Windlass Do's and Don'ts - VIDEO

February 2017 - Sue Cawson, a lifetime boater, liveaboard and owner of an historic boat, as well as a member of C&RT's Navigation Committee and a stalwart of the Historic Narrowboat Owners Club reckons she knows a thing or two about boating and argues that traditional techniques can be adapted for modern boating.

So we have challenged her to produce some bite sized bits of advice and a few months ago she wrote about the simple issue of windlasses.

Now there is a video to go with her words. The video can also be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UIW7VotJpM

"During my boating I have seen so much bad practice and interestingly coming down Buckby we had someone who was lock wheeling for us who was adamant that the two eyes on her windlass were the same when clearly they weren't.

She kept on using the square eye on the tapered spindle, I did manage to train her in the end, but it is a regular thing that people do. Using a square eye on a tapered spindle damages the spindles and there is plenty of evidence of this down the GU, it is also very easy for the windlass to fly off.

The eye of the windlass should always fit snugly on the spindle and NOT slip. The majority of spindles take the small tapered eye of the windlass, the exceptions are hydraulic equipment on locks and bridges, the Ham and Baker paddles on the locks between Calcutt and Knowle.

Just occasionally you may find a square spindle elsewhere. Please do not use a square eye on a tapered spindle, it is dangerous as the windlass can slip and it also damages the spindles. "