Lewmar Wavegrip 46 winch self tailer top jaw

thingiverse

This is my rendition of the original part. These winches were used on boats made in the 90's and early 2000's. They are identified by a 4 screw top plate and jaws that are fixed, not the spring loaded type. The original plastic wears out after 20+ years it turns out :) The bad part is that these are no longer made and nobody has them in stock. While I have printed this in PLA as a test (and it got used a few times in the winter), don't try that for real use. This would best be cast in bronze (another project for another day) but I have found carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate to be a good choice. You might also consider ASA due to its UV resistance. If you want a nice clean print without supports (I can't get ASA to print WITH supports, there's just too much air there and warpage), you can print this using the two halves I have included, then epoxy them together. If you print the first layer under-extruded, it gives the epoxy more to grip on to. These fit perfectly and work wonderfully. Size and angles are the same as the original part. I asked Lewmar for the original cad file but they weren't willing to oblige so I had to work this out myself. Hope it helps someone not have to replace their winch for the sake of a dumb piece of plastic!