I'm afraid that I've reached the age where winching the boat on tight is a real chore. I am looking into electric winches and would like to know what people can tell me about the best brand, type, etc. I also need to know how it is wired into your vehicle's 12 Volt system. My boat is only 16' with a 90 HP motor so I would guess that it's no more than 2500 lbs. fully loaded.
Have you looked at the two-speed manual winches? Typical winch is 4:1 and a decent two-speed runs about 16:1 on the 2nd range. Basically 1/4 the effort for the same force.
An electric winch is kind of a pain to wire. You can use alligator clips and hook to a battery every time or run heavy wiring to your truck battery, but you’ll need a second, high current connector to hook up.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
I purchased the Fulton 7.0 electric winch for my 18 ft. Aluminum boat. It was a $700.00 project! I thought the winch would bolt right up. Custom made aluminum plate. Decided to have a portable dedicated battery for it! I’m glad I did! I had a major electrical problem that was covered under warranty on my tow vehicle. If I tapped into the vehicle’s battery they probably would have said that was the issue. I used the factory length of wire that was provided with the winch. I left about 6” of wire at the winch with a Anderson connector. And I used the other 4 1/2 feet at the battery with the matching connector. I leave the battery in the back of my vehicle so I don’t worry if someone would steal it. I also took the handle off the manual winch and welded a 5/16 socket to it for a back up. Bottom line - Worth every penny!!
I've installed several electric winches. I have tapped into the boats cranking battery, the tow vehicles battery, and a separate battery. Depending on the length of wire used will depend on wire size. Be sure and breaker accordingly. Personally, I don't like them. They get their power through the gears and not through the strength of the motor. If you don't keep the gears greased, it will burn the little motor up. Remember, when you're pulling dead weight onto the runners, the effective weight is substantially more then dry weight.
John
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Why not drive the boat up to the roller? Never in forty years have I had to winch a boat up to the roller.
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Many places don’t allow it.Originally Posted by pavi69
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
Are you saying you cannot idle your boat onto the trailer? Not power loading. I can get a running start and cut the engine and have the boat coast up to the roller.
I have used my troll motor to take the boat to the roller when the engine would not run. Just have to put the trailer deeper.
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Most boats will end up sitting on a fender if you do that. Even being 6” too deep will keep many rigs from sitting squarely on the bunks.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
My Skeeter. Terrible boat to load if not power loading. The front of my boat will go under the roller if you put it in deep enough to do what you are saying. Now my Triton was no problem. Just coast right up to the roller. My Skeeter sucks.
Don,t get one from a farm store. Went through two in three trips. Were even marketed as boat trailer winch. Only good for a little Jon boat.
Get a two-speed Fulton. In low gear, it is a beast. I was shocked how well it worked and now effortlessly I could crank my boat up the last foot or so the first time I used it.
Thanks for the input guys - here is PA we fish a lot of smaller lakes that don't allow a gas motor to be used and the ramps are not the best. Loading the boat can be a real chore, and winding that last couple of feet is a real bitch once you get older. Based on your feedback, I think I'll go to the Fulton 2-speed winch.
That's what I did this year. Got the Fulton 2 speed and it makes a big difference. It's better than my original winch at regular speed and when I put it in low, it's really easy to winch the boat up.
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