I'm thinking about raising the main with a impact driver/battery drill has anyone tried such modification?
Select to expand quotesouthace said...
I'm thinking about raising the main with a impact driver/battery drill has anyone tried such modification?
Im doing the same for when i get a little bit older
Someone has to ask... Why??? How big and heavy is your main that you can't use the winch?
Apologies in advance if you're ninety-twelve or have one arm.
It's not a bad idea.I assume you are looking at making an adaptor from the appliance to a cabintop or mast winch?
I adapted a cordless drill to save hand cranking an old engine and it worked out ok.
Would not recommend however the use of cordless impact driver,as the rattling action would probably destroy the internal bearings of your winch.
For a mainsail,the drill would need plenty of power(18v or more) and in a low gear to work.
Suggest some clutch for relief just in case the thing grabs and wants to turn you 'inside out'.
It may also take a couple of batteries to get the main right up to the head .
Another option is to get hold of a cheap 12v corded impact driver(say Aldi).
Mine has worked surprisingly well over time and the impact only cuts in when it's really loaded up,unlike the cordless.
This could play out well for you.Obviously you would need a battery nearby to hook up the aligator clips onto.
Interested to see how you go on this.
Cheers.CR.
There is this one already on the market. www.winchrite.co.uk
Why Dr Rog? My new rig is approx 15 meters high and I would estimate raising the main would be equivalent to hauling a man in a bosons chair to the top. As a solo sailor I think I would use the main more if I had a electric winch that would hoist the main with in a minute with ease.
Fully Understand southace. If I had crew to pump the halyard it would be easier but normally is just me (left hand, right hand, left hand right hand)
That £649 is a bit eye watering for the electric winch handle. Over $1000, so GST comes into play if you were to import one yourself
Select to expand quotesouthace said...
Why Dr Rog? My new rig is approx 15 meters high and I would estimate raising the main would be equivalent to hauling a man in a bosons chair to the top. As a solo sailor I think I would use the main more if I had a electric winch that would hoist the main with in a minute with ease.
Really? Wow. Mine's 12 metres and I only need the winch for the last 3 inches. My apologies - if it's that heavy then I understand.
the main he used it on in the vid was inmast furled ......peice a cake ...... would it pull yours up the mast ? does your main weigh more than a 4 hp outboard ? ......it did lift that
A mate of mine with a forty footer has a large cordless right angle drill with a winch adaptor fitted to it
He had a crew member called Eric who used to be on the sheet winches and when Eric was not available my mate used to sail single handed and use the drill to wind in the winches while he helmed
He called the drill Electric Eric
Regards Don
Select to expand quoteDonk107 said..
A mate of mine with a forty footer has a large cordless right angle drill with a winch adaptor fitted to it
He had a crew member called Eric who used to be on the sheet winches and when Eric was not available my mate used to sail single handed and use the drill to wind in the winches while he helmed
He called the drill Electric Eric
Regards Don
How about a double purchase on the halyard , more halyard but maybe easier than juggling a cordless drill that may be less reliable.
Select to expand quoteFreeRadical said...
I thought this was a silly idea. Not now. A 24v impact driver with a spare battery can be had on eBay for $200. Where do u get the 90deg drive?
I don't think the drill is fast enough.
So you need 90 degree attachment so. .. Think outside the box s bit further..... Angle grinder. 
Select to expand quoteslammin said..
I don't think the drill is fast enough.
So you need 90 degree attachment so. .. Think outside the box s bit further..... Angle grinder.
I don't think a battery angle grinder would have enough torque.
I have a good Hitachi 5" - it has the speed but definitely not the torque. Maybe a bigger one might do it!!
From memory Electric Eric is a good quality fairly large cordless 90 degree drill like this
www.milwaukeetool.com/products/power-tools
Regards Don
I don't know guys?? There's something about using that power tool thing that would want to make me take off a bloke and throw it over the side
Select to expand quoteJolene said..
I don't know guys?? There's something about using that power tool thing that would want to make me take off a bloke and throw it over the side
The bloke I know with Electric Eric uses it when sailing his 40 footer alone
In one race of approx 50 nm a couple of years ago we were fully crewed on (6 of us) a 32 footer and he was alone on his boat
it was blowing fairly hard for a fair bit of the race and we used a kite and he only used main and headsail
We had a tacking duel coming back up the huon and by the end of the race which lasted most of the day we were worn out and only just beat him over the line
He looked pretty good at the end of the race and to disharten us completly told us he had cooked roast lamb along the way for lunch
This is his boat
Regards Don
hey donk did you know electric eric was a nick name given to eric reece a former premier of tassie who was inspirational in tassie have hydro electric power
Select to expand quoteaus005 said..
hey donk did you know electric eric was a nick name given to eric reece a former premier of tassie who was inspirational in tassie have hydro electric power
Hi Aus005
No I did not but I am a recent (4 years) blow in from the mainland
Regards Don
Select to expand quoteJolene said..
Impact drivers flog with impacts, they stuff things up.
But only if you turn on the impact function. Which in this application you would not.
sort of dont see the point. You still have to hold the thing in place. I cant see it saving manpower. Id rather deal with a winch handle personally than a rather heavy tool. Where does that live heeled over on a tack etc. Motorised winch foot powered or rubber button in cockpit or weetbix and exercise. the video wasn't that convincing at all.
Select to expand quoteGravy7 said..Jolene said..
Impact drivers flog with impacts, they stuff things up.
But only if you turn on the impact function. Which in this application you would not.
That's interesting, I have never seen an impact driver that you can disable the impact function on. It must be a new thing.
Select to expand quoteJolene said..Gravy7 said..Jolene said..
Impact drivers flog with impacts, they stuff things up.
But only if you turn on the impact function. Which in this application you would not.
That's interesting, I have never seen an impact driver that you can disable the impact function on. It must be a new thing.
I bow to your experience, Jolene. On further research it seems that the typical impact driver doesn't have an 'impact off' mode. So back to the drawing board!
Gotta love this forum for the depth of knowledge out there - albeit wedded to healthy cynicism.
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
sort of dont see the point. You still have to hold the thing in place. I cant see it saving manpower. Id rather deal with a winch handle personally than a rather heavy tool. Where does that live heeled over on a tack etc. Motorised winch foot powered or rubber button in cockpit or weetbix and exercise. the video wasn't that convincing at all.
Haha... good idea Steve 
