Traditional Cleats
Can set off the look of any traditional style boat. There's nothing worse than seeing a classic boat with some nasty bit of aluminium or carbon fibre. We don't say this simply out of some quaint ideal. Low tech hardware like cleats have been used for thousands of years and are highly effective, low maintentance items that just do what they were made to do.
However, for traditional cleats to work properly they must be properly fitted and at the correct angle to the direction of effort or pull.
Mike Field of Wooden Boat Fittings in Australia has been sourcing and selling traditional boat parts for over 20 years. Here Mike shows us how cleats of different types should be correctly fitted to provide safe and reliable service for years.
GENERAL . Cleats should normally be through-bolted, using backing-plates and washers behind the mounting surface. (The usual exceptions are for thumb cleats, which are generally spar mounted and therefore screwed into place, or of course rigging cleats, which are bound to a shroud or other stay with twine. Small fittings like signal-halyard cleats may also be screwed rather than bolted.) Bolts should normally be inserted with a washer under the head. Use bedding compound under the fitting.
MOUNTING HOLES. Drilling for fasteners, if necessary, generally means first drilling a pilot hole though the fittings, then counter boring to take both the head of the bolt and a plug (bung) and finally opening out the pilot hole to clearance diameter for the fastening. This ensures that the hole is drilled at the correct angle and there are no costly errors.
PLUGS (bungs). Generally, mounting holes should be plugged after the cleat has been fastened in place.
Horned Cleat for securing loads e.g. halyards
Jam Cleat the traditional version of the modern sprung clam cleat
HORN CLEATS should be mounted at an angle of about 15 degrees to the angle of the line to be belayed, so as to prevent the first turn becoming jammed over the standing part of the horn.
JAM cleats should be mounted with a similar 15 degree orientation. Note that the jamming horn should point towards the direction of load to allow the line to be surged free on releasing.
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