Hi Gman,

I've got the stress free mounted on my BW Conquest 235 and enjoyed a good season with it last year. Some points to bear in mind

1. It needs to go in a structurally sound part of the vessel that can take the load. I originally wanted it to go starboard mid ships but it would of trashed the hull so had to return it and get a left handed arrangement and mount it starboard stern which I much prefer in hind site.

2. It's designed for eastern states pots so it can't pull a WA pot all the way up and swing over the gunnel but you manage to get it with in reach and then can grab a bit of jarrah and pull it over the side.

3. When hauling its important that the rope is vertical as so you're not pulling the pot through reef which can bend the spigot or shear the motor shaft

4. If you've got a newish boat it would pay to get some protection for the outside side of your boat. I've got a big piece of second hand carpet of which goes across the cockpit then over the side to protect the gel coat from being chipped.

5. It utilises anderson plugs which aren't big fans of salt water so ensure you get the female mounted right up under the gunnel

6. Ensure the breaker on your dash can support the load, it has a built in breaker but you need to ensure the on board breaker/fuse is the same amperage if your not going direct to the battery. Keep the motor running when hauling.

7. The best thing about it is except for the flush spigot mounting the entire thing is portable which means you can lock it up in your cab during the season and at the end of cray season you easily get all your boat space back.

I'm quite happy with it. I Hope the above helps, there's no better sound than when you hear that motor working harder and surprise surprise there's a pot full of crays

 Thanks 22Tango, appreciate the detail and advice, that's two people happy with the stress free and it may be the way for me to go.

cheers

G

 hi gman I also have the stress free winch there is two they make one for WA rated for wooden pots. I have it mounted on the corner of my 37 foot prestige requires some really good bracing on the under side as if its not fitted right will cause damage to the hull. I use commercial size put lifts them with ease. I also use the small black pulley rather than the big wheel lift the pot slower but doesnt have as much load on the crane. I was out in really ruff water one day using the big wheel pulley and as a wave lifted the boat it bent the frame where it goes into the holder. contacted streefree in SA and they said they have had it before and recommend putting a extra piece of tube on the inside of the frame for extra support. Have also had a problem with the solinoid that controls the motor replaced it with a good quality one problem solved (they use a cheap one I guess to keep cost down). i got mine straight from the manufacture from SA saved abit of money. Would recommend the stress free does a really good job the few things I had to replace is minor compared to how much it saves your back. I used it every week this season and past every test I had for it. want any more info happy to help or show some pics of my set up.

 Thanks mate, all good helpful info, the bracing is an issue and I have a lot less available space than the prestige, if you have a photo of the how you have it braced it would be good for me to give me more of an idea, no worries if you haven't.

cheers mate

G

Hey mate,

Myself and the boss both have Stress Free Haulers mounted on our boats and they are a godsend!

Really happy with the units in general and during the last cray season we sold about 10 without any complaints.

The only issue you might come across is when you mount it. It has to be in a spot where you can secure the base of the 90degrees rod holder that the unit sits in when being used. I had a problem when I first mounted mine as it was placed in a spot that ... wasn't ideal. After a bit of dremeling and some sikaflex it works a treat. If you would like I can take some pictures tonight so you can get a bit of an idea as to where to mount it and the problems you might come across.

If you decide you want to go down that path and purchase one, we can sort out a good price for you mate.

Cheers Josh

 Thanks for the info Josh, I would be keen to see the pics mate

Cheers

G

No probs boys, to be honest i totally forgot to get them last night haha. Busy day.

Ill drop past the boat tonight / first thing tomorrow morning and get some pictures for you!

Cheers Josh

 Hi Josh,

Any luck with those pictures mate, no probs if you can't get them, just let me know and I'll keep looking around.

cheers

G

 I have also been looking at the Stressfree Pot Hauler and the Stressfree NG Midi drum winch and while they look awesome bits of gear and I would love to have one of each for my boat I can't help think they are fuggin expensive compared to all the other options.... for me to have them fitted on my boat it would be a minimum of $7000- how the hell do you get that one aproved by the minister of finance???

 Same issue mate, my understanding is the smaller model ($1300.00 ?) from stress free will lift wa recreational size craypots, they don't sell it in wa, only the more heavy duty $2400.00 version available in wa.  A bloke in melbourne was selling the smaller version into wa (EBAY).

this all comes together for me to look at either the Alaskan, Canadian or USA manufactured units, in the past I have purchased a motorised jockey wheel (Parkit 360) from Canada and it was an excellent piece of kit at significantly less (50 percent) than what Was available locally. It was good quality and simple in design/operation and the customer service was excellent.

My preference is and has always been to buy local but on two occasions now I've gone international based on a combination of product suitability, cost and customer service.  Mostly for understandable reasons (volume) the Aus based manufacturers don't stock or are way out of whack on price for comparable equipment e.g. Left hand wind overhead reels.  

I'll let you know if I find a cost effective solution that is still fit for purpose.

Cheers

G

Be a lot cheaper to get a capstan to mount on the gunwhale on the opposite side you want to pull the pots from, a floor pressure switch and a tipper.
That way you are not raising the boats centre of gravity by using an arm.

 Thanks mate, this may be the go after all, from what I'm reading the mounting and potential impact on the boat may be to much for a 6.5 metre, I was trying to avoid having a tipper, might have to have a closer look.

cheers

G

 Be a lot cheaper to get a capstan to mount on the gunwhale on the opposite side you want to pull the pots from, a floor pressure switch and a tipper.
That way you are not raising the boats centre of gravity by using an arm.

Works a treat  $1300 which includes a second hand tipper

Hey boys,

Here goes ...

MOUNTED STARBOARD MID SHIP

Originally the mount for the pot winch starboard mid ship, but as you can see there was nothing there to brace the base of the mount. When you load up the winch and it's in use, there is a lot of force pulling the crane arm downwards in the direction of the cray pot. In turn the base of the mount is getting pushed outwards in the opposite direction. If the base of the mount isn't braced and there isn't a solid wall of glass to the floor behind it, chances are it will tear a hole in your boat and the winch will end up in the water haha.

First time I used it when it was mounted in that position the inside wall of glass behind the mount and above the hollow compartment (where that black leather padding is mounted) flexed in towards me. As it flexed in I could hear the fibreglass 'shifting' - not a good sound.

NEW POSITION - STARBOARD BOW

Shifted the mount to starboard bow and it has worked perfectly ever since. The pink line is a 20mm thick wall of glass that separates the two yellow compartments which is the reason why we shifted it to that position. The 3 stainless U-bolts work perfectly for bracing the mount to that structurally sound wall of glass, under heavy load it doesn't move at all.

The biggest problem you will have is finding a place in the boat where you have enough room ondeck to operate the winch AND have it safely braced from below. I originally wanted it to go starboard mid ships but it would of destroyed the side of the hull so had to mount it starboard bow which I much prefer in hindsight.

Hope this helps!

Cheers Josh

PS. The reason I went for the stress free is because when I'm finished with it, out she comes and there is nothing left on the boat to get in the way - very clean. On the other hand a capstan / tipper setup is cheaper but it's ALWAYS there, and the thought of having it in the way all the time drives me nuts haha.

 Thanks mate, really good information and explanation, appreciate the effort you went to for this.

cheers

G