I just completed a windlass (Lewmar Pro Series 1000) installation in my boat. I also put in foot switches which can be seen in the attached photo.
When the hole was drilled through the bowsprite, the wooden core was was wet, but there was no sign of rot. You can see a narrow groove in the fibreglass underneath the anchor. This groove is always full of water because it is sloped downward at the aft end. We found a very small crack in the fibreglass at the aft end of the groove. Since there was always water resting against that crack it was inevitable that it would soak into the wood underneath. We let it dry all winter and then repaired the crack. Hopefully that will be the end of the problem.
My rode is thirty feet of chain and then nylon twist. The windlass appeared to work properly in the winter storage compound but since my boat was launched on this morning, the sea trials are yet to occur.
