Lewmar produce a range of top quality deck winches suitable for all running rigging applications on both cruising and performance yachts.
Lewmar have consistently been at the forefront of marine production since 1950 when it was founded by Len Lewery and Leslie Marsh.
Over seven decades, Lewmar have developed an impressive portfolio including windlasses, anchors, winches, blocks, hatches and steering systems.
Lewmar are world renowned as a titan of British marine engineering prowess, with an enviable reputation for premium deck hardware solutions.
Lewmar continue to invest in sophisticated, cutting edge manufacturing machinery to improve production at their two UK based production plants.

Lewmar Winch Selection Guide
- Select the optimum winch to achieve the most efficient sail handling.
- Consult the chart below to determine the winch that is best suited to the relevant running rigging task for your yacht model, type and length overall.
- Cross reference your yacht length (for masthead rigs) or sail area (fractional rigs) with the main application of the winch to make an informed choice.
- Runner winch and mainsheet winch selection depends on the purchase system fitted.
- Dynamic sail loads can increase the load on any rigging system so it is prudent to err on the safe side.
- Multihulls generally have a stiffer righting moment than equivalent length monohulls which can necessitate a larger size due to the greater dynamic loading.
Lewmar Sail Area Guide only - use the first chart for fractional rigs only - find the column with the closest match to your sail area for each application.
Use this same column (Yacht Length Overall) in the second chart to establish the optimum size of Lewmar winch.
Sail Area is denoted on the chart in square feet - Divide sail area by 10.764 to convert to square metres.
Fractional Rig (Sail area Sq Feet)
Yacht Length Overall |
< 20 feet |
20–25 feet |
25–29 feet |
29–33 feet |
33–35 feet |
35–37 feet |
37–39 feet |
39–41 feet |
42–48 feet |
48–55 feet |
55–62 feet |
62–71 feet |
Genoa |
|
200 |
300 |
350 |
470 |
550 |
600 |
750 |
900 |
1500 |
1900 |
2300 |
Spinnaker |
|
300 |
400 |
600 |
800 |
1000 |
1200 |
1400 |
1600 |
3000 |
3800 |
4600 |
Mainsail |
|
120 |
150 |
180 |
210 |
230 |
260 |
300 |
350 |
750 |
875 |
1000 |
Lewmar Winch Size Guide only - for masthead rigs - based on Yacht Length Overall (in feet) and Running Rigging Application.
Masthead Rig Winch Size Guide
Yacht Length Overall |
< 20 feet |
20–25 feet |
25–29 feet |
29–33 feet |
33–35 feet |
35–37 feet |
37–39 feet |
39–41 feet |
42–48 feet |
48–55 feet |
55–62 feet |
62–71 feet |
Genoa Sheet |
7 |
7 > 16 |
16 > 30 |
30 > 40 |
40 > 45 |
45 |
45 > 50 |
50 |
55 |
55/65 |
65/70 |
70 |
Spinnaker Sheet |
6 > 7 |
7 > 8 |
16 |
30 |
40 |
45 |
50 |
55 |
55 > 65 |
65 |
65 > 70 |
70 |
Mainsheet |
|
|
6 |
7 |
7 > 16 |
16 > 30 |
30 > 40 |
40 > 45 |
45 > 50 |
55 > 65 |
55 > 65 |
65 > 70 |
Genoa Halyard |
6 |
7 |
7 > 16 |
16 |
30 |
30 > 40 |
40 |
45 |
45 > 50 |
50 |
55 |
55 > 65 |
Spinnaker Halyard |
6 |
6 > 7 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
16 |
30 |
40 |
45 |
50 |
55 |
65 |
Main Halyard |
6 |
6 |
6 > 7 |
7 > 8 |
8 > 16 |
16 > 30 |
30 > 40 |
40 > 45 |
45 > 50 |
50 > 55 |
55 > 65 |
65 |
Runners |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
45 |
50 |
55 |
65 |
70 |
N.B. the symbol > separating two values in one column on the chart means that Lewmar are suggesting upgrading a size in the middle of that yacht length range.
e.g. the Lewmar recommended winch for a genoa sheet on e.g. a 27 footer could be a size 16 or a 30
Lewmar Winch Installation Advice
Lewmar recommend that the winch is mounted on a flat surface and that the rope enters the drum at an angle of 5° to 10° to the base axis of the winch.
This angle can be achieved by using a base wedge when mounting the base plate.
Lewmar Winch Catalogue - PDF
Lewmar Winch Selection Guide - PDF
Lewmar Winch Servicing Guide - PDF
Lewmar Winch Handles - PDF