I supposed it was actually a good thing I got a full refurb kit rather than just a couple of spring clips because the winch pawls were extremely rusty. The rust was so bad it was causing them to stick and not work properly.
Here's the state of them:
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| Pretty Grotty winch pawls. Are these stainless steel? |
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| The plastic bearing races inside the winch were also pretty gummed up with dust and salt. |
Anyway, after a good clean of the winch body, I fitted the new parts. I've been careful not to add grease or oil as it looks like the winch is dry-lubricated and any oil may swell up the plastic parts and stop the winches working properly.
The new winch innards are now shiny and work as they should, so everything's good.
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| All nice and clean, ready to re-fit. |
Maybe winch covers will be next on the list of items to buy for the boat to avoid salt getting in and causing havoc. Although to be fair I don't know how long the winches have been on Sprite 2.
The spring clips that hold everything in place will get a coating of white grease to hold off corrosion, as rusty clips were the thing that forced me to buy a whole repair kit.
The next job is to sort out the winch bases with fresh sealant and stainless fixing bolts before refitting the bodies on top.
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