R23 lewmar windlass failure

[Don55]

My lewmar windlass on my 1 year old R-23 has stopped working. When I press the switch I can hear the contact relay but the windlass doesn’t move. Is it normal for a windlass to fail after only one year? A friend says buying a new windlass will be cheaper than troubleshooting and repair. Never had a windlass on my sailboat. Any thoughts as to how I should proceed?

 

[scross]

Not sure about windlass wiring on the R23 but on our R25 Classic the windlass inop is due to forgetting to turn on the main thruster battery rotary switch or from not turning on the DC rocker switch at the helm DC panel.

 

[Kimberly Dawn]

Went out to check my 2019 R27-OB, same generation and style as your R23, verified thruster battery was off (as it usually is), and operated windlass from rocker switch at the helm. It had power from house battery... bow switches likewise operational. There is a 70 amp thermal breaker behind the helm dashboard, accessed from head.

I would check with RT tech to discuss problem if your dealer is not "hearing" you.

Bob
The Doghouse 2

 

[Ernie]

Sounds like it’s getting power
Maybe you just need to tighten the clutch
Use the handy windlass wrench that came with the boat

 

[linedoctor]

Did make sure the big windless breaker behind the helm didn’t trip? You’ll still get a relay click if the breaker is thrown, but your windless won’t work.

 

[Salish Seaker]

The one item that was not working after taking delivery of our 2018 R23 was the windlass solenoid. Same symptoms. Factory changed it out and all fixed. We thought it was strange that this needed to be replaced right off the bat but maybe this is common with this brand windlass?

 

[gsc3]

Last week had windlass fail on our 2016 Cutwater 24 "Sojourner". The electric motor in the windlass was dead. Got a replacement motor from Defender for about $125. Found that the dead motor was badly corroded internally, although the seals seemed OK. Don't know how salt water got into the motor. It took me a day to dismount the windlass, open it up, replace the motor, close it up, and remount it. Now it works fine!

Slade Cargill, Longboat Key, FL