General query
Printed From: myHanse.com
Category: Hints & Tips
Forum Name: 385/388
Forum Description: 385/388 Hints, Tips and News
URL: https://www.myhanse.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12199
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 03:40
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.06 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: General query
Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Subject: General query
Date Posted: 07 September 2020 at 22:30
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Hi. I have a Hanse 385 and after retracting our anchor, the fuse blew and I cannot see why this might have happened. I know this used to happen frequently on a Bavaria upon which I did my Day Skipper sail training with a local sailing school (their boat) and we were often having to reset the trip, although our boat only has a fuse at the moment so that will need replacing and I'm planning to install a suitable circuit breaker. Anyway, whilst on the subject, I decided it would be good to be able to service the windlass given that our boat is now 9 years old and to my surprise, no obvious access is available. Any thoughts?
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Replies:
Posted By: Nilandhoo
Date Posted: 08 September 2020 at 10:52
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Hi Geoff, we have a 325 and there is access to the space between the anchor locker and the hull on our boat if you take the cover off at the bottom of the bed in the forward cabin. Sorry it not a better picture but you can see the opening at the top of the pic you may get access to the windlass from here. Regards Paul  ------------- Hanse 325 'One Life' |
Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Date Posted: 08 September 2020 at 13:45
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Thanks Paul. Unfortunately, there is no such cover on my 385 and also, in our case, the windlass is above the bed, not in front of the foot of the bed. Thanks anyway. Geoff
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Posted By: Brufan
Date Posted: 08 September 2020 at 14:37
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The Lewmar ProSeries is secured by threaded rods inserted from underneath in the windlass housing. There is no access from above. I don't know how Hanse rigs these windlasses. I retrofit one on my H355 in the very same location as the factory install. I had great difficulties fitting it with nuts and washers from the inside. Two nuts are easy to access but the third (backwards) is very awkward (with normal human hands). ------------- Bruno hanse 355 - 57 S/Y Spicy Ginger White hull, 2 cabins, Volvo D1-30, Selden rig, removable mainsheet track system, Simrad (now B&G)-Jefa autopilot. |
Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Date Posted: 08 September 2020 at 18:33
| Agreed. From what I can see, Hanse prefit the windlass before the deck is secured to the hull. That would be fine provided they included access for servicing of the windlass but they don't. Consequently, it looks like my multi tool cutter is the only option. |
Posted By: S&J
Date Posted: 08 September 2020 at 18:57
On my 385 the anchor locker protrudes into the main cabin at the bow and has a small inspection hatch on the lower surface. I used this to fit a wireless remote on the windlass. I'm not sure if it also provides access to the bolts for the windlass itself. ------------- H458 #159 Primal Mediterranean cruising |
Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Date Posted: 08 September 2020 at 19:57
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That's very helpful. May I ask, did you buy your 385 new? I only ask because ours does not have this hatch, although the layout is otherwise exactly the same. If you got yours from a previous owner, I'm wondering if the previous owner maybe added this hatch afterwards? Is the inspection hatch at the rearmost section of the anchor locker intrusion or closest to the bow. It looks like rearmost?
Looking at the location, I think it might be too small to be able to access all the bolts, of which I believe there are 5. I think I will need to be able to have direct access to the underside of the windlass otherwise it will be hugely fiddly, though the concept you have there is obviously a great way to access the wiring.
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Posted By: S&J
Date Posted: 08 September 2020 at 20:27
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Yes, I bought mine new. #351 built December 2014 and commissioned May 2015. I have now sold this boat so I'm afraid I cannot check further, but at least it gives you an idea of what might be possible. ------------- H458 #159 Primal Mediterranean cruising |
Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Date Posted: 08 September 2020 at 21:29
| No problem at all. Thanks for your help. |
Posted By: spam
Date Posted: 09 September 2020 at 02:18
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I had exactly the same problem. I have a 415, but believe the set up is essentially the same. My boat has the inspection hatch factory installed (see picture S&J), but that is only so helpful as the hatch only gives you to access to 2 of 3 nuts on the thread rods that hold the windlass in place (the windlass is designed for four, but Hanse only seems to be using three rods to hold it in place). The third nut is behind the bulkhead that forms the forward edge of the bed/cabin which is between the forward and aft bolts and somehow goes all the way up to the bottom of the anchor locker blocking access to the most forward bolt. Like you I considered cutting an access panel in the anchor locker to access the third nut. The disadvantage is obviously that you are breaching the watertight barrier and are creating a potential area for leaks. Water could get from the anchor locker into the cabin if the hatch or flange is not sealed/bedded properly. In the end I realized there was a different way to solve the problem and went that way. The approach I used was to, with a small saw, reach in between the inside shell covering the anchor well in the forward cabin and cut down the bulk head to follow the shape of the inside shell (or 1/2" inside of the shell perimeter if you saw under an angle). There is about a 1" gap in my case between he inside shell and the forward bulk head. I believe this is standard on my vintage boats since I have seen it on other 415 and 385s as well. Once the bulkhead is following the inside shell's edge, you can reach through the inside inspection hedge (see S&Js picture) and get to the bolt. Not easy but if you use a ratcheting wrench pretty doable. Cutting the bulk head down to be slightly inside the inside shell's perimeter makes it is not visible from the cabin/bed and there is no need to cut a hedge in the anchor locker (avoiding possible leaks). One more tip, to get the windlass truly off the boat you will need to cut the cables. You might want to invest in a heavy duty crimping tool and connectors to put everything back together when you are done Why Hanse doesn't cut down the bulkhead to match their inside shell is a mystery, especially since they clearly realized -at some point- that not having some inside access to the bottom of the windlass was a bad idea. My guess is that the official drawings show the bulkhead matching the inside shell but that the building crew found it easier to only rough cut the bulk head to clear the anchor well as the ample overlap of the inside shell would hid any sloppiness in the cut... As said, had exactly the same issue so let me know if you have further questions. Success! Harold S/V Ventus 415/#314 Boston |
Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Date Posted: 09 September 2020 at 08:44
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That's a fantastic help. Thanks. I think I'm going to add an inspection hatch in the forecabin ceiling (so I can access this again in future), maybe slightly larger than in the above photo (just to give me more space to work) and then take a look at the points you describe. I'm slightly puzzled how the third bolt may be inaccessible as when I looked at the broad position of the windlass relative to the inner molding in the forecabin, I would have thought that all bolts would be accessible and there would not have been a bulkhead near that, but I may be misunderstanding something? Nevertheless, your and others' help on here has made up my mind to go in from below via the forecabin, so, thanks! Just a quick question on the need to cut wires, are these not just bolted to the windlass via ring terminals already? If so, why did you need to cut the wires?
