Lewmar Pro-Series 1000H Horizontal Windlass Kit, 12V

The Lewmar Pro-Series 1000H Horizontal Windlass Kit (model 6657011108-102) is the horizontal-mount above-deck windlass in Lewmar's Pro-Series line, the windlass family that professional yacht riggers worldwide specify for cruising boats that actually anchor. 1,000 pounds of maximum pull (250 pounds working load), 88 feet per minute of line speed under load, all 316 stainless steel case, push-button electric retrieval with manual freefall and emergency recovery, and the complete DIY installation kit including the windlass body, toggle switch, circuit breaker, dual-direction contactor / solenoid, and the install instructions. 12V DC operation drawing 50 amps under load.

What this windlass is for. Cruising boats in the 30 to 38 foot range that anchor regularly and want a windlass that's both tough enough for serious cruising and clean enough to look good on the foredeck. Horizontal mount means the entire mechanism sits above deck and you don't lose any below-deck space to a vertical windlass motor housing intrusion into the chain locker (which matters on the typical center-cockpit cruiser where chain locker space is already tight). Powerful enough to retrieve a typical cruising anchor and rode in the mud, sand, or rocky bottoms without the operator having to manhandle the chain.

The all-stainless 316 case is the right material choice for any boat that lives in saltwater. 316 grade has the molybdenum content needed for chloride resistance in marine service, which means the housing won't pit, stain, or weep rust over years of saltwater exposure. Polished finish on the visible parts gives the foredeck a clean look that complements the rest of the deck hardware on a quality cruising boat. Lower-grade stainless and chrome-plated zinc windlasses look fine when new but flash-rust within a year or two of saltwater use. the Pro-Series doesn't.

Power-in / power-out operation with manual emergency freefall is the right combination of features for cruising use. Power-in retrieves the rode under motor control. Power-out lets you let the rode out under control instead of just dumping it (useful for setting the anchor in deep water where you want to feed rode out at a controlled rate). The manual emergency freefall lets you drop the anchor by gravity if the motor fails, and the manual recovery feature lets you retrieve the rode by hand-cranking with a 1/2-inch socket ratchet (slowly but reliably) if the electrical system is dead. Three operating modes covers every realistic scenario.

The 5/16-inch G40 chain compatibility is the right chain size for most cruising boats in this length range. G40 grade chain delivers the working load you need (5/16-inch G40 has a 3,900 pound working load and a 7,800 pound break strength) without the weight or cost of larger chain. The chain wheel is sized for both 5/16-inch G40 chain and 14 to 16 millimeter (9/16 to 5/8 inch) rope in 3-strand and 8-plait configurations. For all-chain rodes, run the G40 chain. For chain-and-rope (rope-to-chain spliced rode), use the appropriate rope size that the chain wheel handles.

The 88 feet per minute line speed under maximum load is the practical retrieval rate at full pull. Empty (no significant load on the rode) line speed is faster. For a typical 150-foot cruising rode, full retrieval from depth takes about a minute and a half to two minutes. Fast enough to make anchoring up not take all morning, slow enough to let you control the boat as the anchor breaks free.

The 50-amp 12V motor draw under load is what determines battery and circuit sizing. Run a 50-amp circuit breaker (included in the kit) inline to protect the wiring. Use 4 AWG cable for runs under about 20 feet from battery to windlass, 2 AWG for longer runs. The dedicated windlass battery (or a windlass-and-house bank with a 1/0 AWG main cable) is the right power architecture for serious anchoring use. Cranking the windlass off a marginal battery on a long run from the engine room will fault the motor and won't deliver the rated pull.

Above-deck horizontal installation is straightforward. The windlass mounts to the foredeck with mounting studs through pre-drilled mounting holes (most cruising boats already have a windlass mounting pad fabricated in the deck mold). The base gasket seal in the kit creates a watertight installation that won't leak into the chain locker below. The fast-mounting stud kit makes the install simpler than older windlasses that required wrenching nuts onto threaded studs from below deck while holding the windlass in position above. The toggle switch in the kit gives you a basic helm-mount control. For more sophisticated install (foot switches at the bow plus helm switch plus wireless remote), Lewmar makes the additional accessories that interconnect with this kit.

Safety notes. Always wear gloves when operating the windlass. Always engage the chain lock or chain stopper to take load off the windlass when at anchor (the windlass is rated for retrieving the rode, not for indefinite static loading at anchor). Always include a snubber line to take the dynamic shock load off the windlass and chain at anchor. Standard cruising practice that any serious cruiser already knows.

What's in the box. The 1000H windlass body, the base gasket seal, the fast mounting studs and hardware, the install wrench, the toggle switch (helm or panel mount), the 50-amp circuit breaker, the dual-direction contactor / solenoid (the relay that actually switches the motor in both directions from the toggle switch), and the install / operation manual. Foot switches and wireless remote are sold separately for owners who want bow-mounted controls or remote operation.

What this windlass isn't. It is not a vertical-mount windlass (vertical mounts hide the motor below deck inside the chain locker, which some boats prefer for the cleaner above-deck appearance. the trade-off is the loss of chain locker space). It is not the larger Pro-Series 1500 or Pro-Fish lines, which are sized for boats over 40 feet and over 1,000 pound pull rating. It is not a manual-only windlass (it has electric retrieval as the primary mode, with manual recovery only as a backup).

5-Year Limited Lewmar warranty. Same-day shipping before 3 PM ET on in-stock units.