www.iFourWinns.com

Well, doesn't look like anyone here has much experience with electric winches so far....

Here's a link to one with a couple of reviews. I'm assuming fresh water boating, but there are other models that are salt-water models...
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Trac-Lite-Cruiser-Freshwater-10k-Electric-Trailer-Winch-with-Cover&i=81104&r=view&from=grid&review=1
I like the key fob concept....

Also, one of these for the person on land:
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Winch-Hook-Attaching-Device&i=35866&aID=603B4&merchID=4006

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

Yes--this is the one I saw and was looking at. I like the key fob idea as well.

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Norris Lake, Stardust Marina, Andersonville, TN
2005 Four Winns 230 Horizon 5.7L Volvo Gi/DP
2001 Maxum 1900SR 5.0L V8 (Sold)
2011 Nissan Armada Platnum

And here's a grab-bag of positive and not so positive reviews on that model:

http://reviews.cabelas.com/8815/020233/trac-electric-trailer-winches-reviews/reviews.htm

http://reviews.basspro.com/2010/104354/trac-outdoor-lite-cruiser-electrical-trailer-winch-reviews/reviews.htm

Erik

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

Have you ever tried to go to Twin Cove marina. Thats where I put mine in at, not too bad for my size but anything bigger than a 25 footer I'd go to the state park dam. Road going back to twin cove gets a little tricky if there is a lot of folks on it, a couple of narrow spots.

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1990 Four Winns Horizon 200
2005 GMC Sierra

Twin Cove is our home marina and where we normally launch unless we are renting a house somewhere else on the lake. It is pretty good until they start dropping the lake level in the late summer/early fall.

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Norris Lake, Stardust Marina, Andersonville, TN
2005 Four Winns 230 Horizon 5.7L Volvo Gi/DP
2001 Maxum 1900SR 5.0L V8 (Sold)
2011 Nissan Armada Platnum

Well, I'm the guy that was having trouble retrieving the boat, bending about 1 winch per season. Yes, she launched no problem because you can back in all you want till she floated. Retrieving was different, if you backed in too much the rear ended floated left and right, made for a fun day at the ramp. I had a power winch rc30, tried to sell it here but ended up giving it away. It came with a cable, which I wouldn't recommend. They will fray and then rip your hands to shreds... So, moral of the story, i'm back to manual winch and I just make sure I have someone with me to help put her up so I can power it up as much as possible... plus back in enough and hope she stays put.

To answer your initial question, I have an electric winch on our Sundowner. The boat weighs 5,000 lbs and I have a disabled right arm. I got the Power Winch RC 23 in 2006. It has power in and you must release a clutch to free the mechanism to spool out. Here is what I like about it: 1) it is far stronger than I or my wife, 2) it uses a steel cable and I use the provided pulley and hook at the boat bow to double the pulling power (at half the speed), it has a remote control. There have been some issues with it. The cable does not wrap neatly when powering in and a tight cable can get pulled into the wrap making it difficult to unspool cable at a later time, the light at the top of the unit is too dim to be of any use, the manual switch was attached with glue and came off the unit (it has hung by the wires for several years), you need to unwrap the cable every so often and neatly rewrap and lubricate the cable, and worse of all it is somewhat difficult to pull out cable by hand even when the clutch is fully disengaged. This unit is not intended to hold the boat forward on the trailer while traveling so you need a safety chain and another strap to hold the bow on the trailer. The admiral loves it because she is backs the trailer into the water and winches the boat on the trailer while I stay on board and maneuver the boat onto the trailer. I will always have an electric winch on a boat this size.

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2006 Sundowner 255, 5.7 GXi, 320 hp
"Simply Irresistible"

Thanks Obie. Very helpful to have your insight.

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Norris Lake, Stardust Marina, Andersonville, TN
2005 Four Winns 230 Horizon 5.7L Volvo Gi/DP
2001 Maxum 1900SR 5.0L V8 (Sold)
2011 Nissan Armada Platnum