'sticky' winch - solvable by me?

[protocool]

Hi all,

I've got a newish (last year) 26M with the (standard?) Forespar #6 winches. I noticed yesterday, after using it for the first time this year, that the port-side the winch is *very* stiff and doesn't want to turn - which makes it a bit harder for my 11 yr old to handle the jib.

I popped both winches off to see if the plastic post was the problem or if it was the ring.

It turns out to be a problem with the post because either of the spinny things (that's the technical term right?) spin freely on the starboard side, but they bind up something awful on the port side.

I called forespar and they suggested I send the winch back for them to check out but it's going to be at least a few weeks before any replacement arrives.

My gut instinct is to grab some wet/dry sandpaper and smooth the post a bit, but I'm pretty sure there's no way forespar will consider replacing it if I completely mess it up.

So, I'm wondering - is this a problem others have encountered and fixed themselves, or should I just save myself the effort and send the winch off to be inspected?

Thanks,
Trevor

[AWKIII]

Trevor.

The new winches are junk.

Factory moved away from the Lewmar #6 last year to save a few bucks a boat and replaced it with a plastic one.

You can do one of two things:

1. Call the factory and ask for Bill Snedeker. Ask him to send a replacement. He will do it as we have had this problem over and over again.

2. Save yourself the trouble and purchase a real winch. The Lewmar 6 is relatively inexpensive and is a quality piece of gear. Shop around as prices can vary greatly.

Art