12V Electric Trailer Winch -- Pro's and Con's ? ? ?

[Old No7]

Geez, maybe I am getting old...

The Admiral thinks that I, the Captain, work too hard at cranking the winch to put my 19' Sea Ranger back on the trailer after we use it for the weekend.  It's really not that difficult, but takes a few cranks for sure.  She says she wants to get me a 12V Electric Trailer Winch for Father's Day and my birthday, which are a week apart.

I'm not so sure I need it...

I have a pretty good idea of some of the pro's of using one -- but what are the con's or downsides?

I tried a search but got too many hits for "electric" or "winch", but not as the phrase.

Any thoughts?

Old No7

[croaker stroker]

Downside for me would be installing the tow-vehicle wiring harness.

[davidsea]

   May be different for a bunk trailer, but with my rollers, little or no tension on the strap makes for a way-too-fast launch.  I've tried controlling it with a bow line, but even wearing gloves it's a little hard on the hands.  The old winch that was on the trailer when I bought the boat needed replacement, so I upgraded to a 2-speed winch with a brake and a 3" wide drum, plus a heavy-duty 3" strap with SS hook.
  Now, I can put the winch in 'neutral' to launch and control speed with the brake - no more wildly spinning handle.  Retrieving, 80% is done in 'high' gear, but switch to 'low' for the last few feet of pull.  Added bonus - with the 3" strap, very little stretch and need to retighten when dry and towing. Works for this old guy, and WAY cheaper than power.
  My problem with electrics is slow speed, both in and out, questionable reliability, and the hassle of circuit breaker and BIG cable from the tow rig battery to the winch.
   I've said that when I can't launch/load solo, I'm done - so far, I'm still out there.

[AJFishin]

I had one on my SC17 and used it one time. I ran wires from my truck battery to the electric winch when at the ramp. Tried out and it was slow going. Decided it wasn't worth the hassle to make a permanent harness for it.

The winch I have on my SR19 looks the same as David's and it works great and pulls my boat up with ease, but I also have rollers.
I wrap my bowline around the top of my winch tower to hold my boat in place. Then unhook and let the winch tower control the speed of my boat going into the water. I have to back in deep so things are bit different with my set up though.

[Yachter Yat]

   For those who haven't noticed, the common thread between David's and AJ's comments is that they both have roller trailers.  Same with me.  I never needed a power winch with my roller trailers either.  Just sayin'.

Yat

[beancounter]

I like a big 2 speed manual winch like davidsea advocates. I have bought boats with the electric winch and it is more trouble than it's worth in my book.
No different bunk or roller. Powerload with a bunk and the winch is just for holding the bow eye.

[davidsea]

  Depends on your setup of winch/bowstop/boat, but it's often possible to lengthen the winch crank by welding on an extra piece.  A few inches added makes a surprising difference in leverage.

[Fisherdv]

I always just back the trailer down just enough to where I can just walk the boat from the dock right up to the bow stop or a few feet from it. Stand on my truck tailgate and just a few cranks if even that, and boats on. Really easy. Good boat guides are really nice to have. Mine are about 4ft long bunk style guides.

[davidsea]

 
   Long, well-placed and padded side bunks are the answer if you ever load on unprotected ramps, with side winds, wakes or tide/river current.  I had to replace the carpet on mine last year - it was wearing down to bare wood at the back corners. While I had the bunks off and carpet removed, I routered a small radius on all the wood to get rid of the sharp edges.
  I/O poly carpet from Home Depot seems to be exactly like the cut and packaged stuff from marine stores, and a yard of it off the roll will replace my 4' bunk coverings 2 or 3 times.  SS staples (like Arrow 1/2" #508SS1) are worth the extra $ and will outlast the carpet.

[KEM KAI]

Agree, our ramps have a heavy surf surge so side guides are a must for easy p/u.  I have rollers with a short center bunk to walk on to hook the winch so don't have to get wet.  I'm lucky cause I just line up the boat in the side guides and the Captain(wife) just powers it in and I just hook the winch on and tighten it up. If solo then I just power in myself hook up then shut the motor off. 2X12X8 ft carpeted center bunk keeps the boat from hitting the cross member.

[amazing grace]

Get a quality two speed manual crank winch. You will be a happy camper.

[Nanserbe]

I actually just removed the electric winch from my roller trailer.

Being able to feel if the boat is binding or not quite right is important to me.

Along with that, I've seen one too many off-road winches get stuck in the engaged position due to switches & moisture so I have trust issues that the boat eyelet wouldn't get ripped off.

[Redhawk]

We have starboard on our bunks and I won't own another bunk trailer without it. I can push the boat off with just the aft 2 feet floating and if I go at the trailer at a few mph it will slide probably 2/3 on. You'd still be winching, but it's much less work than carpeted bunks. I cut it so that it follows the center-most strakes exactly so it centers naturally.

[Old No7]

SORRY I hadn't gotten to reply to this yet, but THANKS for all the input above.

Turns out that...

(a) My trailer's winch is indeed a 2-speed, and I had just never bothered to change gears for loading.  But I did it the other day and while it did take a few more cranks (maybe 2X? I never counted...) they were easier to crank for sure, especially for the last 3 feet when she's totally out of the water and on the rollers.

(b) My reviews (done before step (a) above was tried) of 12V boat trailer winches showed that a spend of $500 or more was likely needed to get a really good one.  Sure, there's a $100 one from Harbor Freight, and a few no-make $200 models, but they won't get a dime of my money.

So, I'll just use the low gear on any ramps where it's needed, and I'll save quite a few $$ -- and avoid all the hassles and pitfalls of the electric winch.

Old No7