Larry,

The winch on my 1990 (2016 refurb) was noisy when we got the boat about 5 years ago. It quit working mid season last year and I just left it down the remainder of the season. I found an identical replacement at Harbor Freight for $60-70. It is a little quieter now but not quiet by any means.  Good luck!


Stay Well,
Stephen Staum
s/v Pinafore
1990 Rhodes 22
Needham, MA

On Wed, May 27, 2026 at 11:30 AM Larry W <62himis at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Sailors,
>
> My 1980 Rhodes has an electric winch motor lift. Without an engine
> installed I have raised and lowered the lift and it seems to grind loudly.
> Is this "normal"  for a Rhodes? 46 year old Rhodes? Do these motors fail
> very often? Are there any signs that will forewarn failure of the unit? I
> have read the Reference Pages pertaining to the electric lift and see
> nothing about what to do if the unit fails.  Are there any emergency steps
> if the unit fails in the up or down position?
>
> Larry Willis
> Serenity
> Howell, MI.
>