Wired or wireless?
After posting a short video clip on Instagram and Facebook, showing Rebecca on the bow raising our anchor, we received a private message asking about the operation of our windlass. As you can see in the screen capture below, Rebecca is operating the windlass by using her toe to press the button on the unit itself. This is far from ideal! In truth, it makes both of us nervous to have her foot that close to the windlass gypsy, but unfortunately, at this point, it’s the only option. The hardwired remote that came with the boat was badly corroded, and we have yet to replace it.
In my opinion, the best solution is a wireless remote control, similar to that which we installed on ZTC. They work fantastic, and allow the person on the bow who is controlling the windlass to move anywhere that he/she wants. The transmitter can be installed someplace inside the boat, keeping it completely dry. We also kept the remote control inside the boat when it wasn’t being used, and only brought it to the bow when we were preparing to operate the windlass.
Although I don’t remember exactly what we paid, in researching this, it seems to me that the price of these systems has increased quite a bit. Because you’d need both a hand held transmitter and a receiver, the total cost for such a setup would be more than a hardwired remote. But it’s only money, right?
Note: Thinking ahead, I also hardwired a windlass switch at ZTC’s helm, just in case the remote control ever failed. It never did!
Mike,
It doesn’t have to be expensive. I’m testing one of these out:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C0SQE0K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
Eric
At 1/10th the price of the Quick one, it’s worth looking at.
You presently have it installed and are using it?
I’ve installed it, and tried it out, but haven’t used it operationally.
Cool. Please report back. The Amazon reviews seem OK. There are a couple of reports on the first page of items not working, but later being replaced by the seller. That’s OK for people in the US but would be a PITA for us. I hope it works for you!
Hi Mike, Good Old Boat published at article by Darren Bos in Issue 105 (11/12 2015) about using a wireless remote control for a 4×4 Jeep/truck winch for the windlass. He reports good success and very affordable pricing ($12.00).
Interesting. Do you have a link to the article, or the product they reviewed?
Just sent you a PM with more details Mike. The Amazon part used in the article is “B00TI7J5UW”.
Thank you JD!
It seems that you could easily cannibalize an old garage door opener and make it work well. Although, finding a working garage door opener might be more difficult in your part of the world than it is here in the states.
I am not much for building stuff from scratch. Others may be.
All I know is that the one we installed on ZTC, manufactured by Quick, is the bomb.
Mike – on our boat, Diane is always at the helm for anchoring, mooring and docking. That puts me on the bow to lower and raise the anchor. I have two deck switches, one up and one down, fixed on the deck – not the windlass. I don’t want to raise the anchor from the helm. Yes, if you’re alone it may be convenient, but I really want to see the bottom and the anchor when returning – just as it enters the bow roller assembly. My deck switches are 2 feet forward of and to the left and right of your windlass mounted switch. No gymnastics are required to operate the switch and look over the side. Finally, I always wear shoes when walking around on deck, particularly when hoisting the anchor. There are just too many things to stub my toes on.
I have tried a wireless remote on someone’s cat before and found that pointing the remote at the sensor was a “bit sensitive”, one that might actually interfere with operation.
While the foot switches you describe are, without a doubt, much better than the windlass-mounted one that we have to deal with, they are not better than a handheld remote. In bumpy waters, there is no way you would have the same control with your feet that you do with your thumb.
Additionally, the wireless remote we had (made by Quick) was in no way sensitive. You did not have to point it at the transmitter. It worked 100% of the time. The handheld unit ran on a 9V battery, and that lasted an entire season. I can’t speak for any other models, only that one.
I do agree about the switch at the helm though. As I said, we never used it. It’s a nice “just in case” feature though.