Hello everyone My old Ideal windlass has unfortunetaly died after 23 years of service. It breaks the heart(and hurts the wallet). I've been looking into buying a new windlass, and found one up for sale. It's a Mako 1500 windlass, 12 volt. anyone have any experience with this model? I'm looking into this one because it's cheaper than buying a new Ideal. thanks in advance
I have never heard of a Mako windlass and would look to replace with a more mainstream brand. Your old ideal windlass is a workhourse and more likely then not can be rebuilt. What is the issue with the Ideal Windlass? I have had many of them rebuilt over the years or bought the parts to fix it.
Trust me when I say it's beyond repair. my captain and 2 specialists already tried to do what they could to fix it, but every piece is too rusted, and replacing all the pieces will be like buying a new windlass.
Manny I just bought a Maxwell R10 10 for my 50 Hatteras. I did a whole bunch of reading and asking around. List is around $2300 but after shopping the market, West Marine matched my best price from a reputable dealer & sold it to me for just under $1400. I looked at Maxwell, Lewmar, Ideal and several other decent brands.
Best choice IMHO! Again pay attention where you put the new windlass on the deck. I presume you already had a windlass on the boat, but assuming it was at the beginning of the bow-pulpit; if you check where the chain rolls into the chain locker, it's almost sure the chain will pile up under the windlass motor. The solution could be cut the wooden partition you find into the locker, to let the chain lie down freely. francesco
Manny, As I posted in the Viking thread, I recently replaced my old Ideal with a new one. Give them a call. You would be surprised at what they can rebuild and if you want a new one they will offer you a trade-in value for the old one. Really great company to deal with. I found that the new one required the least trouble for a replacement (ie new holes or fabrication).