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Anchorlift Windlass Problems

Discussion in 'Technical Discussion' started by SeaEric, Nov 1, 2013.

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  1. strongfinish

    strongfinish Member

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    A very good place to allow this thread a proper burial
  2. SeaEric

    SeaEric YF Historian

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    Except that YachtForums indexing is so good, this thread is the 4th return on Google for "Anchorlift Windlass". I suspect that this thread shall remain alive and well.
  3. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I would think the fact he offered to replace reflects positively on him and potentially on the brand. However, there's so much bad product floating around, I don't know how he overcomes that. The brand may have been irreparably harmed regardless of his efforts. I recall looking at businesses over the years and finding out the value of the brand itself was now less than zero, that a new brand would start out in a better situation. I feel bad if either, he failed to manage the brand and control the product or he purchased something with all these issues.

    Perhaps his product is still doing fine in his normal channels of distribution. The one way he has of some protection is a registration process by which the legitimacy of the product is determined. However, I note that older product didn't even have parts numbers on the product.

    There seems to be no reduction of the product on ebay with some being open that they purchased as surplus. Others, I don't know about.

    Now, I've been kind to this point toward the owner of the brand. However, he deserves criticism too. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to control your brand. It is your responsibility to manage any surplus sales and to manage your distributors. Ultimately, it's your responsibility to clean up the mess. It's your responsibility to go to ebay if counterfeit is being sold or to insist non dealers and surplus buyers are so indicated so as to make it clear there is no warranty.

    It's somewhat unfair to say this thread hasn't been helpful to his business. No, the way his company and brand have been managed is the problem, not the reporting of that. I read the statement "I'm fairly confident" as to where product is coming from. There is nothing on the anchorlift website saying where product comes from and I feel like if it was all coming from Norway that would be clearly indicated. What it appears to me we have at this point is a product that has been manufactured and assembled in many places and has been sold to anyone who would resell it. You sell surplus that isn't your normal quality and you clearly indicate that on the product. I've sold a lot of irregulars in my life, all clearly indicated. Otherwise you stand behind it. This thread started in November 2013. I see no evidence that anything has changed since then.

    Each person will have to decide how to react to all this. My reaction would be that I'd be scared to purchase Anchorlift products. I am not going to be the one as a customer to attempt to sort through the incompetence in managing their business shown by a company.

    I also wouldn't buy any branded product off ebay from anyone not an authorized dealer.
  4. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I see no reason this thread should be buried. The issue is still very much alive. These products are still being sold on ebay. To my knowledge there is no listing anywhere showing who the authorized dealers are. This was obviously not a small amount of units sneaking through the a high number of units still available on ebay three years later.
  5. SeaEric

    SeaEric YF Historian

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    You make many valid points in your posts OB. I saw no point in accepting the offer of a replacement Anchorlift windlass. If I were to go to the expense of having my mechanic remove and replace my windlass, the replacement will not be another Anchorlift of unknown provenance.

    To expand upon what I was told regarding the previous inventory sell-off: Apparently a financially troubled Florida dealer or distributor had a warehouse containing what turned out to be inferior product. Dealer vacated the warehouse, still owing the landlord. Landlord seized and sold abandoned Anchorlift product at auction. How many pieces is anyone's guess. It does seem to be taking a while to sell off. All earmarks of that bitter divorce that OB mentioned perhaps?
  6. SeaEric

    SeaEric YF Historian

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    Greetings brents, Welcome to YachtForums. Interesting first post. To be fair, the dealers are listed but it takes quite a bit of "clicking around" on the Anchorlift main site in order to find the sub-site for "anchordockingdirect" where the authorized re-sellers are so plainly listed.

    I can assure you that the current array of web content and indeed the Anhorlift company of today bears no resemblance to what I encountered and learned about when my windlass saga began in 2013. As previously stated: there is still a fair inventory of poor quality windlass product bearing the Anchorlift brand out there on the net for sale. So much so that as of now in the FAQ section the entry about warranty says:

    Q: I bought my Anchorlift through a Marine Salvage place or Private Seller/On Line and it doesn’t work, What’s my warranty?
    A: Anchorlift & Salt Gear products are covered under warranty if purchased through an Authorized Reseller only. Proof of purchase is required to verify. We stand behind all of our products but we cannot warranty anything that was purchased from an unauthorized party.


