Best Electric Boat Anchor Winches

I bet you’re tired of man­u­al­ly haul­ing up that heavy anchor, espe­cial­ly after a long day on the water. Don’t sweat, I’m here to give you the low­down on the elec­tric anchor winch­es that’ll make your boat­ing life a breeze. Whether you’re dock­ing in chop­py waters or just want to enjoy a care­free day of fish­ing, these pow­er­ful gad­gets are game-chang­ers. Ready to dis­cov­er the won­ders of tech­nol­o­gy for seam­less anchor­ing?

Best Electric Boat Anchor Winches

The best elec­tric boat anchor winch­es are ones that are designed to be reli­able and pow­er­ful, capa­ble of lift­ing and low­er­ing heavy anchors with ease. Look for an anchor winch with water­proof and cor­ro­sion-resis­tant con­struc­tion, an effi­cient motor, and a self-lock­ing trail­er brakes for secure and safe oper­a­tion.

1. Minn Kota Deck­hand 40 Elec­tric: This winch can han­dle anchors up to 40 pounds, and it has a spe­cial anti-drag sys­tem to ensure con­trolled drift­ing.
2. TRAC Out­doors Deck­boat 35 AutoDe­ploy-G3 Elec­tric: Great for larg­er boats, this winch auto­mat­i­cal­ly releas­es the rope need­ed to hold the boat in posi­tion.
3. Lew­mar Pro-Series 700h Anchor Wind­lass: This mod­el is cor­ro­sion-resis­tant, mak­ing it an excel­lent option for boaters who often find them­selves in salt­wa­ter envi­ron­ments.
4. Pow­er­winch 912 Elec­tric Trail­er Winch: This pow­er­ful winch can pull up to 11,500 pounds, ide­al for larg­er ves­sels.
5. Five Oceans Pacif­ic 600 Ver­ti­cal Anchor Wind­lass: This wind­lass is known for its dura­bil­i­ty and high-qual­i­ty mate­ri­als, suit­able for boats from 18 to 30 feet.
6. Trac Fish­er­man 25 Elec­tric: Known for its com­pact design, this winch is per­fect for small­er boats and han­dles anchors up to 25 pounds. Its qui­et oper­a­tion and high-effi­cien­cy gear sys­tem make it a crowd favorite.
7. Win­dRid­er Elec­tric: The Win­dRid­er Winch stands out for its quick line speed and pow­er. It’s also designed with a built-in light for night use — how cool is that?
8. Minn Kota Deck­hand 25: For boaters on a bud­get, this mod­el pro­vides great val­ue. It’s capa­ble of deal­ing with anchors up to 25 pounds and includes a davit for stow­ing most styles of anchors.
9. Viper “S” Series MICRO Rapid 1000 Elec­tric Bun­dle: This one’s a beast in a com­pact pack­age, suit­able for boats up to 6 meters. It’s ful­ly auto­mat­ic, free­ing up your time for steer­ing, fish­ing, or sim­ply enjoy­ing the view.
10. Pow­er­winch RC30 Wire­less Remote Trail­er Winch: Ide­al for larg­er boats, this winch offers a load capac­i­ty of up to 11,500 lbs and oper­ates by a wire­less remote con­trol for ulti­mate con­ve­nience.

You should also con­sid­er one with a wire­less remote con­trol for con­ve­nient oper­a­tion from a dis­tance. Make sure the winch is suit­able for your par­tic­u­lar boat size and anchor weight.

It’s also impor­tant to make sure the best elec­tric anchor winch you choose is suit­able for the type of anchor you have. Dif­fer­ent anchors require dif­fer­ent winch­es and it’s essen­tial that you make sure the winch is capa­ble of han­dling the weight and size of the anchor you plan to use. Look for one with a smooth, qui­et oper­a­tion and a long-last­ing bat­tery life. 

Types of Electric Anchor Winches

When it comes to elec­tric anchor winch­es, there are two main types to choose from: direct dri­ve and ver­ti­cal dri­ve. Direct dri­ve winch­es are more afford­able and eas­i­er to install, as they are typ­i­cal­ly mount­ed direct­ly to the boat’s stern or bow.

