Sailing Catalpa · video

What this video covers

The crew of Catalpa performs a comprehensive rebuild of their windlass and repairs the surrounding foredeck while docked in Mexico.0:06 After discovering a failed lip seal that caused the gearbox to lose its oil, the owner disassembles the unit, cleans the gears, and replaces the seals using a kit sourced in the United States.2:27 Inspection reveals minimal wear on the gears and motor brushes, though the owner replaces several snapped mounting bolts with new 304 stainless steel hardware.2:08 To address rot in the deck core caused by previous chain-pipe penetrations, the owner removes the damaged material, installs solid G10 fiberglass backing plates, and fills the bolt holes and chain-exit voids with thickened epoxy.8:00 By oversizing the holes and backfilling them with epoxy, the repair ensures that future water ingress will not reach the deck core.13:02 The project concludes with the installation of a new backing plate to reinforce the windlass mounting point against high-load conditions.20:05 Proper sealing and structural reinforcement of the windlass mount prevent deck rot and potential failure during heavy-weather anchoring.

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