# stripper ring for Lewmar 40ST winch



## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

The stripper ring (15000137) on one of my Lewmar 40ST winches (early 80's vintage) broke, thereby turning it into a NST winch! The ring is no longer available (Lewmar's casting broke in 06, and they are not replacing it). I am having a machine shop make a couple of rings, and I'm wondering if anyone else wants to have one made, as the majority of the cost is in the initial set up. If not now, contact me in the furture for the shops name as they will have the setup in their computer. I always wondered why the ring was plastic. The machinist explained that the winch hub is alloy and a metal ring would wear it down as it rotated around the hub. I also didn't know that machine shops work with plastic. Ya learn something everyday (sometimes, two things)!
Bill
415 302 7109
9/09 Update: If you are looking for these rings the solution is on page 3. I just saved you a lot of time and grief!


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## watom (Aug 7, 2008)

Aloha,
I just received a replacement from Defender was 15$ I believe try the on line they may have more.
Tom


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## midnightsailor (May 23, 2003)

FWIW, I was informed by a knowledgeable source that Lewmar does not support their older model or series winches when they come out with a newer one, such as the current Ocean Series winches. Thus, it can be difficult to find replacement parts for and older winch. I found this out while trying to find a replacement lower pawl gear when overhauling a friends older model winches he had recently purchased at a swap meet. In cases like this, you need to search out various vendors who may still have some old stock parts on their shelves or inventory, such as watom was able to do through Defender. Could this be Lewmars way of encouraging us to purchase their new winches? This is another good reason to take care of your winches and service them at least, at a minimum, of every three years. Yearly servicing, of course is best. Once you do it for the first time, subsequent servicing goes quickly and easily. single and two speed,including self-tailing winches are generally quite simple and straightforward to do, large three speed models do get a bit more difficult. Generally, the most time consuming part of the process is digging out and removing the hardened on grease from winches that have rarely ,if ever , been serviced, especially if too much grease was globed on the parts. Note that when greasing the gears, bearings, etc. you need only to apply a small amount grease, another case where "more is not better". Also, note that the pawls should not be greased, only oiled with a few drops of light oil like "3-in-one" or Marvel Mystery Oil.
I find it surprising, how little attention most sailors pay to their winches, as if as long as they can hear them "click" all is well. Unfortunately, by the time the clicking stops, and one finally pays them some attention, it is not unusual to find worn gears, or bearings, or spindles. When I think about how much time and attention one usually pays towards their engines (regular oil changes, filters, fuel additives, etc.) while barely even thinking about their winches, it makes me wonder if they have any idea of the punishment winches must take (high stress loads, constant soaking in salt water, dust and dirt) and yet the cost of the six or more winches on the average boat can cost as much if not more than the engine! Just something to think about the next time you count on these nearly always trustworthy and dependable pieces of machinery to crank in your genny, mains l' or whatever.


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## Stillraining (Jan 11, 2008)

Been dealing with Lewmar a lot latly..They told me its their standard policy that they will support there products for 10 years *after* discontinuation...then they stop..

If some mold or something breaks at the factory its understandable not to re-tool it if its not a high turn over part...unless its very early on.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Bill-

I'm pretty sure they still support the ST40 winch, as I have three of them on my boat and am pretty familiar with the winch and the company. Do you have a photo of your winches? How old are they? Last I checked the 40ST is still in production and looks like this:










BTW, if you're talking about the stripper ring, which is part #5 in this drawing:










They are still available... since the winch is still in production. I didn't see any part on the LEWMAR site with the part number that you indicated above.


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

My ST40's are from the early 80's. Looks like yours are more recent Sailingdog. The thing is, the winches are in great shape, work perfectly and I'm hardly going to replace them for want of a stripper ring! I've contacted Lewmar dealers, salvage yards, TAP Plastics, etc. etc. to no avail. In fact, a Lewmar dealership told me about some guy in New York who was making them. I tracked him down, but he isn't doing it anymore.  I hate to even think about the time I've put into the search! At this point, its worth it to have them fabricated at about $200.00, rather than spend more time looking. Checked with Defender, no luck. They acknowledged that the newer rings are not compatible with the older winches. You would think Lewmar would come up with a unique number for each winch to avoid the confusion. For example ST40-83 if they were first produced in 1983 as opposed to ST40 models first produced in 93. Oh well, in a perfect world, the ring would never have broke in the first place!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

L124C-

If you have a stripper ring that is in good shape in another ST40 on your boat, why not make a mold of it and then cast a new one out of HDPE yourself. I'd bet that one side of the stripper ring is all on a single plane, which means you can use an open mold to cast the other side, and then cut it down to fit.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

