Patent ID: 8820720

Claim:
A self-tailing winch for a sailboat comprising: a support for mounting the winch with respect to a sailboat; a winch drum rotatable with respect to the support about a rotational axis; and a self-tailing arrangement disposed axially adjacent the winch drum, wherein the self-tailing arrangement comprises: a rope guide channel extending circumferentially around the self-tailing arrangement, the rope guide channel being defined by upper and lower rope lock rings, the upper and lower rope lock rings being rotatable with the drum and adapted to grip rope in the rope guide channel; a feeder arm for guiding rope between the drum and the rope guide channel, the feeder arm being fixed with respect to the support; and a retainer guide for guiding rope between the rope guide channel and an unloaded end of the rope, wherein the drum is rotatable with respect to the retainer guide and the retainer guide is spring mounted to allow movement of the retainer guide in a direction substantially parallel to the rotational axis of the winch drum, the retainer guide having a retainer lip extending partially circumferentially around the self-tailing arrangement to at least partially enclose a portion of the rope guide channel, the retainer guide further defining at least one side of an opening adjacent the retainer lip, wherein the winch is capable of forward winding operation and reverse winding operation and the opening adjacent the retainer lip is sized to conduct rope through the opening during reverse winding of the winch, the rope thereby being retained in the rope guide channel by the retainer lip, the retainer lip extending for more than 90° around the self-tailing arrangement, wherein the retainer lip has a reverse winding guide portion located adjacent the opening though which rope is conducted and at the opposite circumferential end of the retainer lip there is provided a tapered portion, the reverse winding guide portion and the tapered portion each having a sloped profile from the opening to the full axial extent of the retainer lip, the slope of the reverse winding guide portion being steeper than the slope of the tapered portion.