Welcome to the Hatteras Owners Forum & Gallery. Sign Up or Login

Enter partial or full part description to search the Hatteras/Cabo parts catalog (for example: breaker or gauge)
+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 20
  1. #1

    Galley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    My windlass is wired to power up and down at the bridge. I read somewhere that the galley maid windlass is not designed to power down all the time due to a thrust bearing issue. Can anyone confirm this or shed some light?
    Last edited by oceanjake; 04-02-2018 at 06:30 PM.

  2. #2

    Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    When I was reading my owners manual it stated to never lower the anchor by using the down function of the windlass. Galley maid states to loosen up the clutch bolt and let the anchor free fall.
    Looking for a 80 plus foot yacht
    Hatteras of Cheoy Lee

  3. #3

    Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    Were Valley Maid windlasses made by or for Valley girls ? :-)

    I read that Galley Maid omitted to thrust bearing to get around the Ideal patent but it was a pretty simple job to retrofit a thrust bearing. I would recommend pulling your entire windlass apart for inspection an service. My Ideal was seized a total mess. It's being completely rebuilt locally as we speak and some preventative maintenance by the PO's would have saved it.

    Rebuild cost down here is $1,200 including R&R, re-welded and powder coated gear case but no chroming. I would have preferred the Shaffer/ Ideal rebuild but the shipping and border crossing would have been a pain.

  4. #4

    Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    Valley Maid, galley wench...all the same, right? iPhone spellcheck. Tough crowd! My windlass is freshly rebuilt, repainted, looks and operates as new so I’m just really trying to keep it that way. Too bad I need to come down to solo anchor. Maybe I should invest in a remote for Glendinning controls if I’m going to be standing around up there dropping the hook.

  5. #5

    Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    I preferred investing in a Galley Wench myself.
    George
    Former Owner: "Incentive" 1981 56MY
    2007-2014

  6. Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    Quote Originally Posted by GJH View Post
    I preferred investing in a Galley Wench myself.


  7. #7

    Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    Quote Originally Posted by oceanjake View Post
    Valley Maid, galley wench...all the same, right? iPhone spellcheck. Tough crowd! My windlass is freshly rebuilt, repainted, looks and operates as new so I’m just really trying to keep it that way. Too bad I need to come down to solo anchor. Maybe I should invest in a remote for Glendinning controls if I’m going to be standing around up there dropping the hook.
    Might not be too hard to add the thrust bearing. The Glenndinning remote would be sweet! you could dock from the dock :-)

  8. #8

    Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    I inquired about powering down on this forum under "anchor line" subject a month or two ago. I got a lot of useful info from fellow members and acted on one valuable suggestion. That is to 1st know if your gearbox has or does not already have a down thrust washer/bearing.

    After calling Rick at Galley Maid, he asked .... "Is the gearbox round or square in shape?" Mine is round and that means (as far as I understand) that it is a newer model. That also means the gearbox does not have a down thrust washer/bearing unless a prior owner reworked it. What tipped me off and to further investigate is that without a load, the windlass ran faster in the up mode than in the down mode. It's because there is a thrust bearing on one end of the input shaft, but not on the other end. A metal to metal thing goin on ....

    Rick offered helpful advise on how to remove the gearbox as so to have a bearing installed. It's fairly easy, just getting into my rode locker was the hardest part .... oh wait, getting out was a bitch too ! Anyway, what I did was drained the 90W gear oil, removed the motor and zip-tied it up so it wouldn't hang on the wires. Then removed the eight 5/16 bolts holding the lower part of the gearbox. Rick said to be prepared, as it may very well just drop off without any effort, and mine did.

    The 1st of two options was to remove the input shaft with the worm gear on it and have a machine shop resurface it to make room for the thickness of a thrust bearing. I opted for the 2nd option which was to box it up, and send it to someone who does this often.

    Shipping UPS to Galley Maid in Okeechobee, Fl from CT was just about $60 each way. You'd be better off calling Rick for an estimate for the machining and bearing install, but I spent about the same for the rework as I did forthe shipping. Not too bad, in my opinion.

    I'm in no position to advise on any other's situation, I'm just commenting on mine.
    I'd suggest calling Rick with the model and serial number to know if you need this rework first. Then decide if you want to spend the jing, get bruised up and smelly from that distinct odor of 90W gear oil.
    If you go forward as I did, all you need to bring into the rode locker is a 1/2" ratcheting (or not) box wrench and a heavy duty zip tie or two. Oh, another back saver was that I laid a big-ass fender in the locker to cushion if ever so slightly the pain. If you are near southern CT, you can have the wood box I made to ship with.

    When reinstalling, I ditched the 5/16 bolts and I used locktite on some 5/16 studs from McMaster-Carr #98750A039 into the gearbox. This made it a lot easier and helped to keep the new gasket in place too. Also, Rick said I had to space the motor out just the thickness of a 5/16 flat washer because the input shaft protruded more than prior to the thrust bearing, which is about the same thickness. For that reason, I used 4 studs there too.

    Good luck with the project and sorry for the lengthy reply.

    Best, JJG

  9. #9

    Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    From your comments, does that mean if you have a square gear box that it comes with the thrust bearing for down operation? John
    Mahalo V
    1974 53 Motoryacht
    Hull Number 406
    San Diego, Ca. Ready 32 Nordic Tug, Brunswick Ga.

  10. #10

    Re: Valley maid windlass...power down or free fall?

    Scarlett,

    That's what I gather. I'm in no position to state that as a fact, because I am not a Galley Maid tech. As I said in my prior post, I'd suggest calling Galley Maid with the model and serial number to be sure. They are very accommodating.

    JJG

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts