Primary sheet winch upgrade

[gcc]

Anyone know the original size primary winches size for Ericson35 MkII. Looking to upgrade to Lewmars 2 speed self tailers
EVO size 40 or 46. Which is the better choice as far as fit and suitability?
Thanks

 

[Loren Beach]

I do not know the factory winch specs, but do recall that EY would commonly upgrade to larger winches for the purchaser. Our boat had the factory winch upgrade package that moved the "standard" Lewmar 43 primaries back and put Lewmar 46 winches in their place. All were/are self tailing.
If you have the base diameter room, I would advise going with the 46 size. Self Tailing, for sure!

 

[Nick J]

Our '84 35-3 came with barient 27 primary winches. They seem to be well suited for the task and i think they're around a 46 power ratio on low speed.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

I don't remember ever hearing someone say, "I wish I'd installed smaller winches."

 

[gcc]

I do not know the factory winch specs, but do recall that EY would commonly upgrade to larger winches for the purchaser. Our boat had the factory winch upgrade package that moved the "standard" Lewmar 43 primaries back and put Lewmar 46 winches in their place. All were/are self tailing.
If you have the base diameter room, I would advise going with the 46 size. Self Tailing, for sure!

That is exactly the question. Is the coaming area where the winch mounts wide enough to accommodate the EVO 45 base. If the Lewmar 46’s work then the Lewmar EVO 45’s will also. I’m a long way from the boat right now so can’t measure it myself. Thanks for your help!

 

[Nick J]

The Ocean 48ST looks to be the closest direct replacement for size and power ratio. That said, the EVO 45 and Ocean 46 would also be reasonable alternatives. Both the EVO 45 and Ocean 46 have a slightly smaller base diameter, while the Ocean 48 is slightly larger than the existing winch.

If I remember correctly, the gelcoat beneath our current winch is less faded than the surrounding area, so moving to a slightly larger base would actually be beneficial from an appearance standpoint. Looking through a few photos of the existing installation, it also appears there would be plenty of clearance to accommodate the larger winch without any space issues.

Older pic, but we haven't moved the winch, so it still applies.