Slipping sheets
Q
I have two Maxwell 26 ST (self-tailing) winches for my headsail sheets. The sheets measure 13mm (they’re 15 years old, but still look OK), and the winches are suitable for sheets between 10-16mm, according to the specifications. The self-tailing ring holds/grips the rope OK when stationary, but when I start winching the rope pushes itself out of the ring, starting from where the rope leaves it (the tail end of the sheet) until it’s fully out of the ring and starts to slip. This means you can never winch with both hands as you always need one hand to keep a bit of tension on the sheet tail to keep it in the self-tailing ring. Do you know what’s causing this? MIKE
COATES REPLIES:
If I recall correctly, the Maxwell winches utilise a glass-filled, injectionmoulded material rather than cast metal for the rope tailing jaws.
There are a couple of possibilities: the small moulded up-stands on the jaws (used to grip the rope) could be slightly worn, allowing the rope to slip and work its way out of them when the sheet is under load. The other possibility is that the rope may have hardened through time due to a combination of age and salt build-up within the woven strands of the sheet, making it less resilient. If pre-soaking and washing the rope to remove salt deposits doesn’t help, trying a softer sheet material such as a 32strand braid-on-braid may help as it will flatten slightly when squeezed between the self-tailing jaws. Q
I have a Moody 30 dating back to 1976. The Autohelm was refitted after three years or more in dry storage. The control unit should match the heading of the boat’s compass, but when it came to the drive unit responding, the electric motor was whirring but the drive wheel and cone wouldn’t move. On examination, the cone and toothed driving wheel was stuck fast. I freed it up by gently using a pair of water pump pliers. After that, I could turn it by hand, but with some resistance. The electrics would not move it at all, using the dodge facility. To that end, could you advise me on what course of action I could take? The company who manufactured the unit (Nautech of Portsmouth) have been taken over by Raymarine, and I fear the unit is obsolete. Would Raymarine be able to repair it, do you think? CHRIS ELLERY REPLIES:
The unit you have is a AH3000 analogue with a barrel-shaped control unit, with a rotating compass rose to set the course. The drive unit you have, while used on three or four later units, has not been manufactured for some time, and service is unlikely. The current replacement would be an Evolution wheel pilot, which has a different drive unit with a internal drive belt. The drive transistors in your current control system are not man enough to drive this later wheeldrive, so your only option is to replace the system completely: and in any event, modern cockpit pilots are much more sophisticated and will steer your boat much more efficiently. Later models are the AH3000 micro, Micro3000 or ST3000.