Anchoring System Specialists

Lone Star Marine is the dominant force in Australia’s anchor system market. Renowned worldwide for the the manufacture of the highest quality and longest lasting winches, Lone Star Marine ensure your anchoring system works without fail in the most testing conditions mother nature can throw at it. Through innovative product development over the past decade, they've perfected a range of trusted small boat anchor winches and complementary anchor system accessories.

Originally famous for their high quality drum anchor winches, they've since expanded they're range to include chains, ropes, chain guard, anchors, anchor swivels and more. They design, assemble and distribute as a wholesaler in Melbourne, Australia. All Lone Star Marine products are available through Keogh's Marine and may be shipped anywhere in Australia at competitive prices.

Lone Star Advantage

Quiet Operation-High Torque-High Speed-Robust Design-Genuine MP Circuit Protection-Purpose Made Components-Excellent Customer Support-No Bushes or Split Pins-Waterproof Drive Components-Clutch Free-Actuator Free-5 Year + Life Warranty-Custom SS Anchoring Accessories-Complete Anchoring Solutions

Pursuit of Excellence

Achieving a higher rate of customer satisfaction with a realistic price tag, LSM originally started as a manufacturer for the trailer boat market. After many years of innovation and growth, we have now expanded our operations to include custom manufacturing for vessels to 80ft. and supply many of the industries largest commercial vessels. LSM not only manufacture winches, we design drives and manufacture custom fittings, anchors, and deck hardware in Australia. We proudly stand behind our products and offer the most hassle free Warranty of any anchor winch supplier on the market with 5 Year Warranty (recreational) on every single component plus a Lifetime Warranty against damage due to water ingress. All servicing or warranty issues are dealt with in house or from our distribution facilities around the globe. From Winch to Anchor and everything in between, you can trust Lone Star Marine to supply your new anchoring system at the right price.

Why purchase a Lone Star Winch?

We know our product and your boat. Before becoming a primary wholesaler for the boating industry, we installed thousands of our units for our Melbourne customers on premise. Our scope is not only on one or two items or accessories, our expertise lies in anchoring systems design, manufacturing and operation as a whole.

LSM has built a reputation on quality, innovation, value, and the highest level of customer support. In this day and age lot of companies use words like ‘highest quality’ or make claims that are either stretched or without merit. While we cant prevent what others may claim, we can guarantee our specs and claims are accurate customers will benefit from our solid engineering, continuous RD, commitment to industry, and consistent drive to deliver the best product.

We work through every aspect of available parts and spares. If there is a part or accessory that could be better but doesn’t exist, we’ll make it. Point in fact our waterproof sealed motors, triple sealed bearings, twin shaft bearing designs, and all machined, not cast, fittings.

Anchoring system, fabrication, and drive experts we know each aspect of your anchoring requirements inside and out. We work directly with our Drive Component Manufacturers with no middle men. This has given us the freedom to customize the construction and functionality of our components to exacting specs, and, although this can be an expensive and painstaking process, this ensures our customers are getting the most reliable and innovative drive components available today. Each winch system we develop is purpose made from the components through purpose and usability. Our designs are innovative and original.

When you purchase a Lone Star Winch you are purchasing from a company that prides itself on constant RD and innovation. We don’t settle, we don’t rest. There are always improvements that can be made and innovations around the corner, and more often than not we lead them.

What goes into a Lone Star Winch?

Robust and Reliable, LSM systems feature only the highest quality drives and fittings. All are manufactured to spec and not repurposed.

Our motors are custom made to OEM spec for drum winches, exclusively for LSM. In other words you won’t find our drives in an ‘off the shelf’ catalog. Motor development typically takes 12-18 months per model and are tested up to 6000 duty cycles. As LSM motors are made to spec and not ‘re-purposed’, we do not rely on paint or silicon sealant to improve the Ingress Protection ratings. Utilising fine CNC machining, innovative design, and in house assembly our motors are made to get wet!

Transmissions are among the best available with no mild steel, plastic or poly parts. Each oil filled gearbox features oversize high ratio gears, large quality worm drives, open high speed bearings, and marine grade (not mild steel) outputs. GX series transmissions are Marine Grade (not industrial) 100% Manufactured in Italy. Elite transmissions are Manufactured in Australia utilize Italian gearsets and SKS bearings.

All GX Elite series winches feature bearing covers, gearbox collars, and motor externals that are machined and anodized for marine use. There are no cast fittings to get brittle or crack with age and stress in a saltwater environment.

