The Classic Winch Company

Our philosophy

The Classic Winch Company isn't just another factory producing standard, off-the-rack gear for yachts. We are passionate lovers of classic boats who are dedicated to designing and producing custom-made winches that fit the design period of a yacht. A winch on a yacht from 1908 will have a certain elegant capstan-look with a rounded top and will certainly not be self-tailing. A winch for a yacht from the 1930's will have a more industrial look with a narrower drum and preferably not, but possibly, self-tailing.

In my eyes the winches on a well maintained or properly restored classic yacht are the finishing touch of the project. Paint and varnish may catch your eye at a first glance but modern or badly proportioned winches will nullify the effect in an instant. Getting it right is our aim.

Restoring or building a classic yacht is a thing of passion. The final result is a combination of many factors that all have to blend together harmoniously. All too often I see compromises being made in a restoration, in the creation of a replica or even simply during the ongoing process of maintenance and so-called upgrading of a classic boat.

After years of research and sparing no expense in carefully following all possible aspects of bringing a yacht back to her original form the project is finally nearly done and then, in many cases as an afterthought, the winches are ordered. Sometimes not even as an afterthought but a conscious, totally incorrect choice.

On one occasion I remember having followed the restoration of a beautiful 6mR over a period of 2 years. When she was nearly ready for her launch, I stood by the yacht with the owner admiring her magnificent finish and pure clean decks. Two workers from the yard arrived with a pallet load of small, labelled boxes. Using cordless drills and stainless-steel screws they then proceeded to stick a mass of modern, red and black deck-fittings, self-tailing winches with black plastic tops, roller-bearinged blocks and sheaves and a battery a jam-cleats around the cockpit. In one foul sweep the beautiful result of a painstaking restoration was destroyed.

The owner was pleased with the result as the boat was intended to be raced competitively and once more the argument was incorrectly and inappropriately used: “If Herreshoff had carbon he would have used it.” Yes, he would have but then boats would have looked completely different as well and would we have loved their shape as much as we do now?

At the Classic Winch Company, we would like to be able to make it possible for discerning owners to get it right. Although as a business model we would love to sell hundreds of winches, that is not our aim nor feasible in our present set up. We are a small company of three whose sole wish is to produce winches that look beautiful and function even better.

 A quality product that costs more than the mainstream winches available but that hopefully will win its place in the market thanks to our engineering expertise, thoroughly researched historical knowledge and experience.

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Tel: +31 6 523 08 465