Abstract: A windlass for a boat pulls in an anchor rode. A chainwheel mounted on a shaft has an annular groove to engage the anchor rode. A flexible retainer with a leaf spring is disposed across the chainwheel annular groove to press the rode into the chainwheel annular groove. The retainer has trunnions that pivot and slide transversely in upper and lower arcuate grooves, toward the slack portion of the rode. A housing is attached to a base and covers the rode for safety. The housing has the upper arcuate groove and an arcuate member has the lower arcuate groove. The base, housing, and arcuate member are aligned with three key members that engage one another. The rode slides on a low friction wear plate attached to the base. A funnel with a mouth facing forward is mounted on the base for directing the rode downward through a nozzle into the boat. A motor drive has an electric motor and a worm gear transmission attached to the shaft lower end for rotating the shaft.

Abstract: A windlass for a boat has an electric motor and drive gears mounted to a base. A chainwheel is mounted on a shaft extending through a divider plate. The chainwheel has a first portion and an opposite second portion joined for rotation in unison, and forming an annular groove adapted to engage an anchor rode. First and second clutch disks frictionally engage the chainwheel to transmit torque. A nut threaded onto the shaft end retains the clutch disks and the chainwheel on the shaft. The nut allows selective adjustment of the frictional engagement of the clutch. A stripper plate helps to transmit pulling forces from the rode to the base, reducing radial forces on the shaft, and also serves to strip the rode from engagement with the chainwheel. First and second arcuate members having first and second opposed, coextensive, arcuate grooves are mounted on the divider plate.

Abstract: A windlass for a boat pulls in an anchor rode. A chainwheel mounted on a shaft has an annular groove to engage the anchor rode. A flexible retainer with a leaf spring is disposed across the chainwheel annular groove to press the rode into the chainwheel annular groove. The retainer has trunnions that pivot and slide transversely in upper and lower arcuate grooves, toward the slack portion of the rode. A housing is attached to a base and covers the rode for safety. The housing has the upper arcuate groove and an arcuate member has the lower arcuate groove. The base, housing, and arcuate member are aligned with three key members that engage one another. The rode slides on a low friction wear plate attached to the base. A funnel with a mouth facing forward is mounted on the base for directing the rode downward through a nozzle into the boat. A motor drive has an electric motor and a worm gear transmission attached to the shaft lower end for rotating the shaft.