Cray Pot Winch Install

 Howdy

Another year older so I am considering a pot winch rather than pulling pots by hand this year. I want to permanently mount in the gunnel so capstan rather than something like a stress free. Only issue is the gunnels on my reef runner aren't that wide. Just wandering if anyone has installed a capstan style pot winch on a reef runner or similar without mods other than the install holes. Gunnels at best are about 115mm wide. I would expect to have to put some sort of reinforcing underneath but if I have to modify above I am not that iterested. I'll just get more deckies. 

I would appreciate any pics anyone can pm me of a similar install. I was looking at the Muir VC650 which strangely seems to have a smaller footprint that the VC500 unless thats a typo.

Cheers Mick


Westy74's picture

Posts: 225

Date Joined: 23/11/13

 Pmd you 

Sat, 2016-10-08 20:09

 Pmd you 

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

have a look at this

Sun, 2016-10-09 10:17

 I have a Swiftcraft Dominator, and, as with your Reefrunner, I had the usual fibreglass hull problem of narrow gunwhales . This is the thread where i detailed how I went around it. To update, the system has wortked perfectly, I made mine easily removeable as i don't need it for atleast half the year. When removed, all you can see are some S/S bolt heads and washers where the mounting and cable entry holes are. As for the winch, I don't know if you can go past the Anchormax, i have seen these last for ten years on a boat which was pulling pots all the season.

fishwrecked.com/forum/craypot-winch-2

Posts: 256

Date Joined: 13/08/11

Check out this guys work,

Mon, 2016-10-10 17:41

Check out this guys work, really well made tippers and he does custom mods as well have a look at photo 5 and 6 in his pics might be just what you are after.

 

www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bayswater/boat-accessories-parts/cray-pot-tippers/1091330684

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

People who use foot switches don't understand capstans!

Mon, 2016-10-10 18:01

 I'm referring to the above Gumtree ad where it shows a bloody great aluminium contraption which no doubt conceals the foot switch that comes with the Anchormax capstans. A capstan obtains drive by friction--you pull on the end of the rope, it tightens, and pulls the pot up. You release pressure, capstan spins happily under the rope, pot stops coming up. Simple. Repeat after me--I do not need more shit on the deck to trip over !!!! Jeez.

BTW, Anchormax are great capstans and the tipper design in the ad looks fine, apart frommbeing  too narrow in the roller department .

Posts: 256

Date Joined: 13/08/11

I understand capstans worked

Thu, 2016-10-13 09:12

I understand capstans worked on trawlers, crayboats, mulie boats, shark boats, fish trap boats, fish trawlers, Oil and gas work boats and superyachts for many years however they were hydraulic driven and not 12V. The foot pedal is awesome and as far as the roller goes I have never had an issue with it, being narrower increases its strength. But each to their own. I have owned one of these tippers for 2 seasons now and would not hesitate in recommending them to anyone.

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

Can't see the difference between hydraulic and electric.

Thu, 2016-10-13 11:41

 Hydraulic gives you speed control which can be useful when finessing, but with the 12v it's either on or off. On the crayboats we used the capstan when you wanted to apply max pressure to a snagged/buried pot. if your pressure relief was set properly, you would take four turns on the capstan if you needed the come- here -right- now -or- snap -off option. More pull than with the plates. I've also worked with direct drive winches where you pulled the rope out of the running winch as the marker came over the tipper and threw a couple of turns on the capstan to pull the pot over.  So thats the same as working with electric direct drive. Wheres the advantage in stopping and starting an electric drive when you don't need to? If you keep weight on the rope from your end, you are starting that electric motor under load, which will shorten its life. You have to keep one foot planted at all times,which may be difficult when it is sloppy, you have something in the way on the deck,and craypots and pleasure boats of any size don't mix well for deck space. You have more electrical connections to waterproof and maintain. I can see how people who are not confident/ new to it could use one--the only scenario i can see where it would be of any possible benefit is if you manage to over-wrap and tangle,  where you need to stop immediately. if your capstan height is correct with regards to your tipper roller height, this should never happen. And if it did, the isolator key to the solenoid is right by my right hip where I stand when winching. it is turned on as I pull the floats over the tipper, goes off once the pot is landed. 

I am only stating all this for the benefit of those who are going to buy a winch for the first time, to explain that there are options to having one of those things cluttering up your deck. If it works for you, fine.

My reasoning on the roller being too narrow is this. I bought a tipper with a 100mm roller like the one in the picture. Because the roller is too narrow,as you are bringing the pot up you get to a point where you are choking down on the bridle, trying to squeeze it down --the bridle gets wider as it gets closer to the roller, and you are creating rapidly increasing friction which really loads your winch up. This means you have to then pull the tipper over before the front frame gets almost level with the roller, which puts you at a distinct mechanical disadvantage. In other words, you have to pull on the tipper a lot harder because you are way outside of your point of balance.

Of course, if you are using those plastic pots, or  small lightly ballasted pensioner pots, none of this matters much. But if you are using full size pots with plenty of ballast, it really matters. I've bought a 250mm roller to have mine modified for. Strength? We had 16 or 19 mm stainless pins on our pro tippers and never had an issue. Mine will have a 16mm pin. I dolike the look of those tippers, as long as they are done with thickwalled tube, just believe those 100mm rollers are a basic mistake on any tipper.