Each LSM winch features a minimum of 6mm 316 stainless plate in a mirror like finish. Solid spool shafts are minimum 25mm and the assembly spins on 2 triple sealed maintenance free bearings. LSM is the only manufacturer to utilize a twin bearing system on the spool shaft. This only allows for very tight tolerances in winch construction and assembly, however our customers are still reaping the benefits of this system after many years of use. Our rates on transmission issues is a testament to this fact.

Each winch kit includes backing plates, 400 amp H/D solenoids, Genuine MP (USA) circuit breakers, up/down switch panels, and every nut and bolt needed for installation. For the home installation this simply means you will not have to waste countless hours running back and forth looking for fittings.

How fast do your winches drop?

Our drop speed starts at 126 ft. per minute for our smallest model and goes to to around 150 ft. per minute for our largest model in the GX series. Our Elite series offers a faster drop rate if desired. Drop and retrieval speed is, for us, a function of getting the anchor down quickly, yet no so quick as to have an overrun. Picking out an overrun can cost you a new anchor line, and at least several frustrating minutes crouched in your anchor well. If fishing solo without your anchor on the bottom, this can be a dangerous proposition. Finally, your winch must have adequate torque to get your rode back up with ease. Our products have torque and high holding capacity, in spades.

Incorrectly engineered anchoring systems will drop too slow, or may be geared too fast for adequate torque. We are experts when it comes to engineering drive components and can guarantee our customers will experience none of the issues associated with improperly constructed or engineered winch systems.

Will a Lone Star Winch fit my boat?

There are several mounting options for fitting a new Lone Star winch to your pride and joy. Please visit our Fit Ups page and view the winch dimensions by choosing the ‘Specification’ tab under the model description to give an idea on spacing. We are more than happy to help with fit-up advise, feel free to ring or email for more information.

Do Lone Star Drum Winches Free Fall?

Absolutely Not. All LSM winches are direct drive, our units do not rely on one way bearings, magnetic breaks, actuators, or additional gearing for deployment. Simply stated there are less parts to fail no break or removal of the solid shaft from the gearbox. Your anchor will deploy at a controlled drop speed every time. This eliminates any possibility of the winch letting go while underway (a potential life threatening situation), ensures higher load ratings while at anchor, keeps maintenance to a minimum, avoids chain piling on top of your anchor under deployment and helps to prevent overruns and tangles while deploying the anchor.

In our experience customers will have a higher level of satisfaction over seasons of use and variety of depths with non-frefall units. All GX and Elite series winches feature a manual release for emergency deployment only.

Do Drum Winches get tangles?

No, well they shouldn’t. Tangles can occur in four ways.

  1. The drum is overfilled with rope and it spills off to the side. Our rope and chain kits are perfectly suited for each Lone Star Winch model, so when using our kits there is no chance of the rope and chain overflowing.
  2. The winch is mounted drastically to one side. Mounting the winch more than 25% off centre to the bow sprit can cause the rope to bunch up on one side. Unless the drum is overfilled with rope however, this still shouldn’t be an issue.
  3. Rope is continually paid out after the anchor is on bottom and starts to coil in the anchor well. After your anchor reaches the bottom the boat should be in reverse until the proper amount of line is let out, this will eliminate the chance of an overrun.
  4. Your anchor line digs into itself on the drum. This is avoided by spooling your winch with rope under load the first time it is loaded. If you are unsure if your winch has been packed under load simply let the majority of your line out on your first trip out then spool it back in with a little resistance from the vessel.

Drum winches by design do not twist anchor rope like a capstan, any twist occurring during drop or retrieval is easily alleviated by a dual anchor swivel.

Be wary of any manufacturer who claims theirs prevents line twist, it is simply not an issue on any drum winch.

Which Lone Star Winch for my boat?

Winch sizing is a guide only, certain factors come into play such as your boat , mounting area, and average anchoring depth. Please visit our Winches page for a customized chart. In some situations a very large boat may only require a small winch, or a smaller boat may require a larger winch. If you are still unsure of which product is right for your boat and anchoring style please send us an email (sales@keoghsmarine.com.au) or call on (07) 5529 2544. We also make custom winches for larger vessels and fishing applications. If you require a specialized winch call Lone Star directly.

What if I have questions about my Lone Star Winch after purchase?

