Chuck:
I shifted to the Tigress after paying for and waiting for a LIGHTHOUSE windlass which was $6,000. When it took months to find out they had not even made it, I was advised by our IP Dealer, Norm Pierce to buy the Lofrans Tigress and save $4,000, so I did. With the extra money I put it towards a new AB dinghy! What a deal.
The Tigress is easy to install. Just bolt it down. Wire it up. I used the same Simpson Lawrence footswitches but installed the Tigress solenoid.
You can buy these via Defender.com
I will always have this windlass, it is FANTASTIC. The best one for the money.
NOTE: If you want to go mechanical, they also make a great simple mechanical hand crank windlass. I actually hand cranked the Tigress for 3 months in the Bahamas until I could get new brushes for the motor. Worked great.
Hayden