Keep us posted, Karl. I'm probably about 3 weeks behind you on the same project. My windlass must be a slightly different model, as my capstan was not keyed.
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Keep us posted, Karl. I'm probably about 3 weeks behind you on the same project. My windlass must be a slightly different model, as my capstan was not keyed.
I just pulled my windlass to have it converted to chain. GalleyMaid just sent it back and I received it yesterday. Anyway...if you have a line only model (BB), it is slightly different than the line and chain model (BBHW).
On the BB model there are no holes for the manual wrench on top. Just remove the top bolt and slide off the capstan. You will see two snap rings--these do not need to come off. I just loosened the bolts from underneath and then used a length of 2" pipe to fit over the shaft. Take a long handled sledge hammer and hit that pipe to drive the windlass down through the deck plate.
Luckily since my boat has always been stored under cover, I don't have any soft spots to deal with, but my new deck plate is 2" bigger in diameter and I will now have 6 bolts instead of four holding it in. So....I'll have to drill new holes and maybe make up a new shim block for the under side.
What should I do about the old holes? They'll be covered, but I think I should seal them and maybe fill them with something.
I would soak them with a penetrating epoxy like Smith's CPES to prevent water from wicking into the wood, then fill them with 5200. Also bed the entire area well with polysulfide caulk. Snug the bolts finger tight when you first install them, then tighten them with a wrench the following day, once the caulk has set up. This gives you a gasket-like effect.
.... ok, now I'm a bit stuck.
My windless is an Ideal, Model AACW12-5
Got the entire top part of it apart ok, capstan, gypsy, etc. Below, I loosened up the bolts - but she won't move.
So what am I missing? I see nothing holding it on the top, and nothing holding it on the bottom.
Can't find Ideal any more in Riviera Beach either - are they still there?
Gotta get it out in order to get the pulpit off, of course...
Ideal is in East Greenwich, RI. Phone there is (401) 884-2550. I found them very helpful. They faxed me the schematic for my unit. On mine, I had to drive screwdrivers between the underdeck plate and the underside of the deck. It was well caulked in place.
By the way, if you get creative, and try to lighten the unit by removing the motor which mounts horizontally off the side of the underdeck unit, you'll find it is full of heavy messy (in my case very rusty) machine oil. Would you like to know how I found out? Yecchhh.
... they told me how they go together.
BTW, here's an interesting thing - they swear mine (from the way its together) is a Galley Maid, but the data plate clearly says "Ideal"!
Apparently, according to Ideal, there have been some hijinks going on between the companies with regards to stealing designs and such....
Fun fun!
I couldn't believe it when Rick @ GalleyMaid told me to hit it with a sledge hammer, but that was the only way it was coming out. It had rust holding the case to the deck plate and 5200 filling the hole from top to bottom. It also had 5200 in and around the lower shim block. You just have to be careful not to hit the top bearing and seal. Use a piece of pipe to slide over the shaft so that the pipe only makes contact with the housing, then whack it. I even welded a plate on the top of the pipe that I used to make for a nice even surface to strike.
On mine, "Ideal Windlass, East Greenwich, RI" was actually cast into the unit (the capstan, if my memory serves me).
... its CAST into the deck plate, AND the lower housing (in the chain locker)
Nonetheless, Ideal SWEARS they did not make it, by the model number on the data plate. They also identified (correctly) the difference in the way the base plate is keyed - they say theirs is pinned, and Galley Maid's is keyed.
Mine is keyed.
I'm going to go over there and see if I can identify the separation between the two pieces, and figure out what I need to put over the top to get the purchase to whack it, along with liberally spraying PB Blaster on the joint.
There's an O-ring seal around the shaft which I'm sure will need replaced, but I definitely don't want to damage that area.