Lewmar Pro-Series Horizontal 700 Windlass Kit 12V Stainless

The Lewmar Pro-Series Horizontal 700 is the on-deck horizontal-mount anchor windlass for boats in the 28-40 foot class - the typical cruising powerboat, sportfish, sailboat, and trawler that needs powered anchor handling but doesn't have the room (or the budget) for a vertical-mount windlass below decks. The horizontal mount sits entirely on top of the deck, with the gypsy chain wheel projecting over the bow roller - much simpler install than a vertical windlass.

Why horizontal versus vertical. Horizontal windlasses sit entirely on top of the deck. The motor, gearbox, and gypsy are all in one housing on deck. Chain feeds from the bow roller, wraps around the gypsy, and drops into a chain pipe through the deck into the chain locker below. Install is meaningfully simpler than vertical: cut one chain pipe through the deck, bolt the windlass on top, run the wiring. Vertical windlasses have the motor and gearbox below decks (in the chain locker space), with only the gypsy projecting up through the deck. Vertical install requires the motor / gearbox space below the deck (which not all boats have), but gives a cleaner deck appearance and more powerful pull capacities for larger boats. For boats in the 28-40 foot class with simpler chain locker arrangements, horizontal is the typical pick. The Pro-Series 700 is engineered specifically for this segment.

700-pound maximum pull, 175-pound working load. The maximum pull rating (the brief peak force the windlass can develop, typically used for breaking the anchor free from the bottom or for short-duration high-load events) is 700 pounds. The working load limit (the sustained force the windlass can apply over typical anchor retrieval) is 175 pounds. For boats in the 28-40 foot class running typical anchor systems (a 25-45 pound anchor with 100-150 feet of chain plus rope rode), the working load is well within spec for normal retrieval, and the max pull handles the typical break-out forces when the anchor is set deeply.

105 feet-per-minute maximum retrieval speed. The 105 fpm rate is the speed of chain / rope flow through the gypsy at moderate load. From a typical 25-foot anchored depth in a typical anchorage, retrieving the full anchor rode takes roughly 1-2 minutes - fast enough that the typical anchor cycle isn't a slow chore, slow enough that the windlass has time to do the work without overloading the motor or your hands fumbling with the controls. Faster windlasses exist (the larger Pro-Series 1000 and Pro-Fish variants) but the 105 fpm of the 700 is a reasonable balance of speed and power for the boat-size class.

All-stainless-steel construction. The windlass body, the gypsy chain wheel, and the visible mechanical parts are all stainless steel - meaningful for the marine environment because stainless doesn't corrode on a deck-exposed location like the bow. Cheaper aluminum-bodied windlasses corrode in salt spray, and you'll find yourself refurbishing or replacing them well before a stainless unit needs work. The all-stainless construction handles decades of salt-spray exposure without significant degradation. The aesthetic also matters - a stainless-finish windlass on the bow looks meaningfully better than a corroded-aluminum unit.

Chain compatibility. The Pro-Series 700 gypsy is profiled for four common cruising-boat anchor chain sizes: 6mm DIN 766 (the European standard chain in 6mm size), 7mm DIN 766 (the European standard in 7mm), 1/4-inch ISO G4 (the high-test chain standard at 1/4-inch nominal size), and 1/4-inch BBB (the older U.S. chain standard at 1/4-inch). Check your existing chain's specification before ordering - the gypsy doesn't accept just any 1/4-inch chain (subtle dimensional differences between chain standards can cause the gypsy to skip or jam if the chain doesn't match the gypsy profile). Most cruising boats in the 28-40 foot class run one of these four standards.

Rope-and-chain rode capability. The Pro-Series 700 is designed to handle a typical rope-and-chain rode configuration - the front portion of the rode is chain (gives the anchor's holding power and the catenary that helps the anchor set), the rear portion is nylon three-strand rope (lighter weight, easier on the boat's gear, gives the rode's elastic shock-absorption). The gypsy transitions smoothly between chain and rope sections at the chain-to-rope splice. For all-chain rodes, the windlass works equally well.

12V DC operation, 35-amp average current draw. The windlass runs on standard 12V DC marine power. The 35-amp average current draw is significant - wire to the boat's accessory bus through a dedicated circuit with a 70-amp circuit breaker (rated for the windlass's peak current draw which can briefly hit 60+ amps at maximum pull). Use 6 AWG marine-grade tinned wire for runs under 20 feet, step up to 4 AWG for longer runs. Voltage drop on undersized wire reduces the windlass's effective pulling capacity dramatically. For battery sizing: a properly sized boat 12V house bank (typically 200+ Ah) handles the typical anchor cycle without significant battery sag. smaller battery banks may struggle at the typical anchor cycle's high current draw.

Manual fall-back override. The included manual override handle lets you operate the windlass manually if the electrical system fails or the battery is dead. Insert the handle into the gypsy's drive socket and rotate manually to retrieve or pay out chain. Slow but functional - useful when the boat's electrical system fails offshore or the battery's been dead at the dock. A windlass without manual override leaves you with no way to retrieve the anchor when the electrical system's down - that's not a corner you want to find yourself in offshore.

DIY-ready install. Lewmar designed the Pro-Series 700 for owner-installation - the install documentation is straightforward, the mounting hardware is included, and the wiring diagrams are clearly labeled. You don't need a marine technician for this. Install time is typically 6-10 hours for a competent boat owner: cut the chain pipe through the deck (use the included template), bolt the windlass on, route the chain through the gypsy and into the chain locker, wire the motor through the control switches to the dedicated 12V circuit.

For boats up to 12 meters. The Pro-Series 700 is sized for boats up to 12 meters (roughly 40 feet) length-overall. For larger boats (40+ feet), the Pro-Series 1000 (next size up in the line) is the right call. For very small boats (under 28 feet), the Pro-Series 700 is over-spec'd but still works fine - just heavier and more current-hungry than smaller windlasses. The 12-meter limit is a sizing recommendation based on typical anchor and chain specifications for boats in that class. bigger boats with bigger anchors need more pull capacity.

What's in the box. The Pro-Series 700 windlass body with attached gypsy, manual fall-back override handle, mounting hardware, basic install instructions. Required separately: the chain (sized to match the gypsy profile), the anchor, the rope rode, the deck chain pipe seal, the windlass control switches (helm-mounted up / down switches and on-deck foot switches), and the dedicated 12V wiring with circuit breaker.

Five-year limited warranty. Lewmar's 5-year limited warranty beats the typical 2-year coverage on cheaper windlasses. Service runs through the Lewmar authorized service network.