Buccaneer 550 winch
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: The Boat Shed
Forum Description: Discuss all things boating.
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=134289
Printed Date: 10 Jun 2026 at 11:21am
Topic: Buccaneer 550 winch
Posted By: beno101
Subject: Buccaneer 550 winch
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2020 at 7:57pm
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Hi, can anyone recommend a model/brand of replacement winch around Auckland? I have a very steep ramp where I drag the entire boat up on occasion so a slightly more capable version would be helpful. The rust on the drum makes me feel it may disintegrate one day. If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great. Ben |
Replies:
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2020 at 8:22am
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We have a keel trailer trogen 5x 10x ratio winch. A 18v 1.5 ah drill that pulls a 5.5m boat with great and 80/100l fuel on up a steep ramp faster than a solid fit guy can wind it up. Battery is good for 2 1/2 retrieves. Go for a wide drum....and with min amount has 2 turns on drum and just hook on at end of trailer. of delema rope with a drop forged hook (has flat sides) Reason for this.. the smaller the diameter of the drum, and increases when rope layer go on, means more effort, thu faster IF maintain same winding speed all the way. The effort between 1st and 2nd lay is ball park 1/2 more effort.. 3rd layer doubles. Another hint.. for any winch.. when 1st get it, put the rope out the front side.. chock the trailer wheels.. hook to the car with hand brake on a little to create good loading. Then wind the rope on under load , feeding across the drum. You will find the rope will feed correctly by its self when loading the boat in the future. Never lube the winch bushes with a petroleum based lube.. not crc or similar.. inox non petroleum based lube fine. Petroleum based lubes attack the bushes then they bind up, making big noise and jumpy, hard to just pull out. The bushes are easy to replace if lay everything out on a bench when dismantle. and abut $2:50 each. Normally only the main drum bushes will fix the issue. Got a feeling this maybe your issue? |
Posted By: neil_cb125t
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2020 at 9:44am
| What type of fitting do you use to connect your drill to the winch mate? Pictures.....Sounds like a easy idea! |
Posted By: beno101
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2020 at 2:01pm
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Thanks Steps, great advice. Just purchased the same winch and 7m of rope, hope it will take that length. Will set it up as you say. The frame was in good Nick, only drum rusty as hell. The two speed will be a life saver. Cheers. |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2020 at 7:57am
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What type of fitting do you use to connect your drill to the winch mate? Pictures.....Sounds like a easy idea!
16mm long socket with a couple slots ground (cant cut hardened sockets) to accommodate the pins the handle uses. The drill in the pic, was a 2nd hand from a builder for proof of concept. It had gone thru 2 sets batteries and using a cd battery from a elcheapo mite 10 B&D drill. This lasted 3 or 4 yrs, 25/35 trips per yr, on some steep ramps... Eventually the drill started to get warm and replaced with a AEG lithium. The B&D is still being used regularly in the workshop. Got a movie somewhere showing being brought up on a very low tide, boat was slid to the dock across mud by the anchor warp. And pulling up from the mud vaccuum. Not only that I had forgotten to trim up the motor. 1/2 way coming up the trailer, I say " usually comes up quicker than this" And a reply from the guy behind us " your motor is still down in the mud" Funny how perceptions can be 'sensitive' only took anothe 10 secs over normal. I wish to see the movie PM and will find it. 
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Posted By: beno101
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2020 at 6:41pm
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Like this? https://seadesign.co.nz/" rel="nofollow - https://seadesign.co.nz/ |
Posted By: letsgetem
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2020 at 9:27am
| Brilliant - Ive just bought one. When I come in from fishing, I can wind the boat up onto the trailer - but, I am always short of energy after being on the briny, so saving this work will be a boon. And, it will speed it up, so helping to reduce the queue of boats. |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2020 at 10:22am
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Geeze.. $33 for an old long 2nd hand 16mm socket with couple slots cut in it and a 3/8" adapter cut down to fit the drill. The weight and design of boat and trailer will dictate the specification, size and torque of battery drill required to retrieve your boat. So they have no idea or recommend what size drill, what ratio winch for what weight of boat. Or able to recommend if wide or narrow drum.. wire, braid or web 'rope' Get any of these wrong and doesnt work. I put a scale between the winch hook and the boat, and watched when someone pulled up the boat and took the time taken.. anything over 1 min was not acceptable. I then calcuated the force required to being the boat up in 1 minute. Then with some difficulty found out how much force a battery ( mains power tools easy to find) drill has, and at what loads batteries will cut out at when loaded and reach given cut out temps. Then calculate the speed of the drill, what ratio required (and rem the ratio, and load changes as the winch drum fills) to bring the boat up in 1 min or under... on a keel trailer. Then came proof of concept, on a quiet week day at the ramp,near full tide because that when the ramp is very steep. 1st pull scarred the $%^& out of me...I had calculated with the drill speed on 1.. did not realise in the excitement it was on speed 2... Damn that boat came up real fast, got to just before meter full up and battery and/or drill cut out kicked in just in time. This was an unexpected surprise thu. Then pushed boat back out , did the next pull 5 min later (let drill and/or battery cool off (they where only just warm to touch) on speed 1 .. not 100% sure the 1.5AH battery had the storage capacity. Anyway it pulled up about 5 sec under the 1 min Damn near right on the theoretical calculations for a approx 1100kg , 5.5m 1970s sea nymph commander fully loaded including fuel but no ppl. Proof of concept nailed.. 1st time, no try this try that messing around. Someone has been watching some very old posts here i think..  $1 2nd hand socket, 50c for adapter , 10 mins time, and if want to get fancy, tack weld the socket to the adapter. Where has good old Kiwi number 8 wire stuff gone? Wonder when my bungy panter will go commercial.... or my self tied off mooring to pontoons solo launch.. just rool off boat, automatically tied off the pontoons/ wharf, and drive away. or my quick retrieve light solo lift 800mm no mess,dredge set up, that will have proof of concept , hopefully this weekend. Or my $15 moded $35 dredge its self, already well proven on its 1st proff of concept. Then there are other things like my spit, still not upgraded from original proof of concept from around 35 yrs back. Secret to all this. "work hard at being lazy" And that is very different from the modern concept of "work smarter not harder" Work hard at being lazy one will spend a sunday putting under ground automatic watering system around 20 odd aviaries so dont have to change the water each day... Or removing all weed from lawns so only have to cut 1/3 as many times with less catch each yr. "Work hard.......at being lazy" And not having deep pockets is also a great motivation to build. |
Posted By: neil_cb125t
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2020 at 10:38am
| Yep I have bought one to. I can make stuff up and love to. But. That’s cheap and supports someone who’s out there making cool stuff for us kiwis. |
Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2020 at 6:56pm
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Here’s another winch powered by a cordless drill attachment, lots of videos on YouTube with guy’s powering there boat winches with drills https://winchdrivertools.com/products/icnuts-marine-tool-kit-operates-one-winch-for-boat-trailers" rel="nofollow - https://winchdrivertools.com/products/icnuts-marine-tool-kit-operates-one-winch-for-boat-trailers Here a winch designed to be powered by a drill https://www.topmaq.co.nz/automotive-workshop/vehicle/winches/drill-powered-winch-225kg-avwi2000?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-fSWhZqB7AIVciCtBh09tQsSEAsYAiABEgIE3fD_BwE This one’s from 2012 ideas been around for a while so must work pretty well might buy one myself https://www.thebackshed.com/forum/ViewTopic_mobile.php?FID=11&TID=4990&PID=0&LastEntry= |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2020 at 8:37am
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1st.. why buy a special winch to use a drill? When a Std far cheaper, winch with all the free spool, and other 'extras' are already there... And at that not knowing how fast it pulls up at a ramp... Nothing more lack of consideration and frustration to others using an electric winch that has a pull at 2 layers less than 8ft/min. Also wire rope causes some minor issues as well... And the last one..which never came to anything ... ideas, car starters, to build ones own winch, or set up impact drivers... And yeah have several American (AC Delco) starters and later model geared starters for hi com, low duration cam engines laying around the shed.. which had consideration olny. The practical side of portability, gearing, required construction and mods, they never got past the consideration stage. And Really? to even consider an rattle gun will work? We did have an old rattle gun, welded the clutches, and found that the torque/ power/ratios were all wrong compared to std 2 speed drill. Just checked the date stamp on my original videos and pics...2013. Only good ideas are those that actually are practical, simple, cheap , and work (portable, easy and speed.) A note on the socket.. it has a slot with a locking bit in it. That is not good.. you will end up breaking your thumb if get a jamb or end of the pull as the drill twists. Best describes as .. you will have had a fully charged 18v drill , jamb and twist, damn near throwing you to one side right?. As the drill jambs and because ones thumb is around the handle, the twist turns and 'locks ' your hand on the handle when horizontal.... If have that locking slot there is no movement to allow the drill to momentarily twist , semi release , preventing breaking your thumb or wrist.. The sides of the slots need to be slightly flared, which also means the drill has to be held a little more square on to winch shaft. From actual initial proof of concept trial, regular use , 7 of 8 yrs of user experience.. For practical use .. one lines up the boat on the keel line... hooks the rope, takes up slack with winch With cross wind or current its not as easy to take it up on the drill... Then start pulling up on the drill. Person holding boat lines up.. if required then comes down and continues with the drill. .. Other person now standing free, with little effort, turns the winch handle on the other (drivers) side. take a little load off the drill, and speeds up the pull to well under 1min... Person with drill jumps in the tow vehicle passenger side with the drill.. driver hooks the shackle and all drive off. |
Posted By: salty69
Date Posted: 21 Dec 2021 at 2:13pm
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Great read, esp for those of us with heavy tubs and a steep ramp. Bought a sea socket last week and used it for the first time on Sunday. Brilliant. Older De Walt drill gave up with 2ft to go so will need to replace that. Cheers Steps and others. |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 21 Dec 2021 at 3:38pm
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Most likely just the battery aging.. The AEG have been using with the 1.5AH lithuim for the last.. many yrs, the pull up hoods before last starting going bit slow.. And the last pull week ago got 3/4 up and battery overload cut in.. Re charged and been using for projects around here nps. So a new 1.5ah from bunnings in the new yr. |
Posted By: kimber7wsm
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2021 at 6:01am
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Most likely the battery as Steps says, but...
Dewalt make several models. The cheap ones often don't have a very good power rating at all. So might just pay to check before replacing the battery. Dewalt tend to list some sort of power rating, just google the model. If you have a mate with a Dewalt drill maybe borrow his battery just to check. Having said that, my Dewalt 996 would break a wrist if you're not careful. Also the 20V (American parallel import) battery works perfectly with the NZ 18v gear and chargers. If that saves you a few bucks. A mate and I swap them all the time.
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Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2021 at 8:07am
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My pic above was the original last century, cad battery, ex tradie who had gone thru 2 batteries before I got it....I just put a new 2ah cad battery on it. Worked for a few yrs fine. I still have and use it as a spare.. |