L124C said:


> My ST40's are from the early 80's. Looks like yours are more recent Sailingdog. The thing is, the winches are in great shape, work perfectly and I'm hardly going to replace them for want of a stripper ring! I've contacted Lewmar dealers, salvage yards, TAP Plastics, etc. etc. to no avail. In fact, a Lewmar dealership told me about some guy in New York who was making them. I tracked him down, but he isn't doing it anymore.  I hate to even think about the time I've put into the search! At this point, its worth it to have them fabricated at about $200.00, rather than spend more time looking. Checked with Defender, no luck. They acknowledged that the newer rings are not compatible with the older winches. You would think Lewmar would come up with a unique number for each winch to avoid the confusion. For example ST40-83 if they were first produced in 1983 as opposed to ST40 models first produced in 93. Oh well, in a perfect world, the ring would never have broke in the first place!


I had the same problem o my Catalina 30 (1984)
Have you solved the issue?
I had the local machine shop make them and they will be willing to make more if necessary. The larger number of people would help...
Michael


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## warmbeer (Jan 4, 2008)

If it is the stripper ring you need and not the arm then these guys had a couple for pre '90's ST30/40, plastic not metal. Found them in the process of looking for a ring for a newer series ST40. 
You will not find the P/N online, tel # 800-224-3937, Binnacle - your online marine store.

Good Luck


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

warmbeer said:


> If it is the stripper ring you need and not the arm then these guys had a couple for pre '90's ST30/40, plastic not metal. Found them in the process of looking for a ring for a newer series ST40.
> You will not find the P/N online, tel # 800-224-3937, Binnacle - your online marine store.
> 
> Good Luck


Thanks, I'll contact them. Are the newer ones metal? I was curious why mine were plastic. A machinist explained that because the winch shaft rotates inside the ring, a metal ring would wear on the shaft. Seemed obvious after he pointed it out!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Nope, still plastic IIRC. 


L124C said:


> Thanks, I'll contact them. Are the newer ones metal? I was curious why mine were plastic. A machinist explained that because the winch shaft rotates inside the ring, a metal ring would wear on the shaft. Seemed obvious after he pointed it out!


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

warmbeer said:


> If it is the stripper ring you need and not the arm then these guys had a couple for pre '90's ST30/40, plastic not metal. Found them in the process of looking for a ring for a newer series ST40.
> You will not find the P/N online, tel # 800-224-3937, Binnacle - your online marine store.
> 
> Good Luck


E-mailed Binnacle twice, no response. Called them and they FINALLY answered the phone. Claimed they didn't have them and acted like they couldn't have cared less! I'll contact you directly to find out how you found earlier rings without a part number.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

Keep us informed! I have 2 perfectly good Lewmar winches, I think they are 40's. And the line is slipping a bit.


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## cbrey (Feb 21, 2004)

Count me in the club of folks with older Lewmar winches in need of impossible-to-find parts. I ran across this thread while trying to locate a plastic stripper ring for one of my primaries, which are 1981 Lewmar 40ST's. 

The protruding tongue of the ring (the part that fits beneath the stripper arm and pushes the sheet away from the winch jaws) had weakened and deformed (UV exposure, perhaps?) to the point where, while I was tacking out of Block Island's Great Salt Pond into some considerable wind and chop, the port genoa sheet jammed itself beneath the stripper arm. Very bad. I had to heave to and dismantle the winch down to the stripper arm to free the bight of sheet.

Anyway... I thought I had the problem solved when I located the part on Pyacht's website. They have a web page where you can locate and identify parts and part numbers of older winches, then enter that PN into a search box. This one came up positive, and it looked like the right part when it arrived in the mail, but after dismantling the winch I found that the inside diameter of the ring they had sent me was too small by a heartbreakingly small increment-- obviously a stripper ring for a newer 40ST.

So-- any leads would be appreciated. Don't worry, I've got plenty of time. I'm just sitting here with a half-round file trying to increase the ID of the new stripper ring by a 16th of an inch.

Thanks,
Carter Brey
Sabre 28 MkII


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## doubleeboy (Jul 21, 2008)

Have a machinist center the new ring on a milling machine table, probably hold it to table using doubleside tape. Use rotary head like a Volstro to mill out to correct diameter. Could also be done using a rotary table or a cnc mill, or mounted on a faceplate and done on the lathe. Should be a very quick job. If mounted with doubleside tape, light cuts are the oder of the day. I can only imagine the mess that would be made trying to fit it using a file.

michael


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## cbrey (Feb 21, 2004)

doubleeboy said:


> Have a machinist center the new ring on a milling machine table, probably hold it to table using doubleside tape. Use rotary head like a Volstro to mill out to correct diameter. Could also be done using a rotary table or a cnc mill, or mounted on a faceplate and done on the lathe. Should be a very quick job. If mounted with doubleside tape, light cuts are the oder of the day. I can only imagine the mess that would be made trying to fit it using a file.
> 
> michael


Hi Michael,

Actually I made quick work of it once I'd brought it home-- used a small sanding drum on my Dremel tool.

