Winch Reviews

Lewmar Winches
Lewmar has a history of developing high quality innovative marine products dating all the way back to 1946 when Len Lowery introduced the first dinghy fittings made of Tufnol. Joining forces with Leslie Marsh in 1950 led to the birth of the Lewmar Corporation and their next innovation: Novex blocks. In later years Lewmar was acquired by a company whose principal products were gearboxes for helicopters. Their growing expertise in gearbox design led the newly constituted Lewmar Corporation into winch design and manufacture for high end yachts. Today Lewmar is heavy in the boat industry, offering products that offer yachtsmen better control over their craft. Many feel that the aircraft technology that came to the company when it was acquired gives Lewmar winches a distinct technological advantage over their competitors. They offer standard winches, self-tailing winches, electric winches, hydraulic winches, and racing winches.

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Lewmar Standard Winches
These winches are available in different gear ratios to give you both one speed and two speed models. Single speed winches are available in sizes 6, 7, and 8 and come in a variety of finishes as well. Two speed winches come in sizes 16, 30, 40, and 44.

Lewmar Self-Tailing Winches
Although they are more expensive than standard winches, many avid sailors are avid proponents of self-tailing winches since they allow small tension adjustments to be made by a single crew member. Lewmar offers both one speed and two speed winches in a variety of sizes ranging from 14 to 65.

Lewmar Electric Winches
An electric winch is basically a self-tailing winch with a motor. Tension adjustments are made at the push of a button. An important consideration when buying an electric winch is the availability of a manual backup should the power fail. All Lewmar Electric Winches feature manual backups. They come in an E series or an ELS series based on level of control. ELS models have overload protection built into the control box. Models range from simple 12v winches for smaller boats all the way up to 3 speed models with ELS overload protection up to size 111.

Lewmar Hydraulic Winches
Hydraulic winches are suitable for larger boats where the installation of hydraulic systems to power the winch can be cost effective. Lewmar’s offerings include one speed and two speed models in a variety of sizes.

Lewmar Racing Winches
If you needed a demonstration of Lewmar’s commitment to world class sailing, here it is. They offer thirty three different models of racing winches, more than in any other style of winch they manufacture. And it’s all about the weight. Lewmar has studied the performance of winches used in America’s Cup and other World Class Racing Events and incorporated every possible weight-reducing feature into their racing winch design. In addition, technological design enhancemnets have been added to streamline and speed up winch operation. Although these racing winches can be very expensive, most passionate sailors will tell you they are well worth the investment.