Simple Monday...Cleats and cleating

Interesting stuff over at Weather Underground, a book on my must read list, and how Groucho would be a big help right about now...

I'm starting out the first of the very basic Monday posts with something a lot of people get wrong... I know this because every time I go to a dinghy dock I notice that 50% or more of the folks tied up don't know how to use a cleat...

Here you go...



That's it... and when I say "That's it", I really mean it! Extra wraps, cute knots and what I can only term as free form rope sculpture is not a needful part of the mix. The cleat will pull out of the dock or your rope will break before the cleat hitch shown will slip so you certainly don't need more wraps...

Since the real strength issue with cleats used correctly is the way the cleat is attached to your boat or dock, I should mention that a wood or nylon cleat is going to be just as strong as one made of stainless steel, bronze, or alloy... For instance, this cleat(nylon) which costs about $7 in a six-inch size that uses 1/4" bolts...

... Will have the same holding power as these cleatsin aluminum ($45) that also use 1/4" bolts to hold them in place...

The strength is in the bolts, not in the cleat. So, if you need something stronger, don't buy a more expensive cleat, buy one that uses bigger bolts...


Listening to Lindsey Buckingham

So it goes...