A not-so-delicate operation
Maintaining your equipment is your assurance of sailing without unpleasant surprises. And on a sailboat, the winch is an essential component. Even the sturdiest Harken winches require a minimum of attention, with an annual check at the very least. Preferably carried out during winter storage, a check when the boat is put back in the water is never useless. And while this may frighten some, Michel Sacaze, a technician with the fittings manufacturer, assures us that it's not rocket science: "There's often a blockage in a yachtsman's mind at the thought of opening a winch. In fact, it's a simple mechanism. You only need to remove 1 screw to open it, and with the new Harken Radial technologies, there's no risk of reassembling it upside down. It takes less than an hour per winch, and once it's done, it's really rewarding."
The specialist gives us his test when he boards a boat. If you can turn the headstock effortlessly in both directions by inserting your thumb into the crank housing, the winch is ready for service. If not, you'll need to clean it.
Simple steps
Winch maintenance consists of a few simple steps. All you need is a flathead screwdriver and a set of Allen keys.
After dismantling the screw to remove the headstock, all parts are cleaned with a small brush using F-gasoline, which has the advantage of not attacking the plastic. Everything must be degreased and thoroughly dried.
Then grease the sprockets and oil the pawls. The maintenance sheet, perfectly illustrated in the maintenance manual for each winch, available on the Harken website, details which product to put where, with numbered identification. French-language tutorial videos are also available on the Harken France YouTube channel. Damaged parts can also be replaced if necessary.
When reassembling, add anti-corrosion patches to the screws. When the headstock turns, this means that the central screw has reached its optimum torque.
Kits and parts to make your winch last
Far from being a disposable product, Harken winches can be maintained and repaired. To make life easier for boaters, Harken has designed a number of kits, such as the BKENTR, which includes a tube of grease, oil and a sachet of 10 pawls and 20 springs. Packages of spacers and all necessary parts are also available individually.
Michel Sacaze concludes: "We're real hardware merchants. You'll find all the parts you need on an exploded drawing in the spare parts section of the site, with prices and the option of ordering. It's not that expensive. Preventive maintenance is the key. You can even give it a new lease of life with cosmetic parts."
