RMG Winches and Water

[John949]

Do you dry your RMG after use?  Well this is what happens if you don't

This one was also showing some pretty severe brush wear

Sorry about the poor images - my phone doesn't do close ups well- but I think you can see the rust on the case and the blackened mess round the commutator.  AFAIK this one had not been used in salt water.  

As a result of looking at this one I've changed my view on grease / vaseline i.e. I now think you should definitely not use any.  This one was fairly heavily smothered in vaseline and all the grot and rust had become stuck to it.  There were bits of grot stuck in the gear teeth - not a good plan.

RMGs have their plus points but the exposed design means that they do need to dried and cleaned on a regular basis.  This one appears to have been left in situ for several years (the mounting bracket had to be 'unglued' to get it out).

[Graham Elliott]

I have had the same RMG winch in my dry grey BritPOP! since April 2011 and it has never missed a beat sailing in salt and fresh water.

I do have a visual check of it each year and it still looks like  new, I also remove at least one deck patch after sailing her to keep air flow within the hull and stop condensation.

Look after your gear and your gear will be fine for many many years, the one in the picture looks like it hasn't seen air flow and therefore is now knackered.

[John949]

10 minutes ago, Graham Elliott said:

.... and therefore is now knackered.

Actually it has been repaired for the princely sum of £2.42 (plus P&P)

[Graham Elliott]

Surely preventive is better than reactive though?

 

[Darin Ballington]

Boat build and design has progressed a lot in the last 10-15 years, and most boats nowadays can be made to be watertight, but you still get moisture inside, even if only from the sheeting lines or up the rudder post. So I always remove the pot lid, and a patch. Even if I am away and sailing for two days, I will take the boat out of the car and dry it in the room I am staying in. If I am sailing in salt or brackish water I will, once finished, rinse the boat out with fresh water, usually with a dash of detergent and then remove all patches before leaving to dry. When dry I spray a PTFE lubricant on the winch.

From experience if you don't do this then you spend time inside the boat when everyone else is racing, which is no fun at all! 

For me the big advantage of the RMG is that even the worst example can be resurrected and used for years, even if it becomes like Triggers broom

[Eric Finley]

Hi John

I presume that another Skipper is indebted to you for repairs?

Did you just replace the brushes and clean the rest or were any other components required? 

Are these parts available locally.

Eric

[John949]

30 minutes ago, Eric Finley said:

Hi John

I presume that another Skipper is indebted to you for repairs?

Did you just replace the brushes and clean the rest or were any other components required? 

Are these parts available locally.

Eric

Replaced the motor with this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263001166029

couldn't find a UK supplier for a 2865 but it came in couple of weeks.  Also replaced the suppression capacitors

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303358627684?var=602971242099

 

[Bill Green]

I repair RMG winches and have been for the best part of 22 years. The primary issue here is that the patches have not been taken off and the hull allowed to naturally to dry out. An RMG will run underwater, but the motor in particular does not cope well with damp environments and what you have is a prime example of that. Most RMG winches can be repaired economically and as Darin says just like Triggers brush they can go on for years. Just the other day I had an A series winch, circa 1996/7 serial 024 ie one of the very first RMG winches, arrive fir repair and it is back working again with a little TLC. That one is for the shelf. 

[Graham Elliott]

The only annoying feature of using an RMG winch is having a brand new boxed one in your tool box for 12yrs, just in case....

[Stephen Taylor]

On 21/03/2023 at 23:41, Graham Elliott said:

The only annoying feature of using an RMG winch is having a brand new boxed one in your tool box for 12yrs, just in case....

Useful information graham.
I Have my first IOM being built and was wondering whether to add a spare winch to my "critical spares" list. Money saved thanks.
I always carry out a post racing clean, lube and air out on my DFs.
 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Stephen Taylor
omission

[RobVice_GBR41]

My take on a spare winch is that if the cost of entry+travel+hotel+disappointment is greater than the cost of a spare winch then go with the spare in the tool box. 
But it’s not the first spare I’d buy because rather like Graham, I have an unused spare (with extra long leads fitted) to suit my and my son’s Marbleheads that has been in the boat box for years (let’s hope that’s not put a curse on it!). 
I’d pack a spare Transmitter (already paired with a replacement rx) first as it can be dropped, dripped on, rained on or dunked in, and IMHO is the most vulnerable item.. the RX are pretty resilient these days as our boats are drier than ever before.

A good quality spare Servo is the next item I’d go for, the clue for me is when they stop centering 100% accurately and there should be less than 1degree of rudder wobble (or less!) when the servo is powered on. Check every part of the linkage for any slack, if none present then the servo gears might be worn.

Have any spare winch setup with the right number of turns, practice replacing them in lake side conditions as they can be tricky to fit but with prepared bits of string/wire pokers, it should be do-able within 20mins (1 heat) so should ruin your day..

[Darin Ballington]

1 hour ago, RobVice_GBR41 said:

My take on a spare winch is that if the cost of entry+travel+hotel+disappointment is greater than the cost of a spare winch then go with the spare in the tool box. 
But it’s not the first spare I’d buy because rather like Graham, I have an unused spare (with extra long leads fitted) to suit my and my son’s Marbleheads that has been in the boat box for years (let’s hope that’s not put a curse on it!). 
I’d pack a spare Transmitter (already paired with a replacement rx) first as it can be dropped, dripped on, rained on or dunked in, and IMHO is the most vulnerable item.. the RX are pretty resilient these days as our boats are drier than ever before.

A good quality spare Servo is the next item I’d go for, the clue for me is when they stop centering 100% accurately and there should be less than 1degree of rudder wobble (or less!) when the servo is powered on. Check every part of the linkage for any slack, if none present then the servo gears might be worn.

Have any spare winch setup with the right number of turns, practice replacing them in lake side conditions as they can be tricky to fit but with prepared bits of string/wire pokers, it should be do-able within 20mins (1 heat) so should ruin your day..

The other option is to make friends with someone with the spares

[ericatcse]

I have never had a completely dry boat but I always remove a patch, unscrew and remove the pot lid and the drain plug then I have a fan from a computer which I put over the largest opening, couple up to a NICAD and leave it until it dies.

A cheap and effective way of drying the boat out/