Lewmar Windlass Corrision

[Brian B]

I went to drop anchor today and the windlass would not work, after trouble shooting the electrical system I came to the conclusion that the problem was internal. I removed the side cover held on by 6 hex head screws and found the inside to be full of salt as shown in the pic. Bearings were frozen and the motor is completely shot. The two halves of the case were apparently sealed with a white silicone that failed. This unit is 7 years old, warranty is 5 years. I have read some reviews online complaining about this exact issue. I would recommend for preventive maintenance that the side cover be removed to see what is happening inside before it is too late. There are YouTube videos on the disassembly/rebuild procedure which can be somewhat complicated.

 

[Brian B]

I went to drop anchor today and the windlass would not work, after trouble shooting the electrical system I came to the conclusion that the problem was internal. I removed the side cover held on by 6 hex head screws and found the inside to be full of salt as shown in the pic. Bearings were frozen and the motor is completely shot. The two halves of the case were apparently sealed with a white silicone that failed. This unit is 7 years old, warranty is 5 years. I have read some reviews online complaining about this exact issue. I would recommend for preventive maintenance that the side cover be removed to see what is happening inside before it is too late. There are YouTube videos on the disassembly/rebuild procedure which can be somewhat complicated.

My new windlass arrived today. Lewmar apparently has addressed the corrosion issue with a thick black gasket between the two halves of the unit, the wires coming out of the bottom are also sealed well.
I got a great price and free shipping on this at Wake Zone Marine, best price I found online.