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Posted By: Brufan
Date Posted: 09 September 2020 at 09:44
There's no cable terminal on windlass. Two cables exit directly from the housing through a silicone filled gland. They are approx 4 ft long and they're not very thick (6 or 10 mm˛ as far as I remember). I put the windlass relay in the vicinity with 25 mm˛ cable running from batteries to relay. ------------- Bruno hanse 355 - 57 S/Y Spicy Ginger White hull, 2 cabins, Volvo D1-30, Selden rig, removable mainsheet track system, Simrad (now B&G)-Jefa autopilot. |
Clouded Pearl wrote:Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Date Posted: 09 September 2020 at 10:31
| Ok. Thanks. Just ordered a suitable crimper. |
Posted By: spam
Date Posted: 09 September 2020 at 23:08
Maybe the above image helps a little further. I basically had to cut the bulk head following the red line. Since there is an 1" gap between the inner liner of the anchor locker and the bulkhead you can get a saw in between and cut slightly behind the inner liner. Once you do that, I could reach thru the hatch and reach the most forward nut of the windlass. Cutting the bulkhead behind the liner was a bit of a pain, but doable. If in your boat the bulkhead is forward of the 3 bolt, even easier... Harold S/V Ventus 415/314 Boston
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Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Date Posted: 10 September 2020 at 20:36
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Very interesting, thanks. However, I might be being dense, but I don't quite see how by cutting the bulkhead where you indicate, you were then able to access the hidden bolt? Once you cut where shown, did you drop the bulk head down or did you cut a notch out at the top to then have access to the forward most bolt? Sorry to seem a stupid question!
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Posted By: spam
Date Posted: 11 September 2020 at 02:04
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Technically you don't need to cut out the entire perimeter, you just need enough to fit your tools through. So technically you right a "notch" might be enough. In practice though you might want to open up more of the area since the space between the liner and the bottom of the anchor locker is narrow, about 2", you probably want to be able to grab the nut and washer you are removing, position tools, etc. Remember you will need to do all of it going through the hatch first so if you cut a small notch behind it that is an extra handicap. I found it easier to just cut around as indicated, pull it backward through the gap, and then cut the u-shaped 2" cut off in pieces for easy removal. Since it is all invisible/non structural anyway, a little more space was nice. Once you have opened it up, you should have enough space to get to everything in front of the bulkhead reasonably okay for removal and (re) install. I know it shouldn't be this difficult, but if you find an easier way, have the luck of all your bolt being on this side of the bulkhead and/or your bulkhead already leaving a gap to work through, let us know. One of our friends might be interested to know Success!
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Posted By: Clouded Pearl
Date Posted: 13 September 2020 at 14:24
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Work in progress update. ........ I'm at my boat as I write this and I've worked out that I should be able to access the underside of the windlass by doing the following: 1. Adding a circular inspection hatch in the anchor well inner shell exactly as in S&J's picture of their 385 (mine doesn't have an inspection hatch). By pressing up on the anchor locker inner shell all over it, I can roughly tell that there is a void on the port side but not the starboard, just as I would expect given the moulding inside the anchor locker itself. By measuring from the forward hatch handle to the forward bulkhead in the forecabin, and repeating on deck, I can now see that my windlass straddles behind and in front of the forward bulkhead. Consequently, once I get the circular inspection hatch cut, I'll be able to establish whether I have access to the forward most stud(s) on the underside of the windlass. If not, I will need to carry out point 2 as well. 2. If access is blocked to the forward stud(s), I've calculated that if I add a small rectangular inspection hatch through the underside of the forward shelf in the forecabin, that will be wide and deep enough to gain access to any studs in front of the bulkhead. This is because the shelf extends further forward than the bulkhead in the cabin and actually appears as though it is solely decorative to cover the sloping anchor locker inner moulding. Assuming this works, which I'm confident it should, the shelf inspection hatch will never be visible but will allow maintenance in future. The approximate location of the hatches will be as shown:   |
Posted By: AndyS
Date Posted: 13 September 2020 at 17:43
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Thanks for this "real time" reporting - interested to see how this turns out, as this is great info for all of us. Thanks! ------------- Andy Moonraker River Dunes, NC |
Posted By: Pete In The East
Date Posted: 13 May 2022 at 17:02
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Can you please add some photos of your modifications? Thanks!
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Posted By: Nebo
Date Posted: 09 May 2025 at 22:53
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Clouded Pearl did you finish your project? Do you have access to the forward most srud(s) through circual inspection hatch? Is your anchor windlass "Quick" ? I am trying to solve the same problem. 😒 |