Reinforcing Deck Cleats

[zeehag]

i found beautiful horned hawse -- a built in cleat into a hawse hole--bronze--is perfect way to make a cleat for loads of significance. beautiful, also. i need 5 more.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by David M

SS backing plates.

Make sure your cleats are rated for the heavier load as well.

I've not seen many (any?) cleats with a posted working or breaking load. Another poster asked the same question. Yes, they should hold any line that fits, but given that there are stainless, cast and plastic cleats, that answer is unrevealing. Probably any cleat will hold pure horizontal load until the bolts give (those with bolts through the body--feet are a different matter), but what if there is some lifting component?

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I've not seen many (any?) cleats with a posted working or breaking load. Another poster asked the same question. Yes, they should hold any line that fits, but given that there are stainless, cast and plastic cleats, that answer is unrevealing. Probably any cleat will hold pure horizontal load until the bolts give (those with bolts through the body--feet are a different matter), but what if there is some lifting component?

That is an excellent question, for the plastic ones...?????

The solid metal ones I would expect to have a equivalent strength as the same thickness of bolt. The horns are usually bigger in square area than the bolt holes, IE a cleat that has 3/8's holes has horns 3/8" * 5/8" thick (horn cross section). The 1/4 bolt cleat I have is 1/4" * 5/16" square. The base of the cleat is usually double the bolt diameter and also has the 2 bolts strength to add. The feet ones????

As for why they don't publish that info???? May be a good question to ask the manufacturer.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by zeehag

i found beautiful horned hawse -- a built in cleat into a hawse hole--bronze--is perfect way to make a cleat for loads of significance. beautiful, also. i need 5 more.

Yeah.... those areal nice setups.... dont snag your toes either!

[SV Demeter]

I use G-10 or similar FRP for backing plates. Plywood coated with anything is the last thing I would use. Plywood is usually made from pine which is about the softest material I can think of. Starboard is lousy too for previously stated reasons. Glassing over anything made of metal especially stainless is a disaster waiting to happen. Once the water gets in, and it will, you have an ideal location for crevice corrosion to begin. Glassed in chainplates are the worst, Tiawanese boat builders seem to love this practice though... I pity the poor sole who has to deal with replacing glassed in stainless bits that are stripped or corroded.

G-10 can be had here:

McMaster-Carr

[Capitain Mike]

Originally Posted by Ram

I had 4 custom cleats made and had a SS backing plate 5x10 inches on each one - I think the backing plates are more than enough-

Hi Ram I have to do the same and would be interested to know the SS backing thickness.

[S/V Alchemy]

I use 1/4 inch aluminum plate on my fibreglass sloop. No failures in 10 years. I started doing this after experiencing some dramatic (length of genoa track torn out of deck dramatic) failures.

On the steel boat, of course, everything's welded.

[Srah 1953]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

Stainless is expensive, may get crevice corrosion if not exposed to oxygen.

.

There is no mention anywhere in all of the posts of using galvanised steel? Surely this would be best and could be glassed in - I'm sure I've read of boat builders using this as a backing frame

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Srah 1953

There is no mention anywhere in all of the posts of using galvanised steel? Surely this would be best and could be glassed in - I'm sure I've read of boat builders using this as a backing frame

everything on my boat is backed with galvanized I think,what it looks like to me anyways..!

[tropicalescape]

owners manual says that its SS...oh well..DVC