Harken Winches

Harken winches pair light, grippy drums with famously smooth internals, and this collection carries the range: Radial self-tailing winches in the full run of sizes, Performa winches with their bare-alloy racing drum, electric conversions for push-button trimming, plus winch handles, service kits and spare parts.

Sizing follows the maths of your boat - headsail area, displacement and how much grinding you enjoy. Harken's size numbers indicate the power ratio, and moving up a size is rarely regretted on a cruising boat. Electric winches have transformed short-handed sailing, turning a heavy genoa or mainsail hoist into a button press. Whatever you fit, an annual strip-down with winch grease and pawl oil keeps the ratchets crisp - we stock the service kits to match.

Frequently asked questions

What size Harken winch do I need?

Size by headsail area and displacement - Harken publishes selection guides matching winch size to boat length and sail area. When between sizes, choose the larger: extra power ratio costs little and saves effort every sail.

What is the difference between Harken Radial and Performa winches?

Radial winches have a grippy composite or chromed drum for all-round cruising and racing, while Performa winches use a bare aluminium drum designed for maximum grip with modern ropes and weight-conscious racers.

How often should winches be serviced?

Strip, clean and re-grease winches annually - more often for race boats. Fresh winch grease on gears and bearings and light oil on the pawls keeps them smooth and prevents the pawls sticking.

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