A marine winch is a large device used to hoist cargo and equipment onto a ship, haul fishing nets and cages from the sea, and lift heavy hatches and fishing tackle. It is also used to unload the boat’s catch and is mounted at the rear of the deck.
A marine winch is a large device used to hoist cargo and equipment onto a ship. The marine winch can also be used to haul large fishing nets and cages from the depths of the sea onto a ship’s deck. Consisting of a large reel or drum and a hydraulic motor, the common marine winch is equipped with a gearbox or transmission that also allows the winch to feed cable, net or rope away from the ship. The most common location to mount the winch is to the rear of the deck, and usually behind the control or Captain’s house.
While most ships are loaded by large quayside cranes that lift cargo off the dock and lower it onto a ship’s deck or holding area, part of the marine winch loads a load onto a tall stabilizer or tower on the deck ship. The winch is used on smaller or remote docks where a large dock crane is not available. In this case, the marine winch takes the place of the crane, and the ship’s crew is tasked with loading the ship for sea travel.
Once at sea, the marine winch is used for several functions, each of which revolves around fishing and working. When large nets are used to collect fish, the ropes connected to the nets are attached to the winch reel and the winch is used to haul the heavy nets out of the water and onto the boat deck. When fishing for lobster or crab, the marine winch is not only used to set the large net cages or pots, but also to lift them from the depths of the ocean. A rope, commonly connected to floating buoys at one end and pots at the other, is attached to the winch and hoisted to crew members waiting on deck.
This type of marine winch does not wind the rope around a spool, rather this winch design simply pulls the rope and stacks it at the rear of the winch. Crew members often place the rope in a barrel to keep it tidy and prevent it from becoming tangled when coming off the winch. The marine winch is also used to lift and position heavy hatches on ship’s decks, as well as to organize and stack fishing tackle on the deck or in the ship’s hold. Winches are also used to unload the boat’s catch when it returns to port with a full hold.
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