Marinum Winches ??

[hriehl1]

1968 Hinterhoeller 28 refurb project.

This boat has two Marinum foresail winches, their handles being a flat bar inserted into the winch rather than the more typical square socket-type fitting.

They work, but not as smoothly as I'd want. Any ideas whether these can be resurrected / rebuilt? Where one might get rebuild kits or spares? I've Googled with very little info turned up.

[Quetzalsailor]

Merriman?

Classic old winches. Take 'em apart and clean them. Look for wear: sleeves/bearings, pawls, springs, what-ever-you-call-that-toothy-bit-that-the-pawls-engage-on. If the pawls/toothy-bit are worn, perhaps a little careful reshaping/removal of burrs might be undertaken. Lubricate. Reassemble.

[Figment]

After cleaning, lubricate with a very light oil. If the action on those winches is anything other than smooth, it's because the old oil has picked up a bunch of gunk, or because someone used grease instead of oil last time.

[Quetzalsailor]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vintage- ... 2a09da1601

[Rachel]

Just for your information, there is such a thing as Marinium. It's an alloy that is used for boating hardware and is supposed to be lighter for the same strength as other metals used. I always associate it with 1960s boats, but I see Perko is selling hardware made of it (again?).

Then too, there are Merriman winches (as you have seen from the other posters). I don't know if there were ever Merriman winches made of Marinium.

Rachel
(wondering if it is Marinum in the UK ;)

[hriehl1]

Here is a photo... the stamped label says "Marinum", but are you saying these are probably made by "Merriman" ?

[Figment]

Looks like a knock-off to me.

The clean-and-lubricate advice still stands, though.

[hriehl1]

When you say "light oil"... something like sewing machine oil? Or 3-in-One? Or is there a marine light oil you'd specifically recommend?

I do not believe these are Merriman... There is a stylized logo on the winches and handle, but different from the Merriman (trident) logo I found on the www. They may indeed be knock-offs. If I cannot get them to operate smoothly, I'll seek out a couple replacements on the used market.

Thanks in advance.

[Rachel]

Just curious: Can you post a photo of the logo?

[Quetzalsailor]

http://www.rigrite.com/Hardware/Winches ... nches.html

Read down to the bottom, well, start at the bottom: http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... rko+Marine


Ain't Google wunnerful?

I wonder what the alloy really is?

[Rachel]

I was wondering that too. I looked in Perko's catalog where they "reintroduce" Marinium, but I did not see where they mentioned what was in the alloy (not that I searched any further though).

[hriehl1]

They are Wilcox-Crittenden... the logo matches (stylized W-C).

Thanks all... unfortunately, RigRite does not sell refurb parts... so the search begins.

[boatsnh]

Marinium winches were in fact made by Wilcox Crittenden - I have the exact same winches in my 1973 Dickerson. They were made in at least a couple sizes.

W/C Marinium was used in the 1970's for winches, cleats and chocks, as well as other fittings. It's an Aluminum/Titanium alloy - The thinking was make a lighter parts - in silver color - without the aluminum "pitting" issues.

With a bit of care the winches work pretty well. There are no bearings in the winch, so they are as simple as possible to clean up & Lubricate. The only moving part is the pawl/spring....not much going on. The drum slip fits onto the winch shaft - lightly lube with a decent light waterproof grease like "Corrosion Block" grease. Make sure the springs are not bent - lube the pawls - and check to make sure the pawl stops on the top of the winch are not worn....If the top/stops are worn from years of "no grease" - now it's time for new parts. I bought a "new/old stock" set a couple years ago & installed them on the boat as a cosmetic upgrade. No one wants to sell "parts" - they want to sell complete winches..... I might be able to get you a complete set (2) of new ones for +/- $100 each if you are interested if the place I got mine still has the 2-3 they had....I'll look to see if they are still available if you would like. I ususlly hang on to all my boat parts.....but I might sell one of my old ones ......complete for parts.
Mike

[boatsnh]

I forgot to mention....these winches are NOT the old "oil" type like merriman....There is no oil hole on the top....they like grease, not oil. Lot's of folks will suggest oil - bad idea. Because the winch drum sits on the shaft with no bearings it's the grease that provides the "slip" as the winch turns - oil will not do the job for long & you will have metal sliding on metal - a very bad idea - good grease will make all the difference in the world. Don't worry about grease picking up "junk" it won't in this application.

The pawls sit on the bottom of the winch under the winch drum & hold grease just fine; (I re-greased mine after 4 years of use & they work like new). You will find if you clean the plastic slip/cover rings well - I used acetone - remove all residual "gunk" and use a quality light waterproof grease (my favorite marine grease is "Corrosion Block Grease - waterproof and stays put, but light enough for this application) you will be pleased at how nice these work....I'd be surprised if the pawls/teeth are worn to the point they dont work, since they are pretty beefy and there is a lot of metal to wear away.

I replaced winches because I found brand new ones & I had just made new winch platforms on the coaming boards - I just
could not resist the attraction of new shiney toys on the boat for little $$$. It's a boat thing.......
Have fun!
Mike

[hriehl1]

Thanks for the tips Mike... Winch refurb will be an indoor wintertime project so I won't get to them for a few months. They function, but their action suggests they need re-greasing. Boat was idle (but reasonably well-covered) for nearly 2 years when I bought it.

Still much to do while weather is still decent:
- temporary shelter
- pull all deck hardware to assess deck / core integrity
- hopefully no re-core needed (soundings all good and deck is firm but there is some seep/stain to the interior through some attaching bolts)
- Once core issue settled, overdrill and epoxy all hardware holes
- paint deck

If I can accomplish all this by end-of-October, I'll be very happy. At the pace I work though, it is doubtful.

[okawbow]

I have those same winches on my 67 cheoy Lee. They have a stamp on top that reads "Marnium".

They are very simple winches and easy to take apart and grease. I cleaned and regreased my mast winches 2 days ago. Simply use the end of the winch handle to un screw the top. The pawls should be pinned in and should not fall out. Clean the parts in mineral spirits or simple green. Grease with waterproof grease, and re-assemble. There are 2 plastic discs that act as thrust bearings inside. Be sure and keep them in the proper place. The whole thing take 5 minutes, and should be done once or twice a year.