Catalina 350 International Association

Maybe fairly basic question - but I went to service the Harken 42 winches for the first time since I have owned hull 161. After cleaning all the parts with mineral spirits, lightly greasing with Lewmar grease (tube from previous owner was on the boat), and oiling the pawls — the winch actually seems harder to spin by hand then before and definitely harder than the winch I haven’t serviced yet. I disassembled and reassembled using the parts diagram to make sure I didn’t miss anything and it still seems stiff. Any thoughts? I have never serviced a winch before so this is new to me. Two things came to mind a potential problems — over tightening the bolts/screw or maybe grease on the bearings is mucking it up? I have also read that a serviced which can feel tight due to the new grease - but not sure if that is accurate. Thanks in advance!

Dan, I did the same service on my winches last fall. I can’t imagine new grease causing the problem you’re describing. Do you hear the pawls clicking when you turn the drum? I managed to put one set in backwards on mine. One option would be to start disassembling another winch and carefully take pictures at each stage. Then check the winch that’s problematic and see if a part has been reinstalled incorrectly.
From Harkens web site:
When reassembling Harken Classic winches, make sure the ratchet gears are the correct way up, with the pawls sitting properly in the teeth. Failure to ensure this may cause excessive wear or friction in the winch.
As a last resort, give Harken a call and see if there’s anything else that might be causing your problem.

Thanks very much Ken — I will try that on the second winch and that is a good idea. How did you know that you put the pawls in upside down? I had read about that issue as well but when reassembling couldn’t see how it could go in that way.

LI_Sound_Cat wrote: Tue May 21, 2024 1:53 pm Thanks very much Ken — I will try that on the second winch and that is a good idea. How did you know that you put the pawls in upside down? I had read about that issue as well but when reassembling couldn’t see how it could go in that way.

Oh, the pawls CAN be installed "backwards"-- the "round part" will still fit in the "socket". And, it will cause the symptoms you have. Remove the drum and check. Post a picture if you have a question.

You’re asking me to remember something from 6 months ago ? . As I recall the winch wasn’t operating properly and I wasn’t 100% sure I had the pawls oriented properly. There is a very subtle difference in how the pawls look when properly installed.
Prior to starting this project I couldn’t find a winch manual and called Harken. They were helpful and easy to get a hold of.

Brett and Ken — can’t thank you enough. Sure enough I had it backwards…spinning free and clear now. Much appreciated.

Dan - Thanks for "closing the loop". Posting solutions can be very helpful for the next person searching the forum with the same problem.