Unfortunately, once I'd brought the ring back to the boat and fitted it onto the winch, I found that the ID was not the only thing that Lewmar changed. The protruding tongue is also slightly smaller, and the fit within the stripper arm is therefor not completely tight. I tested it and found that the pressure of the genoa sheet was enough to dislodge it from beneath the arm, resulting in the original problem-- a small bight of sheet jammed tightly between the underside of the stripper arm and the jaws.

At that point I let it be and went sailing, but I might look into some way of adding something to the end of the protruding tongue to make it fit more tightly within the stripper arm.

The proper part would sure be a blessing.

Thanks,
Carter


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

*The winch ate my sheet! Oh Sheet!*



cbrey said:


> The protruding tongue of the ring (the part that fits beneath the stripper arm and pushes the sheet away from the winch jaws) had weakened and deformed (UV exposure, perhaps?) to the point where, while I was tacking out of Block Island's Great Salt Pond into some considerable wind and chop, the port genoa sheet jammed itself beneath the stripper arm. Very bad. I had to heave to and dismantle the winch down to the stripper arm to free the bight of sheet.


Since I have become the Grand Master, having dealt with this nonsense for three years, I thought I would pass along a tip. When the winch swallows the sheet, you can run the tail to another winch and pop it out. Best to use an angel that is as close as possible to 180 degrees from the angle the sheet went in.
For example; If the Port winch ate the sheet, I run the sheet tail forward to a cleat that is in front of the winch, and then over to the Starboard winch. If the Starboard winch is the offender, I simply run the sheet straight back to a spinnaker winch. I can imagine people thinking, "why don't you just tail the winch so it doesn't happen?". The answer is, I do, but it happens so fast (and usually at the worst time) I sometimes slip up. In fact, I removed the one good ring I had, so both winches are NST, to avoid confusion. I also had this fantasy that I was going to find someone to fabricate them for me, so I needed a template. Anyway, this method is certainly easier than taking the winch apart at sea!


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

doubleeboy said:


> Have a machinist center the new ring on a milling machine table, probably hold it to table using doubleside tape. Use rotary head like a Volstro to mill out to correct diameter. Could also be done using a rotary table or a cnc mill, or mounted on a faceplate and done on the lathe. Should be a very quick job. If mounted with doubleside tape, light cuts are the oder of the day. I can only imagine the mess that would be made trying to fit it using a file. michael


If you can get a machinist this interested, have him make you (and me!) new rings! Funny story: I Took my one remaining stripper ring to the machinist I mentioned in the beginning of this thread. He said he would make a couple for around $200 each, and he would have them in a couple of weeks. Great! I left the ring on his desk and happily drove away thinking-problem solved. A month later I e-mail him, no response. Try to contact him several times no luck. After THREE MONTHS, I drove to his shop. The shop was wide open with millions of dollars of tools and machinery everywhere, and no one in sight. I walked around in the shop thinking-where would my stripper ring be? I walk over to his desk, and there is my stripper ring sitting right were I left it three months prior! As I drove away, I actually saw the machinist standing on the corner, watching Public Works unstopping a flooded drain across the street:laugher While this is extreme, its typical of the amount of interest I've found for a project of this size. I found a great web site called E-Machine on line. They actually give you a CAD program, and then you submit the project on line (very cool!). I have the rings almost completed but lost interest in figuring out how to do the finall touches. The rings aren't exactly a starter CAD project, as they involve some complexity, but would be a piece of cake for someone who knows CAD. If anyone wants to take over the project, I'll be happy to send you what I have.


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## roline (Apr 7, 2000)

The upper stripper ring on the Barient 27-48 is also a plastic composite. My plan is to make a replacement from molding and casting a carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced epoxy casting in a silicone mold. If I were going to do a real plastic injection, I would go with a Nylon 4/6 Stanyl grade, fiber reinforced...


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## doubleeboy (Jul 21, 2008)

Good Luck with emachine, its the joke of the industry.

I don't do cnc, so am not interested in job, but I do know of a one man shop that does high precision, low volume cnc work. If you can supply the drawing for part, and or the part I can pitch it to him. His work is beyond accurate, its fanatical. Last I asked his shop rate was $50 per hour. 

