Reply To: electrical gear on a HT26

Hi Sassy,
There are lots of experts out there, and I'm sure you'll get a worthy technical reply soon (when they're back from their summer cruises!).

I have a HT, and do a lot of single handed sailing, but do not have an electric windlass. I have manual windlass, but have never used it. I get by with bursts of ahead on the engines and pulling in the warp when it's slack. Sure, it means a few trips back and forth to the wheel on windy days and or strong tide locals, but its never failed yet. If you have a windlass, you'll have all the hassle and difficulty of installing a big cable to your power packs or alternatively a dedicated battery (close to it). Then there's the switch gear too and charging arrangements. Yugh.

On autohelms – my boat came with an Autohelm 4000 – probably a really old thing, but it works a treat on my wheel steering and is highly recommend for singlehanded. It's very easy to use (just engage a lever, press one or two buttons) and is most valuable when tacking when single handed (especially when windy). So I'd say an investment in an autohelm is a good one.