Reading over some advice that was given to someone thinking about upgrading a CAL 34, it seemed the order of the day was bigger is better and if you can spend a lot of money in the process all the better!
Well, color me both cheap and confused...
Sure I understand the wanting to improve stuff and it is even nice to spend money on yourself, but the whole bigger is better thing is kind of confusing to me. Now I am all for better and if someone starts making a winch that works better I'm all over it! Sadly these days, better translates as bigger, more expensive or more complicated which is not better at all! Now apparently Ceramic is the new material for winches and White is the new hip color!
First of all, bigger winches tend to start adding pounds unless you go with some sort of exotic carbon sort but then the winches cost more than your boat and even the most dedicated to throwing money down that wet hole will balk at buying hardware that costs more than the boat.
Over the years I have come across a lot of boats and never have I come across one that had inadequate winches. Yet all these macho guys seem to want really, really big winches which is like going into the your local marine store and telling them I'm just not strong enough to sail my boat with out a bit of help... Big strapping winches being the Viagra of the yachting world... followed by powered winches and where does it end.
Well powered winches brings to mind broken hardware and ripped sails...
Let's face it, I'm a lazy guy as well as not being as young or as in shape as I used to be yet the forty-year old, non self-tailing, two-speed Barients on So It Goes still kick some serious butt... and if ever I start looking fondly at big expensive winch systems, please tap me on the shoulder and just point me towards Mr Apollo...
...Five years ago, I was a four stone apology
Today, I am two separate gorillas...
Plans Change, Martinique version
1 week ago