• Cap­stan Winch­es: This type of winch has a ver­ti­cal drum that rotates to wind the rope around itself. They’re com­pact, mak­ing them per­fect for boats with lim­it­ed deck space.
• Hor­i­zon­tal Winch­es (Wind­lass­es): These winch­es have a hor­i­zon­tal axle and are often a go-to for larg­er boats. They are typ­i­cal­ly divid­ed into two types: gyp­sy-only or gyp­sy-drum. The gyp­sy-only mod­el has a chain wheel, while the gyp­sy-drum mod­el comes with a line drum for rope.
• Ver­ti­cal Winch­es (Wind­lass­es): With a ver­ti­cal axle, these winch­es save on deck space and are most­ly hid­den below the deck. The gyp­sy (chain wheel) is above deck, while the motor and gear­box are housed below.
• Drum Winch­es: Pre­ferred for their sim­plic­i­ty, drum winch­es allow for free-fall anchor­ing and can han­dle both rope and chain on a sin­gle drum.
• Auto­mat­ic: These winch­es sense the bot­tom and will free-fall the anchor quick­ly. Once the anchor hits bot­tom, they’ll slip into gear, stop­ping the anchor and chain from run­ning out.

Ver­ti­cal dri­ve winch­es, on the oth­er hand, are more pow­er­ful and require a sep­a­rate mount­ing sys­tem.

Is electric anchor winch worth it?

Direct Drive Anchor Winches

A direct dri­ve anchor winch is a type of winch designed to pull up or low­er an anchor on a boat. It typ­i­cal­ly uses an elec­tric motor to pow­er a drum, which is con­nect­ed to a chain or rope that is attached to the anchor. The motor is usu­al­ly con­nect­ed direct­ly to the drum, hence the name “direct dri­ve”. They are an effi­cient and reli­able way to raise and low­er anchors on boats, as well as pull in oth­er heavy loads.

They are incred­i­bly ver­sa­tile. They can be used to drag a boat up a beach, pull in a heavy anchor, or even to help launch a boat. The pow­er of the motor and the direct dri­ve sys­tem make these winch­es very strong and reli­able. They are also rel­a­tive­ly easy to install and oper­ate, and can usu­al­ly be used with a vari­ety of dif­fer­ent anchors. Direct dri­ve anchor winch­es are typ­i­cal­ly less expen­sive than oth­er types of winch­es and can be used for a vari­ety of tasks.

Benefits

The main ben­e­fit of it is their afford­abil­i­ty and ease of instal­la­tion. These winch­es are typ­i­cal­ly mount­ed direct­ly to the stern or bow of the boat, which makes them eas­i­er to install than ver­ti­cal dri­ve winch­es. They are also gen­er­al­ly more afford­able, as they require less instal­la­tion time and mate­ri­als.

Drawbacks

The main draw­back of it is their lack of pow­er. These winch­es are not as pow­er­ful as ver­ti­cal dri­ve winch­es, and are there­fore less suit­able for larg­er boats or boats in rougher waters. They can be dif­fi­cult to main­tain, as they require man­u­al lubri­ca­tion and clean­ing.

Vertical Drive Anchor Winches

A ver­ti­cal dri­ve anchor winch is a type of winch that is used to raise and low­er anchors on boats. It con­sists of a motor and a gearbox, which is mount­ed in a ver­ti­cal ori­en­ta­tion. This type of winch is very pow­er­ful and reli­able, and it is capa­ble of rais­ing and low­er­ing the anchor quick­ly and eas­i­ly. It is ide­al for boats that are fre­quent­ly used in deep waters, as it can han­dle the heav­ier anchors and chains that are need­ed in those sit­u­a­tions.

Benefits

The main ben­e­fit of ver­ti­cal dri­ve anchor winch­es is their pow­er. These winch­es are sig­nif­i­cant­ly more pow­er­ful than direct dri­ve winch­es, which makes them ide­al for larg­er boats or boats in rougher waters. They require less man­u­al lubri­ca­tion and clean­ing, which makes them eas­i­er to main­tain.

