How to Mount an Electric Anchor Winch

Set the winch template--it comes with the winch--in place directly behind the bow roller. Use a grease pencil to outline the base of the winch. Trace around the inside of the mounting holes on the base to mark their location on the deck, and trace around the hole for the wiring.

To ensure you don't pierce any fittings or occupied spaces, go below and look at the area where you propose to mount the winch--it should be mounted over a void, preferably forward of the collision bulkhead. Select the appropriate bit, and drill the mounting holes and the wiring hole.

With soap and water, clean the surface where the winch will be mounted, removing any and all pre-existing caulking or sealants on the deck with a scraper, and without removing the outline of the winch base. After the area is thoroughly cleaned, wipe inside the winch's outline with acetone on a clean rag. Mask around the outline with duct tape, to keep the sealant from squeezing out onto the deck.

Cut the tip of the marine adhesive sealant cartridge with scissors or a knife, set the cartridge into a caulking gun, and hold it to the deck at a 45-degree angle. Apply the sealant within the masked area, and spread it evenly with a wide-bladed putty knife. Apply a coat of the sealant to the bottom of the winch as well.

Set the winch in place, so that the mounting holes on the winch line up with the mounting holes through the deck, and push the wires through the wiring hole. Before setting the bolts and their washer in place and through the mounting holes, apply a bead of sealant around the mounting holes on the winch. Enter the void below the winch, thread the washers and nuts onto the bolts, and tighten only enough to keep the winch in place.

Connect the ring connector on the winch's red power cable to the boat's common power bus. Connect the winch's black ground lead to the boat's common ground. The winch is self-contained, so there's no need to wire an additional switch to the boat's dashboard.

After seven days, tighten the bolts and remove the masking tape and any excess sealant from the deck.