E38-200 Anchor Windlass Installation

Our sail on Pelagic from Newfoundland to Maine was a wonderful demonstration of how much easier an electric windlass made anchoring. We also grew to appreciate the security of a heavy chain rode, and big ground tackle. So before we set off on our 3 month journey from Lake Michigan to Superior, in the hopes of better sleep, I spent a week installing an electric windlass on driftless. It was a project that had been near the bottom of the list for a while. I had looked at, appreciated, and filed away the info from numerous posts on this forum. My deep gratitude to all others who have tread this path before me and documented their steps.


The finished product in action at Garden Island, Lake Michigan

I wanted to keep the installation simple, so I chose to remove the anchor locker pan and seal the hatch shut. Some storage up there would be nice though, so I think I'll add a deck plate with some storage underneath. That way I could keep the chain snubber and a winch handle for the windlass clutch and manual operation up there. I could even plumb that into the bow drain, which for now is just clamped off.
Access to the chain locker is through the v-berth bulkhead. I haven't had any problems with chain castles, yet. Again, in the mindset of simplicity, I did not add a dedicated battery for the windlass. I intend to always be running the diesel when weighing anchor so the alternator can do the hard work. I had the room to run large wires conveniently. Ease of back-up manual operation of the windlass was a main factor in selection of the windlass. I went with a Maxwell RC8-8 and have been pleased with it. My only complaint is that it is actually a little too fast. Doesn't matter so much for anchoring, but it would be easier to use the capstain if it was slower. I may just need some more practice.
Anyway - installation:

I started by removing the hatch and molded anchor locker tray. There is a stagger/ offset in the forward bulkhead. Normally the anchor tray float above this, but with the pan gone it's just headliner. So I shelved that with plywood and then glassed it over. The foot switches sit above this shelf. In retrospect, adding a zipper to the headliner and leaving the gap open would have been better for accessing the under-deck wire connections.



I then added plywood reinforcement for the windlass itself. The bottom layer of plywood had to be split in order to be installed. Each half is through bolted with the stanchion bases, and then tabbed with fiberglass to the hull. I wrapped the seam with fiberglass, and then epoxy laminated additional layers of plywood on top, eventually matching the curvature of the deck hatch above.

Then it was just a matter of reinstalling the deck hatch after drilling holes through for the windlass and foot switches. I added a tray in the bottom of the locker to keep some air under the rode. The whole thing just drains into bilge, but so far has stayed very clean and dry. We use a bucket and brush to scrub the chain and rode as it comes in. Some dry deck material separates and protects the portion of the wire run inside the chain locker.



The rest of the wire run is under the v-berth, hanging locker, and settee on starboard, right back to the batteries by the nav station. The solenoid and wireless remote controller are under the v-berth where it's dry. The breaker for the windlass is next to the main battery switch.




Then it was just a matter of sealing up the hatch. I used construction adhesive because that's what was available to me at the time, and it's held up fine so far.



We anchored 30 nights out of the 60 we were out that summer and the windlass has performed flawlessly.
I don't think we've ever used the wireless remote but it's a nice option to have, just in case.