We are always available by phone and email for any questions with your Lone Star Winch, regardless of place of purchase. Every Lone Star Winch is backed by an 5 + Life Warranty. We keep all spares in stock at our distribution facilities so you can rest assured if your winch ever does require attention you will be back on the water in no time at no additional cost

Do Lone Star Winches require regular servicing?

No. The only servicing for recreational use is a light freshwater wash down after use. If your winch in in a sealed anchor locker a non-water soluble spray can be used annually instead.

Where did the name ‘Lone Star’ come from?

The owner is a Texan native, enough said.

How do I purchase a Lone Star Winch?

Please send us an email on sales@keoghsmarine.com.au or call on (07) 5529 2544. We ship Australia wide.

Find the right winch for your boat.

The information on this page should only be relied on as general advice. Many factors influence which winch we would recommend for your boat, including but not limited to…

  • the mounting area
  • average anchoring depth
  • offshore vs onshore use
  • total boat length
  • total operating boat weight (including passengers and fish/gear weight)

Sometimes Smaller is Better

In some situations a very large boat may only require a small winch, or a smaller boat may require a larger winch. For example, a large houseboat traveling in shallow river systems might not need a large winch. If you are unsure please feel free to contact us for advice. Alternatively, read the information below.

GX or Elite - Which winch do I choose?

LSM offer two similar looking yet functionally distinct series of drum anchor winches. Both series offer all machined fittings, twin shaft bearing design, triple sealed bearings, and minimum of 6mm 316 SS construction. Both series feature fully sealed motors in 6061 alloy, an emergency manual release and both feature fast drop and retrieve ratings. Both feature models for boats to over 60ft, include our famous 5 + Life Warranty, have a beautiful high polished finish, and are Manufactured in Australia.

The GX are the standard in rugged anchoring systems. They are affordable, drop your pick fast and have miles of grunt to get them back up at speed as well. The GX series is ideal for most boaters who are looking for a reliable, high quality anchoring system without the high price tag. GX series winches will drop/retrieve at up to 140ft. in the first minute. Motors in the GX series have been tested to 6,000 standard duty cycles of use. Transmissions are fully manufactured in Italy, have no mild steel fittings and are marine grade (not industrial).

The Elite series are a Worlds First and a new breed in anchoring systems. Featuring Brush-Less Motor technology and well oversized controllers for longer duty cycles and heavy loads. Elite series are variable speed controlled via dial at the helm, so the skipper can choose how fast or slow the anchor comes in or goes out instantly. Drop rates are quite fast, up to 250ft. per minute. The best part of this system is there are no parts to wear out, being brush-less these motors are ideal for high volume commercial use. Elite winches feature the highest power density motors on the market with our smallest being 1500W in a relatively small housing. Transmissions are one of a kind 1 piece CNC’d billet aluminum and feature high quality Italian Made gear sets and SKS bearings. These transmissions are Made in Australia assembled in house. Elite Series Winches feature a high polished finish throughout.

So, if you’re a recreational/light commercial angler seeking the very best in trouble free anchoring with no frills and just want something reliable and well engineered that will raise and lower your pick fast, the GX system is for you.

If you are a commercial operator, require fast anchoring in very deep water, want the option of variable speed at the helm or just like having the finest available then the Elite System if for you.

Because the new GX and Elite winches have recently been released, we are still working on a new comparison table. Please email or call us if you require specific information in the meantime before we update this space shortly.

Lone Star Marine GX Series

Lone Star Marine Elite Series

Installation Pictures

Visit the GALLERY page where you can see what products have been installed on common boat brands.

What your boat needs for a fit-out

All boats are different but as a general guide you will need these components if you are wanting to install an electric anchor winch to your boat.

  • Anchor Winchcomplete with switch panel, reversing solenoid and circuit breaker
  • Wiring loomswires that connect the anchor winch to the boat battery and the switch panel - supplied complete ready to install
  • Double braid nylon Rope and Chain Kitsattaches to the drum winch and anchor swivel
  • Anchor swivel attaches to the chain and anchor which allows full rotation, preventing twisting from occurring
  • Anchor no surprise there. A large range for all vessels and bottom types.
  • Bow SpiritPiece of metal which extends your bow so the anchor doesn’t hit the front of your boat
  • Deck rollerprevents your chain scratching your boat as it spools from the drum
  • Hawse pipethese are sometimes necessary especially with winches mounted below deck
  • Chain GuardBlack mesh which fits around the chain helping reduce kinks, jams and noise

Drum Winch Range

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