Maxwell cray pot winch wiring

Anyone wired one of these up before.
I've got in my head to go straight from - on the battery to the winch (which will be on my starboard side)
Then + to a fuse then to the foot switch then to the winch...(I want the foot switch on the port side with the tipper)
I think that is right....But I want to put my foot switch into the side of the gunnel (permanent)to activate with my knee on the port side.
In that case I'd have to run wiring up the port side then back all the way around and up the starboard side. (Hope that makes sense)
Does anyone use the foot switch & if so is it portable or fixed....Maybe I could just run it up the starboard side as well & just make it portable with some flexible wire & put it in the gunnel or cabin when finished.
Any ideas would be appreciated......
Boats only 6.5mtr fibreglass.


z00m's picture

Posts: 1086

Date Joined: 10/05/14

 If you use a solenoid

Mon, 2015-08-31 13:39

 If you use a solenoid instead of straight to the switch you can low amp wiring to the switch where you want it and the heavy duty wiring to the winch/solenoid.

Posts: 169

Date Joined: 08/07/09

Cheers zOOm

Mon, 2015-08-31 15:07

Someone said use 15mm(sq)wire for winch.
Is this right & also what sort of solenoid can be used??
And what size low amp wire??
Cheers

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

zOOm has it right

Mon, 2015-08-31 15:36

 I'll be fitting a solenoid when I instal mine before the whites. It gives you the flexibility to put your controls wherever you want without worrying about voltage drop to the winch motor. I wasn't intending to use a foot switch--if you are using a solenoid you can use any type of switch as it doesn't need to be full load current rated, just enough to operate the solenoid coil. As to your other question, 15mm2 is good for around 50 amps over 4 metres without significant voltage drop? Maxwell winches draw 25 amps load current? Should be Ok, but just check with an auto sparkie first, IMO. You could actually use your direct battery isolator as a control on one side of the boat, and the switch to the solenoid on the other, giving you two options for control while winching. Solenoid won't be expensive, it just needs to be able to make/break at whatever the full load current of the winch is. Just make sure it has NO (normally open) contacts, not NC (normally closed).

Scotte's picture

Posts: 1142

Date Joined: 07/12/06

 Double j you can use 3mm

Mon, 2015-08-31 21:26

 Double j you can use 3mm from the switch to the solenoid . put  a 50amp circuit  breaker in between battery and solenoid.ive run my +to the isolator switch so its all off when i select off on the isolator. 

Posts: 169

Date Joined: 08/07/09

Cheers bud

Tue, 2015-09-01 05:53

Makes sense.
What sort of switch do you use and where is it located?

Scotte's picture

Posts: 1142

Date Joined: 07/12/06

 Get a foot  operated one so

Tue, 2015-09-01 11:39

 Get a foot  operated one so you can  keep your  hands free for working as youll need to keep a bit of tension  on the rope at the start. 

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

Depends how you use the capstan.

Tue, 2015-09-01 16:41

 I'd be starting it before the pot is grappled, using tension on/tension off for slip, rather than stopping it altogether when you need to do something like flip the pot over before it comes over the tipper. Do you stop/start the actual capstan every time you need to do something like that? I'd only actually be shutting off when the pot is landed or you F8ck up and overwrap

Scotte's picture

Posts: 1142

Date Joined: 07/12/06

Yeah so how do you control

Tue, 2015-09-01 18:33

I like the  foot  control and yeah stop/ start the winch if i need to

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

I learnt my deck skills on capstans you couldn't stop

Tue, 2015-09-01 18:42

 Direct drive winches, drop the rope in, pot comes up, when it's almost on the tipper, whip it out of the winch and throw a couple of turns on the capstan to pull it over the tipper. Pulling force of capstans are designed to be regulated two ways--by the number of turns you have on, and the weight you are pulling into it yourself. Stop pulling on it, and unless you have too many turns around it, it'll simply stop pulling. It will just happliy turn within the loops you have on it. If you are referring to how do you actually get it to bite the first time without the risk of tangling (overwrapping) , take a half turn around the capstan, pull in the slack, then, when the slack is taken up, throw your loops over and proceed as above. Guessing you work with three turns? Any more and too  much risk of overwrap. Or two turns? Very easy to control, but less pull.

Even with the strong hydraulic winches with speed/directiion control we had later on, your strongest pull was actually still at the capstan. Hydraulics would have a relief valve, pot was snagged you'd work on that going around, but, if it came to where you wanted to snap it off, four turns on the capstan would do it. More mechanical advantage obviously, smaller diameter  vs the large diameter of the plates.

So you turn it on/off every time you need a change of speed, ie turning it right way up, coming past the point of balance on the tipper?

Scotte's picture

Posts: 1142

Date Joined: 07/12/06

 Basically how it works is

Tue, 2015-09-01 19:44

 Basically how it works is get rope  wrap around capstan  twice press on foit control while leaning back on gunnel.pot usually comes up right way  around i find must have something to do with weights added  into the bottom. Pull it straight only the tipper and mate  would flip it up we would the put pot on floor  remove the back ,tip out all the crays. Sort  crays then back in with that  pot ...were only running 4 pots for a feed not pros like yourself 

ranmar850's picture

Posts: 2702

Date Joined: 12/08/12

Mine will be for amateur nowadays of course.

Wed, 2015-09-02 07:42

 I have it in my  mind how it will work with an electric capstan on a small boat, reality may be different. Having the ability to stop start on a switch may change my perception. It'll have to be better than the Honda-driven job a mate has on the transom of his old Westerberg--it is mounted horizontally and is prone to tangling, which means you have to kill the motor. The motor went htrough a phase last whites when it would not restart after stopping at sea. Have a look at a video I did of it --you can hear me say."....I'm getting an electric winch" when it was tangled and his brother couldn't stop the motor

vimeo.com/114474040