Windlass Maintenance

Our Lighthouse 1501 anchor windlass should be serviced every three years. Last weekend, we intended to service the clutches and the motor, but we spent a whole day just trying to remove the clutches from the shaft. Everything was rusted together. We sprayed PB Blaster and let it sit, then came back with the rubber mallet and coaxed all the pieces apart. While trying to remove a rusted keyway from the shaft, the key got loose and bounced off the deck and into the water. We thought of going after it, but decided to write the manufacturer for the part. A few days later, they sent a new keyway free of charge!