/ 
Motorizing a winch is no longer a novelty in the world of yachting. On the other hand, improving the precision of its operation remains a hot topic for many crews. With the arrival of the SailForce 2, Ewincher has extended its range of electric drives for sailboats to include larger winches. This development raises a number of issues of direct concern to yachtsmen: effort control, rig protection, power consumption and adaptation to modern cruising yachts.
Why conventional electric winches sometimes show their limits
On many sailboats, electric winches operate on a relatively simple principle. This architecture facilitates maneuvering, particularly when loads become heavy, but limits the finesse of adjustment. When tensioning a halyard, adjusting a sheet or taking in a reef, the crew often has little margin for fine-tuning the rotation speed.
This lack of progressiveness can also lead to excessive stresses on certain parts of the standing or running rigging when the load suddenly increases.
Ewincher has built the development of the SailForce range on this point.
More powerful motorization for large winches
The new SailForce 2 complements the SailForce 1 already on the market. The manufacturer has announced a 1,500 W brushless outrunner motor capable of delivering up to 120 Nm of torque, depending on the configuration selected. Motor efficiency is claimed to be up to 75%.
This increase in power is aimed at sailboats requiring higher pulling capacities, particularly for large sail areas or heavier offshore cruisers.
One of the technical features highlighted also concerns space requirements. With an advertised height of 184 mm, whatever the winch size concerned, the system seeks to limit the space required below deck, a frequent constraint during installations or refit operations.
Speed control, a challenge for precision maneuvers
One of the special features of the SailForce range is its variable speed system. Rather than a binary control, the boater directly modulates the winch's rotation speed according to the pressure applied to the control. The system operates over two speed ranges, enabling the winch to be adapted to the load applied.
This approach has a number of practical benefits. When a sheet needs to be quickly tensioned under light load, high speed facilitates the operation. Conversely, when fine-tuning a sail or approaching a target tension on a halyard, very slow rotation improves precision.
According to Ewincher, the system can maintain a speed of around 1 metre per minute under load, or a few centimetres per second at rope level.
How to limit risks to rigging and fittings?
Incidents of overloading are well known to sailors. A stuck reefing line, a slider jammed in the mast or a knot in a block can quickly lead to severe stresses on the equipment.
In response to this problem, SailForce integrates a parameterizable tension limiter. The principle is to define a maximum permissible load for a given maneuver. As soon as this value is reached, the motor stops automatically.
The benefits are twofold. Firstly, it protects sails and rigging from accidental overvoltage. On the other hand, it allows certain maneuvers to be reproduced with the same settings each time they are used. The system can store several programs corresponding to different operations such as mainsail hoisting, genoa furling or sheet adjustment.
A different electrical architecture to preserve on-board batteries
Energy is a sensitive issue on modern sailboats, especially when it comes to the proliferation of electrical equipment. Rather than powering the motor directly from the service batteries, SailForce uses a dedicated lithium battery as an intermediate reservoir.
The SailForce 1 is powered by a 144 Wh 30-volt battery, while the SailForce 2 is equipped with a 216 Wh 36-volt battery.
This buffer battery supplies power directly to the motor during maneuvers, then recharges progressively from the on-board 12, 24 or 48 volt power supply.
According to the manufacturer, this architecture limits current draw on the main battery bank, with currents ranging from 1.6 to 9 amps depending on the configuration.
