Blog | upffront.com

Choosing a winch can be daunting. The main decision criteria may be size or power Ratio, but Style, Speeds, Material and Grip are also of a consideration. That’s without going into powered options (electric / hydraulic), and then an extensive range of winch handle styles and sizes! Winches are an expensive bit of equipment and an educated choice will save you from unnecessary spend.

Deck blocks are evolving. Bearings are constantly improving, as manufacturers endeavour to minimize friction in different load cases.

Types of bearings

Apart from number of sheaves, blocks can also be categorised by their bearings.

  • Plain bearings: Although the name itself sounds quite vague, these are smooth, solid surfaces that
move across each other. The sheave rotates across the central hub. 

Type in ‘how to service a winch’ on Google, and the results you will get are endless. There are two types of steps to take: those that are universal to all winches, and those that are applicable to specific models. In this post, we discuss minimum requirements for servicing.

Ronstan invested significant time and effort in developing this functional and stylish range, for keelboat sailors.

Core 45 – Max rope diameter 12 mm, Boats up to 33ft*

Core 60 – Max rope diameter 12 mm, Boats up to 36ft*