A unique schooner like Wolfhound needed a unique windlass. Many options were considered but in the very end it was decided to build a full custom version. The bow of any boat is the “face” of the ship and often makes the first impression at the dock. A windlass, very much like deck winches and deck fittings, often tells quite a bit of when the boat was built. It also has to be very simple, very reliable, and have a manual back-up mode of operation that actually works.

The idea started when the team at Absolute found an old windlass from a 1920’s fishing schooner in a Portuguese scrap yard. It was the “real thing”, the right size for Wolfhound, and it looked so genuine that it became irresistible to use it as a model for the ABSOLUTE WOLFHOUND WINDLASS that was to become out of it.

This windlass meets all the requirements and as all heavily loaded gear on a large yacht needs to be operated by crew that are properly trained in safely handling this type of equipment. It takes two to four strong crew members, with big biceps, to operate manually.

After 90 years of use and weather & wind exposure the original one was so deteriorated that it would have been hard to restore it. Instead it was decided that a new one would be built using the original cast iron parts a male plugs for a full bronze winch with some enhancements to accommodate for both manual mode and an add-on hydraulic motor. Each anchor and the full length of chain of 200 meters weighs two metric tons (2,000 Kg) if fully deployed on Wolfhound. For this reason a hydraulic motor is added in a non-obtrusive way. This became a must for practical day-to-day operation of the ground tackle. The shafts are machined in stainless steel for durability. The new windlass in bronze will easily outlast the vessel, which if well taken care of, will be around 100 years from now. It is “built to last” the old-fashion way.

In the series of pictures below the original windlass is shown, then the making of the male plugs, the making of the sand cast molds, the casting process, the machining of the parts, and lastly the preliminary assembly of the winch. The winch will now be fine-tuned and adjusted over the next week and then shipped to Graafship where it will be bolted onto the deck plate that has been prepared for this winch. Enjoy these pictures of this wonderful piece of gear that looks like the interior of a giant Swiss watch.