Send me a PM if you want me to pitch it to him, I will do so with no added cost. It would likely be in your best interest to have the prototype done and then do a small run and sell the parts to defray your costs.

michael


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

I seem to remember a UK website for a company that specialized in restoring winches, selling them, and selling parts for older winches. I don't have the link but have posted the question on Yacht Forum UK and Westerly Owner's Group UK, both of which I belong to. I will post it if I can find it. They should be available somewhere as 1983 isn't that long ago. It makes sense that someone in the UK will know. Personally, I own 2 Andersen 28st and 2 Andersen 40st winches and they have no working parts in plastic - all stainless & bronze. Good thing as my Danish sucks.
Brian


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## Sapperwhite (Oct 21, 2006)

Are these 1983 Lewmar Wavegrip winches ( they have 4 cap screws) or pre 1983? I'm asking because pre 1983 lewmar ST winches didn't come in size 40 (me thinks????).

Does yours look like this Wave Grip:










If so, you may have the wrong part number. Wave Grip 40 ST stripper ring is part number 15000375.

Pre 1983 self tailers were called Hold Fast and came in 16, 30, and 34 (could be wrong though).

Lewmar Holdfast:










Not saying you are wrong, just questioning because when you say "early 80's lewmar 40ST", to me that means a Wave Grip.

The stripper ring for 40ST and 30ST of the wave grip vintage can be had for $15 here:

LEWMAR STRIPPER RING 30/40

EDIT:

And for good measure, the Wave Grip 40ST diagram:


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Here's a link that might help WinchSpares.com
Brian


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## cbrey (Feb 21, 2004)

Lasterm said:


> I had the same problem o my Catalina 30 (1984)
> Have you solved the issue?
> I had the local machine shop make them and they will be willing to make more if necessary. The larger number of people would help...
> Michael


Hello,

I'm interested in throwing my hat in the ring with you to get some new rings made. Please let me know if you'd still like to do this and, if so, how you'd like to go about it.

Best regards,
Carter Brey
Sabre 28 MkII "Delphine"
City Island, NY


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## cbrey (Feb 21, 2004)

*Your prayers are answered*



mitiempo said:


> I seem to remember a UK website for a company that specialized in restoring winches, selling them, and selling parts for older winches. I don't have the link but have posted the question on Yacht Forum UK and Westerly Owner's Group UK, both of which I belong to. I will post it if I can find it. They should be available somewhere as 1983 isn't that long ago. It makes sense that someone in the UK will know. Personally, I own 2 Andersen 28st and 2 Andersen 40st winches and they have no working parts in plastic - all stainless & bronze. Good thing as my Danish sucks.
> Brian


Brian is right.

The company, located in the UK, is called Winch Spares:

WinchSpares.com

And they carry any part for your old Lewmars (and other brands) that you may need. I ordered two stripper rings as well as replacement top caps (which are also plastic and subject to UV degradation) and pawl/spring replacement kits for my 1981 Lewmar 40 ST's.

The price for a stripper ring is £18.50 (about $30).

Cheers,
Carter


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

doubleeboy said:


> Good Luck with emachine, its the joke of the industry.
> michael


I'm curious, what is wrong with E-machine? As I indicated, I was impressed with the program, the project just seemed a little over my head.


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

cbrey said:


> Brian is right.
> 
> The company, located in the UK, is called Winch Spares:
> 
> ...


I hope you are right, and forgive my skepticism, but I'll believe it when they are functioning on your boat! The only way I can see it happening is if they are fabricating parts, which might be a possibility from the looks of their website. With as long as I've been dealing with this, and as many people as I've talked to about these friggin rings, it's hard to believe I never ran across them! If it's true, they need to work on their marketing! I'll be talking to them first thing Monday morning. Thanks Guys!


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

mitiempo said:


> Personally, I own 2 Andersen 28st and 2 Andersen 40st winches and they have no working parts in plastic - all stainless & bronze. Good thing as my Danish sucks.
> Brian


Your winches probably don't have stripper rings. Many winches simply have a deflector on the stripper arm. Seems a lot simpler and just as effective to me. In fact, I was considering doing that to my ST40's. I just hate the thought of jury rigging things.


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## cbrey (Feb 21, 2004)

*Eureka*

Gentlemen,

My order arrived yesterday from Winch Spares, and they are indeed what they advertise. I received two stripper rings (correct dimensions for my 1981 Lewmar 40 ST's, obviously newly manufactured) as well as new plastic top caps, allen screws, and a set of pawls and springs just in case.

