Hi all
Just wondering if anyone has used Barton Winchers on non self tailing Winches and what do you think of them
www.bartonmarine.com/products-winches-and-winchers.asp
www.bartonmarine.com/pdf/Wincher%20fitting%20instructions%20-%20photo%20ver%202013.pdf
Mate, at $60 a pair they are probably worth trying but I just don't think the rubber collar is going to stand up to the marine environment.
If you want self tailing winches, and tell me who doesn't, I don't think you will find better than Andersen Winches.
Buy a pair of them, put them on your yacht but keep your old winches so you can put them back on when you sell the yacht.
Once you have owned Andersens you will never want to part with them.
andersenwinches.com/AW/
Do not even consider Lewmar self tailers. They are self jammers, not self tailers. I used one to haul a mate up his mast and he was stuck up there for an hour until I could get the line off it and onto another winch.
Absolutely the most ill conceived and worst designed piece of yachting hardware I have ever come across.
I need a couple myself. These things aint cheap! I wonder how the Australian made Hutton self tailing winches stack up against say the Andersen?
www.huttonwinches.com/
Select to expand quoteclaverton said..
I need a couple myself. These things aint cheap! I wonder how the Australian made Hutton self tailing winches stack up against say the Andersen?
www.huttonwinches.com/
They look to be a quality product and the lifetime guarantee is a plus. I suspect their ratchet/pawl system is the same as Barlow/Barient which is fiddley and can be troublesome. Also they look to be bronze but the bearings and a few other parts will be stainless which means a certain amount of electrolysis.
The Andersens I believe are 100% stainless and I know they have a completely different ratchet system which is better.
I am all for supporting Aussie manufacturers and the Huttons are worth checking out.
I have an Andersen 28 in my garage, so if I get a chance later today I will strip it down, photograph it and post the pics.
Hi Cisco
As much as I would like to replace my existing winches with self tailers my wife has told me I have spent enough on the boat for the time being 
When you look on other forums about the Barton Winchers the feedback seems about 75 percent positive and a lot of people seem to have been using them for a number of years so longevity doesn't seem to be a issue
The good thing about the existing winches is that they have cleats positioned behind them so after I sheet in I can normally put a turn around the cleat and it will hold but I thought that the Winchers might be another option 
Regards Don
Hi Donk107,
Yes mate, buying new winches is going to be a $2k to $3k exercise and disobeying she who must be obeyed could be a $200k to $300k exercise.
However keep a good eye on ebay and gumtree as bargains come up occasionally. This following example is an Andersen 28 two speed self tailer I picked up off ebay a few years ago for $250 virtually unused.
The 28 is an ideal halliard winch for a 30 to 35 footer or sheet winch for a 24 to 28 footer and retails new for around $1,100.
They are beautifully designed and constructed to fine tolerances, but no, they are not 100% stainless as I thought. The base column and gears are high quality bronze and the drum, bearings, input shaft, pawls and clips are stainless. The way they are put together makes them virtually indestructible though.
First pic. Completely disassembled.
Second pic shows the pawls which are similar to Barlow/Barient winches but the difference is what they are made of and their location in the drive train. Made from stainless, as is the input shaft and on the input shaft where the load is lowest on the smallest part of the winch ie the pawls.
Third pic. This is the complete base and central column which cannot be further disassembled with out detaching it from the yacht. The key is the cir-clip on the bottom side of the base which, when removed allows the input shaft to be extracted and gears to be removed.
Fourth pic. Hard to see but this is of the cir-clip under the base which needs to be carefully removed and replaced without bending it. Bend it or the ring with the pin welded onto it (at rear of first pic) and you wont be able to reassemble the winch without new ones.
Fifth pic. Top of the winch showing the line peeler and the screw that holds it in place. This screw needs to be very tight and using Loctite on it is probably a good idea. If it falls out the winch is virtually useless.
Sixth pic. This pic is of the complete winch and taken after I had reassembled the winch just so you know Cisco ain't no dill and you can do it too. The only tools needed are a stout screwdriver for the top screw, a fine screwdriver for the clips and a pair of pliers to rotate the input shaft when extracting and inserting it.
A fine piece of kit. When you own one or two, you would never sell them so don't ask me if I wan't to sell this one. I think it has a place reserved for it on the yacht in my forth coming future. It will happen in the next fortnight or not depending on price and condition. Watch this space.
Like Big Kev used to say "I'm excited!!!"