Drawbacks

The main draw­back of ver­ti­cal dri­ve anchor winch­es is their cost and com­plex­i­ty. These winch­es are more expen­sive than direct dri­ve winch­es, as they require a sep­a­rate mount­ing sys­tem and more instal­la­tion time and mate­ri­als. They can be more dif­fi­cult to install, as they require more com­plex mount­ing sys­tems.

Features to Look for in an Electric Anchor Winch

When shop­ping for an elec­tric anchor winch, there are a few impor­tant fea­tures to con­sid­er. Con­sid­er the pow­er of the winch. This is espe­cial­ly impor­tant for larg­er boats or boats in rougher waters, as more pow­er­ful winch­es will be nec­es­sary to keep your boat secure.  Look for winch­es that are made from cor­ro­sion-resis­tant mate­ri­als, such as stain­less steel or alu­minum, as these will last longer and require less main­te­nance.

• Pow­er and Speed: One of the main rea­sons you’re get­ting an elec­tric winch is to make your life eas­i­er. So, look for a winch with enough pow­er to han­dle your anchor’s weight with­out a hitch. Faster winch­es also mean less time spent anchor­ing and more time enjoy­ing the sea.
• Rope and Chain Com­pat­i­bil­i­ty: Your winch must be com­pat­i­ble with the type of anchor rope or chain you’re using. Some winch­es can han­dle both rope and chain, which can be a big plus.
• Ease of Instal­la­tion: Unless you’re a sea­soned DIY­er, you prob­a­bly want a winch that’s easy to install. Some mod­els come with all the nec­es­sary hard­ware and clear instruc­tions.
• Dura­bil­i­ty and Cor­ro­sion Resis­tance: Let’s face it, marine envi­ron­ments are harsh. Your winch will be exposed to water, salt, and pos­si­bly direct sun­light, so it needs to be tough enough to with­stand all that.
• Remote Con­trol: A remote-con­trolled winch lets you oper­ate it from any­where on the boat. It’s not just about convenience—being able to drop or weigh anchor from the helm can be a safe­ty fea­ture in tricky con­di­tions.
• Free-Fall Capa­bil­i­ty: Some winch­es have a free-fall fea­ture that lets the anchor drop quick­ly with­out using the motor. It’s faster and can help pre­serve bat­tery pow­er.
• War­ran­ty and Cus­tomer Sup­port: Last but not least, look for a winch from a com­pa­ny that stands behind their prod­ucts. A good war­ran­ty and respon­sive cus­tomer ser­vice can be worth their weight in gold if some­thing goes wrong.

It is also impor­tant to con­sid­er the type of mount the winch has. Make sure the winch is com­pat­i­ble with your boat’s mount, and that it is adjustable to fit any size anchor. Look for a winch that has a self-lock­ing fea­ture to pre­vent acci­den­tal deploy­ment of the anchor, as well as a rope that is easy to unspool and retract. To ensure that the winch will last for years, look for a winch with a durable fin­ish and water-resis­tant seals.

The Best Electric Anchor Winches in 2023

When it comes to elec­tric anchor winch­es, there are sev­er­al great options on the mar­ket. The Lew­mar Pro-Fish 1000 is a great device that is pow­er­ful enough for most boats and is easy to install. The Quick Anchor Winch is anoth­er great option, as it is a pow­er­ful ver­ti­cal dri­ve winch that is also cor­ro­sion-resis­tant and easy to main­tain.

If we’re talk­ing about sheer pow­er and reli­a­bil­i­ty, the Minn Kota Deck­hand 40 Elec­tric is a real heavy­weight. This beast can han­dle anchors up to 40 pounds, mak­ing it ide­al for larg­er boats. Its auto­mat­ic drift fea­ture, which lets you drift along your fish­ing path, is a stand­out for many users. Plus, it’s Minn Kota – a name syn­ony­mous with qual­i­ty in the marine indus­try.

