www.iFourWinns.com

I have the Maxwell Freedom windlass on my 278. Lately, the rope has been slipping as I am retrieving the anchor. I have tried to tighten the center top without it really fixing the problem. Has anyone else had this problem or know how to make it tighter on the rope?

_________________

2006 Vista 278
First Boat:
2005 Sundowner 205
Columbus, OH

Tightening the top should do it, unless its the wrong rope or its worn. The windlass should only be used to pull in the anchor, not pull the boat to the anchor.

_________________
2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225

Thanks, Fire. I do make sure to drive toward the anchoring point. Just seems like unless there is a little tension on the line, it slips easier. It could be the rope is worn too. It always slips on the rope where it is wet, never on the dry portion. Any ideas of the best places to buy rope and chain combo? I don't know sizing or anything and I know you have had a similar size boat to mine.

_________________

2006 Vista 278
First Boat:
2005 Sundowner 205
Columbus, OH

I bought line and chain from a place in Florida...either on eBay or a google search. I like at least 30' of chain and 200' of rope, which is not what my 268 came with. I never had a problem, but I had new ground tackle.

_________________
2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225

Break out the wallet, and get all chain.. I swapped out my old wore out road/chain for 200' of chain... Fed Ex gal loved me that day.. lol Makes, for me, a lot easier setting up, and doesn't require as much scope when anchoring..

_________________


2004 Four Winns 328 Vista
1997 Larson Cabrio 290 - sold
1988 Rinker Fiesta Vee 248 - sold

A 278 vs a 328 is a lot more weight and profile. A 278 with 30' chain and 200' of line should work. 200' of chain is a lot of weight, I am shocked it even came by FedEx. That is 200' of 5/8 chain is about 225lb if not more.

50' of chain on a 328 would be more in line.

Is 5/8" chain and 3/8" rope good for my 278? Just wondering because I want to make sure that I get some with a factory splice so it is smooth running into the windlass without a big catch where the two join.

_________________

2006 Vista 278
First Boat:
2005 Sundowner 205
Columbus, OH

Your windlass manual will state what will work. Don't be afraid to splice it yourself, I did mine with the help of YouTube videos. Fed through just fine.

_________________
2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225

Agreed, I certainly over did it, but, minus having to pay for it, I like what I have, and the weight, in my boat, didn't really change her floating profile noticeably.. I was mainly just saying it in jest..

The setup mine had before was abysmal.. They had maybe 150' of old, hard, stiff rode, and 5' to 10' at best of chain..

_________________


2004 Four Winns 328 Vista
1997 Larson Cabrio 290 - sold
1988 Rinker Fiesta Vee 248 - sold

Open up the windlass housing and there will be a couple of springs on the backside that create the tension on the teeth. You might need to replace them or jerry-rig them like I did.

_________________

Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

Yep! If your not sure, get your wife. Its just like braiding hair. You want to have 6 to 8" of braid. Than cut one strand do one or two more than cut the next. In other words, so it thins out gradually.

No need to buy new rope (unless you are a big water boater) because you can use the existing rope by switching ends. You probably only use 1/2 the existing rode anyway when anchoring out so the section that always stays in the anchor well should be in good shape. Here is a good website that shows you how to splice the rope to the chain: http://www.animatedknots.com/chainsplice/

_________________

Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

Yes, I could do that. The only problem is that i have a similar situation to what TFD was talking about. I probably have 10ft of chain and 50ft of rope. The rope looks like it is worn and even though there is clean and fresh line in the locker, it is not worth my time since it's so short anyway.

_________________

2006 Vista 278
First Boat:
2005 Sundowner 205
Columbus, OH

Hutch,
You might want to try replacing the pressure arm inside the windlass since they do wear out and might not grip a new rode also. I keep a spare one on board since they do just randomly break sometimes. Just remove the big nut on top,pull out the gypsy wheel and it installs very easily
http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1|2276108|2276145|2276149|2276152&id=797062

I used this place when replacing my anchor rode and they were great to deal with! Their 8 plait nylon rode works great in the Maxwell Freedom and I've had no jams with their chain either. Try their "build a rode" option.
http://www.secosouth.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SECO&Category_Code=anchor_rodes

Good luck,
Ben

_________________
Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

I missed the part about only having 50' of rope. That is a definite replacement then.

_________________

Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY