by sailmon » Sun Jan 15, 2017 8:07 am
I bought the 28V half inch Milwaukee right angle a couple of years ago - does a great job raising main on our F38. Will also pull me up the mast for inspections/repairs. While I looked at the Winchrite and really liked it, I opted for the Milwaukee becasue I can also use it as a drill when doing installs/repairs on the boat that require the accessibility of a right angle drill or the power & chuck size needed by a larger hole saw.
One word of caution docunmented in a variety of commentaries on the Milwaukee. If you have a 2 speed winch and use the drill in the higher speed direction, the chuck on the drill tries to unscrew itself - resulting in the securing screw inside the chuck snapping off. This usually happens when the screw loosens a bit - allowing the chuck to begin unscrewing. While some people have addressed this issue by unsing locktite I am reluctant to install the screw in a way that makes it difficult to remove if I need to take the chuck off.
I've found a much better approach is to always use the drill in reverse - which operates the winch in the low speed highs power direction. While this does raise the sail a bit slower, it is easier on the drill motor and most importantly pulls the sail up slowly enough that damage to sail/rigging is less likely if something hangs up. I can think of no reason why it would be necessary to raise our main in 6 seconds. 30-40 seconds seems to work just fine.
Either way, I just retired and am making preparations for retirement cruising and really enjoy not having to pull our 85# main up by hand grinding.
Sailmon (Captain Bob Allenick)
S/V Her Diamond
1991 Freedom 38
Cleveland, OH