Quick Prince DP2 windlass

[kmoose]

Originally Posted by Terry England

Mike, Don't clutter the bow of that pretty little Powder Blue SeaFari up with a bunch of stuff you don't need. It ain't a Parker barge! Your'er not going to be fishing over 50' deep - get a plow or wishbone anchor on a swivel and an anchor ball. Throw it out in the morning, drag it around behind you all day and pick it up at night. Lots of rock piles off of Hernando, Bud. Martin, Kmoose and I don't cott'in to no wash down pumps or anchor winches! Don't clutter your life up with sh!t to fix - go fish'in instead.

Terry is spot on with this. There is always an attraction to add nice options on the cheap but even if it is free there is a cost. I am certainly not one to preach against gadgets and gizmos with buttons and lights but over the years I have discovered exactly what Terry is stating. Anything you hook to the battery is something else to maintain and repair. That said, it better be worth the effort and provide comparable reliability as manual options. That is a rare attribute for many things on a boat that run on dc power.

If you had a 35' cabin cruiser a windless may be a viable option to pull a heavy hook and rode if you didn't want to interrupt martini time with some lady friends on the back deck but for our boats a good small Fortress with 15' of stainless chain, small anchor ball and a milk crate borrowed from the back of a grocery store will serve you well for all your anchoring needs in a much quicker and maintenance free package. Save the money for a good gps plotter and sounder. Terry and I will make sure you have plenty of spots to put on it.