Carver Owners Forum

I intend to install a windlass on my 300 Sedan this Spring, and it seems the easiest install would be a Powerwinch 1000 which is a horizontal capstan for line only. Anyone else have any experience with that particular winch?

You are not going to be happy with a capstan. You will need to be on the bow to release the anchor and to retrieve. You will also need to manually feed the line into the locker.
For the 30 footer consider one of the little Maxwell RC models.

Also keep in mind, the most difficult (and expensive) part of the install will be getting the proper sized wires to the unit. and your control wires to the bridge. Most of them will come with a circuit breaker and control panel. Don't skimp on wire size or you will have nothing but problems.

What Tom said x2. You can also put a battery up close to the windlass to cut down on large size wiring runs. They are not cheap, but he new Lithium Ion batteries provide a lot of power for a small size and light weight, and seem well suited for an application like this. My Kohler genset is starting off a 6 lb. Li Ion battery these days and it works great. Replaced a 41 lb. lead acid...

I wouldn't get a windlass that did not run the line down into the locker. It's a preference, but I like the fact I can drop the anchor and retrieve it without leaving the helm or having someone go up to the bow. Also, Maxwell has a newer capstan design (wave) that is very forgiving for different line a and chain sizes. Seems to work.