No matter if you are a novice or an experienced seafarer, the deck of the boat has important equipment and devices to help navigate, stay safe, and perform efficiently on the water. We will look at the two most important of these components: the winches on boats, and the windlass.
Winches are used to handle ropes and wires. They work by spinning the rope or wire on a drum on a horizontal axis. Winches are usually powered by electric or hydraulic motors. Find out more about boat equipment works by completing a RYA Day Skipper Course from solentboattraining.co.uk/rya-sailing-courses/rya-day-skipper-practical-sailing
Ships can have winches mounted for specific purposes. Winches are used for mooring, which is why they are usually mounted on the decks of the ship. Work winches are likely to be fitted on tug boats, offshore vessels like seismic survey craft and offshore vessels. These vessels are often used for heavy duty work.
The windlass is an additional instrument that can be found on the decks of ships and boats. This lifting device, which is usually located near the mooring wings or integrated into them, can be used to lower and raise the anchors in sync with the bow stopper or chain.
The chain is fed from the anchor, through the hosehole tube and then over the lifting device. It ends in the chain locker where the tip of the chain is attached. The lifting device can be driven by an electrical motor or hydraulic motor. It also has a clutch and brake that are available for different operations. Anchoring can be done in two ways: either by walking back or going forward. Before anchoring, the chain must be unfastened from the bow stopper.