DNV Type Approved Anchor Winch for the Arctic Prowler
JK Fabrication has landed DNV certification for its 40-30-3000-DNV series Anchor Winch. Culminating a two-year process, JK’s C-series winch was at last awarded DNV Type Approval in March—the first time ever for an anchor winch in the U.S., the manufacturer said.
Conceived by JK’s founder, Jim Kreider, the anchor winch was installed aboard the F/V Arctic Prowler, a longliner recently built in Seattle. The winch accommodates 950 ft of 1 1/8” wire rope and a single shot (90 ft) of 1 3/16” Grade 2 stud-link chain, developing 33,400 lbs line pull bare drum, for an anchor weighing as much as 3,200 lbs. There is also an independent warping head with 16,000 lbs. line pull. Retrieval speeds are 23 FPM bare drum, and 50 FPM full-drum. Among many complications, DNV inspectors insisted on a very rigorous pull-test for Type Approval—and the test in fact inadvertently revealed an anchor winch far stronger than even Kreider had foreseen.
“We were told that the winch would have to withstand a 92,400-lb pull test against the positive dog mechanism. Imagine our surprise when the winch in fact withstood a 138,000-lb pull test, which parted the 1 1/8” wire but did not damage the winch,” Kreider said. “Naval architect Bruce Culver estimates the winch could withstand 230,000 lbs.”
The C-series winch has a variety of technical features that ensure a working lifetime of reliable use. There is double-gear reduction for the DT White hydraulic motor, and a three-position maximized-equipped Bi-Directional control valve that provides steady control for hauling and setting. A unique JK design feature is a common enclosed oil bath for chain, brake, hydraulic motor and clutch. Compact in design, the winch is just 39” high by 38” deep, with a width of 41” (64” with motor protrusion). Noting that the winch weighs in at just 3800 lbs, Kreider remarked, “Winch manufacturers today must achieve the same or better performance criteria, while capturing weight and footprint reduction on deck.”
“The Arctic Prowler order is a great honor, since the vessel as a whole has many state-of-the-art approaches that could well set the standard for new longliners in the years to come,” Kreider said. “Given that this is a first-ever DNV Type-Approved product, we fully expect to see other orders, including those outside the fishing industry.” JK said it has seen expansion into the workboat and government research fleet sectors, especially in the last decade.
Well-known among the Seattle-based fishing fleet working Alaska and the West Coast, JK Fabrication absorbed key staff and Intellectual Property from Nordic Machine in 2002. Thus JK’s arsenal of designs includes the entire Nordic Machinery line, long considered the state-of-the-art for a range of line haulers, utility winches, rollers and other deck machinery, some of them dating all the way back to the 1940s. JK now manufactures in galvanized and stainless steel, as well as aluminum for smaller boat applications, including yachts.
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