[Rhodes22-list] Mast raising winch issues

[Matt Wilson]

Hello everyone,

So glad the list is chirping with the sounds of spring!  Hope you are
sailing soon if not already.

Last fall when I was attempting to lower my mast with the winch will only
pay out a few inches of line before the handle started to unscrew.  I
managed to get it down by tightening the nut on the handle side of the
winch but the same thing seems to be happening now. It seems like it
catches just fine to raise the mask so I should be fine this spring, but is
there something that needs adjusting or replacing from your experience?

The nut on the handle Sides has a spring and the shaft of that bolt/nut
combo sticks out about an inch and a half or so. is that normal?

I believe this is the original mask raising system from General boats. The
winch housing says Shelly on it.

Thanks for whatever help you can give,
Matt Wilson
Hornblower II
White Bear Lake, Minnesota