At the beginning of June, I hurt my shoulder grinding my halyard winch. Bursitis, plain and simple. It improved and my doc told me to find a “mechanical assist for winch grinding”. All of you guys gave me various insights into a “WinchRite” and a Milwaukee 28 volt drill with a Winch Bit. No one recommended a powered winch or a bigger winch. They would have bankrupted me, anyway, and I don’t like powered winches. I am in Toronto, using Canadian Monopoly money. The WinchRite costs $1300.00 up here, seems to average 4 years before a time-consuming and costly repair and produces around 1140 inch-pounds of torque. It does a fine job but…
The Milwaukee drill is heavy as all-get-out and big. It and the Winch Bit would cost around $900.00 up here. It produces almost the same amount of torque. I ended up with a hi-quality h-torque HILTI drill. It’s small, very well-warrantied, built totally for the trade and the whole she-bang cost me, with the Winch Bit, $500.00 up here. You purchase this stuff in a HILTI store. It produces 1062 inch-pounds of torque. It came with a 110 volt charger, a fully-adjustable handle and a “small” battery. I have used it 12 times and the battery still displays “FULL”. No recharges yet. It gets the new, stiff sail on my N22 up in 9 seconds, with a very TIGHT luff.
This drill is a pure drill - not an impact drill or a hammer drill - just a drill. BTW - This purchase gives me a wonderful drill as well as a winch grinder. and, it’s safe - it will stop upon meeting too much resistance and not spin around the winch.
The product is a HILTI SF 10W - A22.
Also, a buddy of mine welded me up a HUGE extension winch handle, giving me a 26" handle. Ungainly, yes, but wonderful when you need a hard, half-turn. The drill is called “The Enforcer” and the extension handle, “The Persuader”. These toys make a big difference to slightly older shoulders (and backs and necks).
Shall keep this in mind for a few years from now. Now if I can find something for that manual anchor winch…
Alan & Tracy
Corvus, NS30C #216
Ashbridges Bay, Toronto
Thanks for the pix. I am interested, and I appreciate your research.
If you have the time, I have a few questions that need answering. Perhaps you already have the answers to some of them, and I am sure Hilti can provide info too regarding charging.
What is the clearance you need above the winch? I sail with a dodger up all the time. It would be a pain to drop it to raise the sail.
In operation, I assume you need one hand to hold the drill handle attachment, one hand to tail. So if you sail alone as I do, the winch is operated by a lock switch on the trigger? Stopping it sounds as it might be a challenge.
I know you have not charged it yet, but… Do you think a modified sine wave inverter would charge it off the dock? Or only a true wave inverter? I cruise for weeks at a time and need to be independent of shore power.
Have you heard of anyone using this tool on a NS 30?
Thanks for any insights,
Bill Baxter
Persistence NS30 #507
Cruising the North Channel
I have been using a Sears Craftsman 29v drill for 4yrs. 480ftlb torque but putting it in reverse to get the2:1 advantage of the Barient halyard winch. The Swedish rubber tailer works well and leaves me with a hand free to clear any problems. I have a 12v charger and get some 4 sail raises per charge. The drill, 110v charger and inspection lamp combo cost $95 US. Get one before Sears goes “belly up”". (I use a Cunningham to tighten the luff).
Dick Lane
I too use the Sears Drill and Winchbit. Works great. Powerful enough to raise sail without damage to sail worrries. I just upgraded the battery to lithium Ion too.
I have been using a Sears Craftsman 29v drill for 4yrs. 480ftlb torque but putting it in reverse to get the2:1 advantage of the Barient halyard winch. The Swedish rubber tailer works well and leaves me with a hand free to clear any problems. I have a 12v charger and get some 4 sail raises per charge. The drill, 110v charger and inspection lamp combo cost $95 US. Get one before Sears goes “belly up”". (I use a Cunningham to tighten the luff).
Dick Lane
NS26c #35, Swoose.
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Interesting to see how many folks use drills and a Winch Bit. Just to clarify, the Craftsman Drill puts out 480 INCH POUNDS, not foot pounds. 480 foot pounds just might be enough to lift a car to the top of the mast. The HILTI drill puts out 1162 inch pounds of torque. But … in truth, it’s all about the WINCH. If it’s a multi-speed winch, it has WAY more mechanical advantage and, for sure, the Sears drill will do the job.
I use a very powerful drill as I have a Lewmar # 16 SINGLE-SPEED winch.
Bill Baxter - I’ll get you those measurements in a day or two when I’m down at the boat and answer your other questions real soon.
I found that the Sear’s 110v input charger would not accept a square wave inverter output so designed and built a low pass filter (bigger and heavier than the charger) only to find that Sear’s made a 12v input charger, ( I think I corresponded with Mike about it).
Dick Lane.
I too have gone the drill route with Winch Bit. I went with the Milwaukee Hole Hawg M18 right angle drill $299.00 (model 2707-20) from Home Depot. It needs a battery so they sold me their Mikwaukee Drill with battery (and bonus large battery) So for $438 CAD I have 2 new drills and 2 batteries. That price also put me in the pay back over 18 months, no interest program. I also built a styrofoam stand to support the drill and it works well on my Nonsuch 26U.
Ernie, I wonder if you have thought about getting a right-angle attachment for the drill? They are available and would allow you more leverage using he drill body.
A right-angle attachment for the Hilti costs over $400.00 in Canada. Tho, I’m sure that a cheaper one can be found (not a bad idea, actually … hmmmm). I don’t need one as the drill is light, I have the room and the ergonomics present absolutely no problem.
