(update, since the writing of this article, Enkes has put their business on hold (see below for more information). The links to their website below no longer work)

I had never heard of ENKES winches, and I even considered replacing them outright with a new pair from one of the more familiar brands. My opinion has changed however, and I will most likely even choose to purchase 2 new ENKES AR-10 for use with the new regatta rigging configuration I have planned for the Caprice. More on this in a bit.

First of all, the winches that need maintenance. These are not, I think, the ones that originally came with the Caprice, but must have been added later, I would say perhaps in the late 70's, or early 80's.



While identical in external size and appearance, the two winches do not have the same markings, which are as follows:

• ENKES 22 69370
• ENKES AR12 65772

Curiously, it would appear that they are actually two different sizes: a 22 and a 12, though their identical size makes me wonder. Both are two-speed, and rotate clockwise (ENKES winches are available in both clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations).

I took some measurements of them, confirming that externally, they are identical. Both have the following characteristics (ENKES winch diagrams used):



Weight = 4.4 kilograms

A = 76mm
B = 148mm
C = 148 mm


My winches have 5 x 8mm holes for bolts around a 112mm bolt circle, identical to the above illustration and placement.



Comparing these with the current ENKES winches, all external appearances seem to imply that these are earlier versions of the ENKES AR-22 two speed convertible winch.

This seems to confirm what one of the winches has written on top (ENKES 22); I assume the other one was misplaced during maintenance from another winch during the years.

You can therefore imagine my surprise when removing the cover, that the inside does not resemble the AR-22 at all.

This is what they look like before and during breakdown:



And the parts that fit on the shaft, laid out:



The ENKES website presents free exploded images of each of the winches, and so I was able to see that my winches, despite external appearances, do not correspond to the current AR-22 model.

I therefore looked at the exploded images of other models and found a match: the AR-20 two-speed model (see the image on the right).

It looks like over the years, the ENKES company improved on the 22 model that I have, to create their current AR-22 model, which can now be converted into a self-tailing winch.

They then took the design of the former 22 model and reduced it in size to become the current AR-20 model. In so doing they also removed the two two teflon rings that separated the bearing rings on the shaft and the base itself from the lower ring. This allowed them to reduce the height of the winch.


So as a conclusion: the winches that I have on the Lil' Mule II are a transitional link between the current ENKES AR-22 and AR-20 winches. I have the power and size of the AR-22 winches, but without the possibility of converting them to self-tailing winches. With regards to maintenance, it is as though I have a set of AR-20 winches, with the addition of 2 teflon rings. I can therefore use their corresponding maintenance kit.

You can visit the ENKES website at: http://www.enkesmarine.com

2011 ENKES WINCH UPDATE

Unfortunately it seems that Enkes has decided to put their business on hold. Going to their website now brings up the following:

Other Enkes Winch blowup maintenance images

Enkes AR6

Enkes AR 10ST

Edit: There is a nice blog article page on an Enkes Winch maintenance at http://voyage.prosper.free.fr/brico-winchs-enkes.html (in French)