Expedition sailor Bruce Jones from Rubicon 3 tested the iWinch for the British magazine "Yachting World" and is very positive about this small, practical helper.
The result is five stars and a clear recommendation to buy.
Here is the statement of Bruce Jones which is printed in the February issue of Yachting World.
Sometimes, a solution to a ploblem comes along that is so obvios, you wonder why it hasen`t been there for years. In my opinion the iWinch is a case in point.
Some taskson a yacht are just hard work: getting that halyard up, sheeting in a headsail, tightening the reefing pennant - all big. heavy jobs and none of us are getting younger.You`ll always get the traditionalists who say electric winches are unnecessary or dangerous as you can`t feel any blockage or Snagging.The truth is tough, that sometimes having some powered assistance is very useful, especially when you`re short-handed.
If You`ve ever thought about getting electric winches as a solution, you may well have stopped short when you`ve seen the 3000 pound price tag (for a common 44 size) - and then there`s the space they need under the deck and the power onthe batteries. Space and cost are show stoppers for many.
Previously, we`ve looked at the so-called powered winch handles. The WinchRite is probably the most well known, and it is definately an effective tool; likewise for the Ewincher. What stopped us using either on an ongoing basis was firstly their size (where do you store them?) and secondly their cost. The WinchRite costs over 600 pound and the Ewincher close to an eye watering 2000 pound. Great ideas both of them, but ultimately not something we could justify.Which brings us to this neat idea.
We´re a bit late to party on the iWinch, but we love it. It`s basically just a winch socket and a drill bit combined. It fits into a standard drill, thought youdo want one with around 90-100Nm of torque,and it will need a 13mm chuck, so do check this.
Otherwise that`s it.You have a powered winch handle that`s highly effective, but only costs 55 pound. We have given the iWinch quite a beating over the summer, using it on our heavy 60ft expedition yachts wheree the loads are much greater than you`d expected on a standard 40ft cruising yacht.Every Skipper, without exception, loved the iWinch for it`s utility and practicality, even if it wasn`t seen necessary as beeing an erveryday piece of kit.Your drill may not have the full 110Nm torque of the WinchRite or EWincher, but so long as it has arround 100Nm this is such a useful, cheap solution to a problem that you really can`t go wrong with (otheer than dropping your drill overboard or risk it getting salted up)
Highly recommended.
Verdict: 5-STARS *****
