares, etc.  It also mentions the use of electric winches and the care that must be taken with fingers, long hair and jewellery.

[Mistroma]

May 31, 2020 6:48:28 GMT alenka said:

Shawn,

Just a word of caution.

It is not advised to use electric winches for putting someone up the mast.  A few years ago there was a really bad and well publicised accident in the Caribbean.  The push button stuck in the on position so you can imagine the result when the poor chap got to the top of the mast and the winch just kept on pulling. To make matters worse his wife, on the winch, tried to remove the halyard from around the winch but only succeeded in getting her hand caught which resulted in severe injury and the loss of several fingers.

If you have to use an electric winch for this task make someone is on the circuit breaker ready to kill the power.

We have had our winches stick in the on position on several occasions caused by the rubber perishing on the button.  You can buy new rubber covers.
 
For some years I have issued crew a written safety brief showing the location of fire extinguishers, flares, etc.  It also mentions the use of electric winches and the care that must be taken with fingers, long hair and jewellery.

Fully agree with this, I remember the horrific details.

I go up the mast once ever year using the power winch an a safety line to the stbd winch. I tie a line from the small ventilation hatch handle down to a large lead weight on the floor and back up to the trip switch. It is tested before I ascend and lifting the hatch trips the switch. We use 2-way radios with head sets and go up in 2-3m steps on power winch before taking up slack on the safety line. The last 2m is done on the safety line using the manual winch (I pull myself up a bit as well). This means that there's always a few metres spare if the power winch starts up.