US $12.94
This is a question that many new boat owners are faced with. You have some of the old timers that refuse to admit that technology is worth it and still want to crank the winch by hand to put the boat back up on the rollers. Then of course you have the newer generation that wants every gadget known to mankind and will not settle for anything but the best in a boat trailer winch. In the end, you are going to have to make a decision and get the right one for you.
If you put them side by side, there would hardly seem to be an argument as to which one to buy. The boat trailer electric winch will have better features and is much easier to operate. The downside of course is that they are going to cost a lot more money. However, this is all relative as the winch itself is not really very expensive.
If you buy a top of the line hand operated winch, you are probably going to spend about $70 or so. This will get you boat trailer winch that can haul about 2500 pounds and handle a rolling boat weight of about 8000 pounds. To get the same model that is electric, you are probably going to spend about $150. Now while that is double the money, it really is not that big of a deal. You are talking about spending 1% of the cost of the boat to make your life a little easier when you are putting the boat into the water and taking it out of the water.
The other downside of an electric winch is that they may occasionally break down on you. Of course, the same can be said of a manual winch. If you are smart, you will actually have a back up regardless of what type of winch you have. The last thing you want to do is be stuck on the ramp and unable to get your boat of the water. With the relative low cost of the winch, the prudent move is to have a back up ready to go in case of emergency. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on it, just make sure you have something that will work in case your main winch breaks down.
Truth be told, an electric boat winch will make your life a lot easier. You will no longer have to struggle to get the boat on the trailer at the end of the day and you can actually turn what is usually a two or three man operation into a one man show. Why should you not be able to enjoy your boat because you don’t have anyone to go out on the water with you? With an electric winch, that is no longer an issue.
If you have the few extra dollars in your wallet, you would be well served to get the electric boat winch. It will make your life a lot easier and will save a few years on the back. Instead of struggling to get your boat back on the trailer, all you have to do now is line it up and press a button. From there, your boat trailer electric winch will do the rest of the work for you.