    The problems of previously inferior product and poor behavior from the old Anchorlift will perhaps fade eventually but I suspect it will take time.
  7. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    It looks like YF Member Brents got shown the delete button before too many keyboard strokes were wasted.
  8. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Or turned into the other dealer whose reply still shows. Somehow they'll never learn that doesn't help their case or their business. Carl called out one as an ebay seller.

    You would think businesses would learn the negative impact of shills and learn to monitor for their name and then make respectful and honest responses fully disclosing who they are.
  9. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    I think he was recent as it showed up in my notification e mails and your post No 24 was in it .
  10. SeaEric

    SeaEric YF Historian

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    The "brents" one line posting is quoted in my response #26. It's amazing how often this thread pops up.
  11. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I noticed an e-bay ad over the weekend;
    "ALL OF MY ANCHORLIFT ITEMS WERE PURCHASED DIRECTLY FROM ANCHORLIFT AS A SURPLUS BUY OUT
    THEY MAY OR MAY NOT WARRANTY THESE ITEMS BUT I HAVE HEARD FROM MY CUSTOMERS THAT IF YOU ARE PERSISTENT THEY WORK WITH YOU.
    I offer a 45day warranty on all anchorlift parts purchased from me."


    Another e-bay ad for the same stuff made no mention of support or warranties. Just who would pay for return shipping.
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2017
  12. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    The small units look just like the old Lofranse Progress 1.
  13. JerryK

    JerryK New Member

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    When I read this thread it occurs to me that only one incident of a rusty windlass has been reported by the actual owner of that rusty windlass. I find this odd, it seems to me there should be more reports from different owners. Now, on to the issue that prompted this posting. Does the rusty stainless problem exist over all AnchorLift product lines? The reason I'm asking is because I am considering the purchase of a used (new in box) "Anchorlift". Does anyone know if all model lines are affected or just some, and in that case which ones are affected?
  14. SeaEric

    SeaEric YF Historian

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    Buyer beware is all I can tell you. The current owner of the Anchorlift name contacted me and tried to explain what happened and perhaps where my rusty windlass came from. Supposedly there was a group of "display samples" that were never intended to be anything else. This inventory wound up out on the "secondary" market. I suspect that the current product being sold directly by Anchorlift is probably just fine. If the product you're looking at is from an unknown source I would avoid it.
  15. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Why would you even produce cheaper "display" models. It makes no sense as the laws of production usually mean that the more you produce on your normal line, the cheaper the production is. You don't all of a sudden substitute crappy s/s in the normal production line on a stamped part to make a batch of display models. Also a display windless shouldn't even be a functioning windlass, it doesn't have a motor in it or need one to sit on a display shelf......so this doesn't sound kosher to me.

    MY GUESS. The company had a batch or two made in China to save money, they started selling it to normal dealers who started selling it to customers, it took 2 years for them to figure out it was made with crappy recycled garbage chinese stainless, so all these dealers just kept unloading it in off site sources, ebay etc. . The company probably credited the dealers, but did not destroy the bad product, dealers sold it at a discount.
  16. MWSerenity

    MWSerenity New Member

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    Windlass warning!!
    If you are in the market for a windlass, beware of purchasing a windlass from Anchorlift or Anchor & Docking. This unit is a Mako.
    See pics/video. This is what I call poor manufacturing & a poor quality product.
    Shaft was tested & isn't true so bearing slips up & down on shaft, top is cast unlevel which allows chain to slip and bend pin with every use, capstan top does not seal which allows salt water into unit. Also capstan metal is so cheap that after 3 pick ups of anchor, it was bent.
    Warranty isn't worth paper it was written on. Company claims installation error even though certified marine surveyor says the install by a 20 plus year marine mechanic with good reviews was a good install.
    Company refuses to honor warranty after saying in email they would if unit was removed from boat & sent back to them. Then they don't even return all parts of windlass.
    Don't be taken advantage of!!!