Deck winch is an important deck machinery designed for different purposes, such as anchoring, mooring, towing as well as lifting and pulling heavy objects on the boats. As the name suggests, it is installed on decks of ships. According to the power supply, the winch can be electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or diesel engine driven. At Aicrane, we mainly provide customers with electric and hydraulic deck winches which can provide proper balance between cost effectiveness, efficiency and suitability.
Common Applications of Marine Deck Winches
The typical applications of marine deck winch can be anchor winch, mooring winch, towing winch, pulling winch, lifting winch, positioning winch, or barge deck winch.
The deck anchor winch is a useful deck equipment for ship anchoring. There are two main types of anchor winches, including anchor chain winch and anchor rope winch. By means of chain or cable, it allows the anchor to be raised and lowered. The speed of winch is generally about 10m/min. In the design of a deck mounted anchor winch, you need to specify the anchor weight as well as the length and diameter of anchor chain or wire rope.


Mooring winch can operate effectively when the ship is mooring or docking, and has many functions such as drift, support and positioning during the loading and unloading process.


Anchor mooring winch is designed to perform both anchoring and mooring operations. According to motive power, it can be electric and hydraulic.



Positioning winch can be four-point positioning, six-point positioning and eight-point positioning.


Capstan winch is a sort of small marine winch used for anchoring and mooring on a deck. The speed can be single speed, two speed or three speed according to your specific uses.

Towing winch is normally installed on the aft deck of a ship to tow another boat. It is widely found on tugboats to carry out its tasks efficiently.

The uses of our deck winches and capstans are practically endless. Whatever your applications, you can find a winch with the right features, size and capacity at our company.
Aicrane Deck Winch for Sale – Main Types And Specifications

Model | Deck Anchor Winch |
Dia of anchor chain/rope | ø12mm – ø128mm |
No. of gypsy | Single or double |
Load capacity | 1 ton- 100 ton |
Speed | 9-11 m/min |
Certificate | BV, ABS, DNV, RMRS, etc |

Model | Deck mooring winch |
Load capacity | 10 ton – 50 ton |
Drum capacity | 100m- 1000m |
Working speed | ≤15m/min |
No. of drum | Single or double |
HPU | Provided as customized |

Model | Deck towing winch |
Load capacity | 10 ton – 100 ton |
Drum capacity | 200m- 1500m |
Working speed | 5m/min – 20 m/min |
No. of drum | Single or double |
Certificate | BV, ABS, DNV, RMRS, etc |
Hydraulic Winch vs. Electric Winch – Which is Better?
As mentioned before, our boat deck winch falls in two main configurations: electric and hydraulic. Each type has its particular advantages and disadvantages with respect to strength, durability, efficiency and ease of use.
Electric Winch
The electric deck winch is popular among numerous potential users for that it has low cost, safe and reliable operation and simple structure. Furthermore, it is easy to install and requires minimal maintenance. To ensure a safe operation as well as extend its life, the electric powered winch for marine adopts marine-duty motors and gearboxes, and also utilizes a durable paint system.
Hydraulic Winch
The hydraulic deck winch is designed for the most demanding tasks in marine. With sturdy construction and high strength, it is capable of withstanding the harsh marine environment. This marine winch is also built with improved efficiency and durability. It can deliver constant speed under all load conditions. For example, high-safety electro-hydraulic winches have been widely used on oil tankers, liquefied gas tankers and chemical tankers.
Other Factors To Consider When Selecting A Deck Winch
In addition to power source, there are a number of criteria that need to be considered in the selection of the right marine windlass or capstan, such as the size of the vessel, type of drive shaft, line pull, working speed and the selection of rope or chain.
- The purpose of the winch. Is the winch used for anchoring, mooring or towing?
- What size of winch or windlass do you need? Consider the overall length and displacement of your boat and select the most suitable marine winch to meet your boat configuration.
- Which type of drive shaft do you desire, vertical or horizontal configuration? The horizontal windlass is typically mounted above deck, whereas vertical capstan winch situates the capstan above the deck and the motor and gearbox below. Deck thickness and chain locker space influence the selection of a vertical or horizontal windlass.
- The selection of chain or rope. The winch can utilize chain, rope or a combination of both to carry out its tasks. It is important to choose the right size and right grade of chain or rope in order to ensure a proper fit to the your winch as well as a secure winching operation.
- Determine the line pull and speed, which is directly related your winch performance.

If you have no idea which type of winch is right for your application, please feel free to contact Aicrane. We will offer free and helpful advice based on your particular needs.
Deck Winch Structure
The marine winch is a simple device mainly incorporating drum, wire rope or chain, manual band brake, manual clutch, power system (motor, hydraulic pump or diesel engine) and control system. It is ruggedly designed for marine operations by means of using quality steel. The marine windlass also comes with an epoxy finish for longer life in harsh marine environments.
Various Safety Features
- Overload limiter. The winch in marine should be equipped with a load limiting device to ensure a safe winching operation.
- The electric windlass should be equipped with automatic braking device.
- Manual band brake. All marine winches should be fitted with a drum brake which delivers two main functions, normal braking and emergency braking.
- Rope guide. It is used to spool the rope better on the drum.
- Emergency release. In case of emergency, it can release the drum.



How to Control Your Winch?
How to use a deck winch? First of all, you should familiarize yourself with different types of control modes. There are typically three methods to control your winch: electric, hydraulic and pneumatic.
The selection of winch control is determined by the motive power used, your preference and the complexity of the equipment. Besides, two crucial elements matter in controlling a winch, safety and efficiency. Each type of control system has its particular advantages and disadvantages.
For more information on deck winch, please give us a call or send an email to us.