Radio Control Yachting - How to Repair The Sail Winch

We are publishing some of the top tips from the Radio Control Laser Community. This one comes from Ned Whiteley of Victoria and explains how to repair the sail winch in 30 minutes at a cost of $14.

How to Repair the Sail Winch on the RC Laser

Step 1
Place tape around the bottom of the servo casing to ensure that the bottom cover remains in place when you remove the four retaining screws.

Step 2
Carefully remove the retaining screws and then remove the top cover to expose the servo gears. Examine the gears and ascertain where the problem lies (in this case, four teeth have sheared off the small gear at the top of the right hand stack).

Step 3
Carefully remove all the components, starting with the small ‘O’ ring, and lay them out so that you know the order you need to replace them in. Clean out any old grease and broken teeth.
Note: The top ball race is a very tight fit and may have to be lifted out still attached to the gear. If the gear is undamaged, I would recommend leaving it attached and using it for the rebuild.
The bottom gear (centre spindle) may prove difficult to remove and can be left in place (as in this case) if undamaged.

Step 4
Replace the components in reverse order, substituting the new gears where appropriate (always best to change the whole set just to be safe) and add a small amount of servo grease to each gear set. Replace the top cover and screws and remove the tape. Your servo should now be ready to go.