Best regards,
Carter Brey
Sabre 28 MkII "Delphine"
City Island, NY


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

*Great News!*



cbrey said:


> Gentlemen,
> 
> My order arrived yesterday from Winch Spares, and they are indeed what they advertise. I received two stripper rings (correct dimensions for my 1981 Lewmar 40 ST's, obviously newly manufactured) as well as new plastic top caps, allen screws, and a set of pawls and springs just in case.


Thats great news, thanks for the update. Thanks also to Brian for telling us about the company. One more example the the power of the Internet. I can't believe how excited I am to find them, an indication of what I've gone through for a couple of plastic rings! I looked at the date I started this thread, and ironically, it's been almost exactly a year. I started my search a year before that! Winch Spares says they can also supply a square shank winch handle for my Lewmar halyard winch. I had given up on that years ago and modified a current handle which works, but isn't right. The advantage of the modified handle is that it is does lock (unlike the square shank). The drawback is it is sometimes reluctant to unlock! It will be nice to have the right handle and ST40's that actually "ST"!


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Glad it worked out for you. It sure beats having them custom made at whatever expense.
Brian


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

*Happy days!*

The rings are installed on the boat! Mike at Winch Spares in the UK was a pleasure to work with and did exactly what he said he was going to do. Refreshing given the amount of BS I encountered in the search for these parts! I paid via Pay Pal which was almost effortless, and the rings were here as fast as if they had come from the East Coast. Wonder if I'll miss the excitement of having the sheet jam in the winch as I approach a sea wall in 25 knots? Well...I'll just have to get used to it!


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## roline (Apr 7, 2000)

I added a link to them on my Cal 9.2 web site. There are many folks out there that need a low dollar part to repair that are forced to consider replacement. I'm for repair don't replace..... I'll post links to good companies!


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## tucano (Jan 10, 2014)

L124C said:


> The stripper ring (15000137) on one of my Lewmar 40ST winches (early 80's vintage) broke, thereby turning it into a NST winch! The ring is no longer available (Lewmar's casting broke in 06, and they are not replacing it). I am having a machine shop make a couple of rings, and I'm wondering if anyone else wants to have one made, as the majority of the cost is in the initial set up. If not now, contact me in the furture for the shops name as they will have the setup in their computer. I always wondered why the ring was plastic. The machinist explained that the winch hub is alloy and a metal ring would wear it down as it rotated around the hub. I also didn't know that machine shops work with plastic. Ya learn something everyday (sometimes, two things)!
> Bill
> 415 302 7109
> 9/09 Update: If you are looking for these rings the solution is on page 3. I just saved you a lot of time and grief!


Bill,
Would you be able to provide me the contact for the machine shop that built the rings for you.
Thank you
Jerry


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

tucano said:


> Bill,
> Would you be able to provide me the contact for the machine shop that built the rings for you.
> Thank you
> Jerry


See post #25. Let us know how it works out for you!


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## Jon Price (Jan 8, 2018)

Looking for the stripper ring, part #15000137, for the older model Lewmar 40ST winch. Judging from from area code in his message above, Bill is in either San Francisco or Marin County, which is close to where I am. I would appreciate referral to the machine shop where he had his made, and if he would like me to share some of the cost in the setup I would be open to that. Jon Price 415-717-8484.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Jon

Tr this link

WinchSpares.com


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## Jon Price (Jan 8, 2018)

Many thanks!


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## roverhi (Dec 19, 2013)

The Seattle Craig's list has 3 stripper arms for sale. Make and model of winch not listed but would be worth checking if you need such an animal. https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/bpo/d/stripper-arms/6428546584.html

There's a fellow who works out of Svensen's Chandlery in Alameda, CA who seemed to know all there was to know about things Lewmar. He's got an office in a side building attached tp the chandlery building. He found parts for my Lewmar 43ST winches and knew what was available and what wasn't. Assume Lewmar, like most mfg's makes a bunch of spare parts when they introduce a product and warehouse them for future needs. When the supply of those parts is gone, they are gone. Only exception would be parts for a long run product that they need to keep supporting or something that they can sell a lot of because of a common fail point. The guy at Svenson's said that the early Lewmar Self Tailing Winches with Allen Head fasteners on the top cap have pretty much run out of replacement parts.


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

Another solution (no such thing as a "stale thread" for old boat owners)! Someone recently contacted me and said he obtained the same stripper rings from Oyster Bay Boat Shop. 
516 674 8008. 
https://www.oysterbayboatshop.com/contact.php
Apparently, they had the specs in their computer and made the rings on a 3D printer.


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