Hauled my boat yesterday.  Had it hoisted in the Travelift, with the keel down so that we could pressure wash the bottom and up into the keel slot.   

That went well

Then a worker wendt up into the forward cabin to crank up the keel so that the boat could be loaded on it's trailer.

He cranked up about a foot and a half when..........BOING--THUD  !

The cable broke and the keel fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Hours later and much running around to the rig shop and a few hammers and such, and the cable was replaced, and boat settled down on the trailer.

We then towed it, mast up down the road and through a small parking lot, among some overhanging trees and out into the storage yard.  The boat will sit and wait while I take care of some medical issues.

Steve:
I had a similar bad experience. With the boat on jack stands and the keel all the way down for repainting, I started to haul it up and the Nicro fitting on the end shot off like a bullet. Fortunately not in my direction. The problem was that with the keel all the way down, the fitting was tight against the stop on the spool and there wasn't enough cable wrapped on the spool to hold the load. Resolved it with a new cable about 6 inches longer and used two pressed-on fittings. Lessons: 1. It really is the smallest things that cause the biggest problems, 2. Don't let the cable run out all the way.

I've got a few questions: How do others have their cable configured in this respect? How much cable is left on the spool when the keel is down and pinned? My boat has the original Boston Gear winch which I had checked out and re-lubricated by an authorized dealer. The original Dawson owners' manual states that it takes 85 turns to lower the keel. What number do others go by?

--Parker

Bobs response sounds about right.  I thought 43 turns from memory.  Never have seen a suggestion of 85 turns.