Question: I have a 1981 vintage sailboat with mast mounted winches. These appear to be "Hold Fast Self-Tailing Winches" from Lewmar for which they no longer offer support nor parts. How the heck do these come apart? I do not see anything to unscrew or even a snap ring for that matter.

Alan UNABATED P424

Answer: While it’s a bit difficult to see from here, if man built it, it’s likely that man can take it apart. There should be a circlip at the top of the drum, a thin circular shaped piece of metal that fits into a recessed grove under the main spindle. This keeps the drum from flying off the boat. Using a small flat head screwdriver, gently pry the circlip off the top of the drum, making sure that it doesn’t go overboard. Now you’re ready to take the drum off and service the winch. Do so slowly, and if it’s your first time servicing this particular winch, it’s not a bad idea to take notes or pictures so all the pieces go back the same way. There’s nothing worse than having a pile of pawls and springs and having to spend time experimenting getting them back together. If you’re still having problems figuring out how the winch comes apart, upload some photos of it to our FTP site www.sailjazz.com/ftp and join the Pearson list Pearson List and get some of our members to take a look at it.