Then there’s the Trac Out­door Prod­ucts T10109-35 Pon­toon 35 Elec­tric Anchor Winch. It’s per­fect for pon­toons and cruis­ers, han­dling anchors up to 35 pounds. It’s got an anti-drag sys­tem for con­trolled drift­ing and a sep­a­rate or inte­grat­ed switch at the helm. Oh, and did I men­tion it’s qui­et? No more dis­turb­ing the peace while you’re out on the water.

The Pow­er­winch 712A is worth a nod. It’s a great option for small­er boats, han­dling anchors up to 30 pounds. It’s got a ful­ly auto­mat­ic helm-oper­at­ed free-fall mech­a­nism, so you can drop anchor with just one push of a but­ton.

Anchor Winch Maintenance

Main­tain­ing your anchor winch is impor­tant to ensure it func­tions prop­er­ly and lasts for many years. Reg­u­lar main­te­nance typ­i­cal­ly involves lubri­cat­ing the gears, inspect­ing the hous­ing for any wear or dam­age, and clean­ing the winch to remove any dirt or debris. It is impor­tant to check the wiring of the winch to ensure it is in good con­di­tion. If any issues are found, it is best to have a pro­fes­sion­al repair the winch to ensure it is safe and oper­a­tional.

Safety Tips for Using Electric Anchor Winches

Using it is gen­er­al­ly safe, but there are a few safe­ty tips to keep in mind. Be sure to read and fol­low the man­u­fac­tur­er’s instruc­tions for oper­at­ing and main­tain­ing the winch. Always wear pro­tec­tive cloth­ing and safe­ty glass­es when oper­at­ing the winch, and nev­er oper­ate the winch in wet or slip­pery con­di­tions. Nev­er leave the winch unat­tend­ed while it is in oper­a­tion, and be sure to shut off the pow­er before per­form­ing any main­te­nance or repairs.

The Cost of Electric Anchor Winches

It can vary wide­ly, depend­ing on the type and size of winch you choose. Direct dri­ve winch­es are typ­i­cal­ly more afford­able than ver­ti­cal dri­ve winch­es, as they are eas­i­er to install and require less instal­la­tion time and mate­ri­als.

• Entry-Lev­el Winch­es: For small­er boats and less fre­quent use, you can find some basic mod­els start­ing around $100 — $200. These won’t have all the bells and whis­tles, but they’ll do the job.
• Mid-Range Winch­es: These will typ­i­cal­ly run you between $200 and $600. They usu­al­ly have a high­er load capac­i­ty and may include some extra fea­tures like a man­u­al over­ride or an enclosed motor to pro­tect against the ele­ments.
• High-End Winch­es: If you’re run­ning a larg­er boat, or if you just want the top of the line, you’re look­ing at $600 and up. These winch­es will have high­er load capac­i­ties, faster line speeds, and pre­mi­um fea­tures like wire­less remotes or cor­ro­sion-resis­tant hous­ings.

Keep in mind these are rough esti­mates, and prices can vary wide­ly between dif­fer­ent sell­ers. It’s also worth not­ing that the winch is just one part of the equa­tion – don’t for­get to bud­get for any instal­la­tion costs and addi­tion­al hard­ware you might need!

Size of the winch and the fea­tures offered will affect the cost of the winch. They range in price from $300 to $2,000, depend­ing on the type and size of the winch.

Where to Buy Electric Anchor Winches

It can be pur­chased from most marine sup­ply stores and online retail­ers. Major retail­ers such as West Marine, Bass Pro Shops, and Cabela’s offer a wide selec­tion of elec­tric anchor winch­es, and typ­i­cal­ly offer com­pet­i­tive prices. Online retail­ers such as Ama­zon and eBay often offer dis­count­ed prices on winch­es.

FAQs

Conclusion

An anchor winch is an essen­tial part of any boat, as it allows you to secure your boat in a par­tic­u­lar area. Elec­tric anchor winch­es are becom­ing more pop­u­lar due to their con­ve­nience and ease of use. When shop­ping for an elec­tric anchor winch, con­sid­er the pow­er of the winch, the con­struc­tion of the winch, and the fea­tures offered by the winch. The Lew­mar Pro-Fish 1000 and the Quick Anchor Winch are both great options for elec­tric anchor winch­es.