How To Install A Boat Cleat

The depression-contour design of retractable cleats eliminates tripping hazards and snag points and preserves a boat's sleek lines. Yet these cleats are quickly accessible. Pop-upwards cleats are spring-loaded — button a push to elevate the business finish. Pull-up versions require that you manually elevator the cleat, with detents to keep it in position. A downward button tucks both cleat types virtually flush with the deck.

Nearly all are stainless steel and come up in a diversity of styles and sizes from brands such as Accon (acconmarine.com), Attwood (attwoodmarine.com), Sea Selection (seachoice.com), Bounding main-Dog (sea-dog.com) and Whitecap (whitecapindustries.net), each with a slightly different installation procedure, simply about requiring a larger hole than conventional cleats, too equally drain cups to keep h2o from leaking below deck.

Time to Consummate: >two Hours per Cleat
Skill Level: three/5

Tools and Supplies
*Accon Wide-Line Series pull-upwardly half dozen-inch cleat ($72.35 each, shop.acconmarine.com)
*Waterproofing cup ($four.82 each, shop.acconmarine.com)
*3/8-inch push button-in impact drain fittings, model PD-two (95 cents, duskyonline.com)
*3/8-inch-ID articulate vinyl hose ($four.43/10 anxiety, amazon.com)
*3M 4200 marine sealant ($sixteen.99/10-ounce cartridge, jamestowndistributors.com)
*Caulking gun
*Masking tape
*Finishing resin (to seal exposed plywood core)
*Power drill and iii/eight-inch bit
*one-inch hole saw
*Power jigsaw with a fine bract
*Socket- or box-wrench ready
*Shears (to cut the vinyl tubing)
*Cleanup rags (to wipe off excess sealant)

Installing Retractable Cleats Boating Mag

i. Select the Cleat
Base your selection on the mounting location and size of your boat. If replacing conventional cleats, select the same size cleats (if not larger). Retractable cleats have a bigger footprint. This might assistance encompass holes left from the previous cleat; otherwise patch the sometime holes. Make certain the mounting studs or bolts are long enough and yous have access to the underside. For this project, nosotros chose the Accon Wide-Line Series 6-inch pull-up cleat.

Installing Retractable Cleats Boating Magazine

ii. Mark and Cut the Mounting Holes
Use the supplied backing plate as a template to mark the mounting holes and central cutout, making sure that the underside is articulate of wires or hoses before yous beginning piece of work. Cut the mounting holes with a drill motor and 3/viii-inch fleck, but use a 1-inch pigsty saw and jigsaw for the central cutout. If the underside of the deck is plywood, utilize a light glaze of catalyzed finishing resin to the exposed wood to seal it from moisture, allowing it to cure before moving to the next step.

Installing Retractable Cleats Canoeing Magazine

3. Mountain the Cleat
Mask off the area, then bed the mounting surface generously with a marine sealant, such every bit 3M 4200, and position the faceplate. Cleats like this Accon model accept welded mounting studs; others bolt up through the faceplate. Position the drain cup and backing plate on the underside, so the washers and locknuts. Tighten the locknuts. In one case the cleat is snug, clean up the excess sealant and remove the masking tape.

Installing Retractable Cleats Canoeing Magazine

4. Install the Drain
On models such as the Attwood Neat Cleat, the drain cup is attached last, while the loving cup for this Accon model is installed with the cleat. In either case, attach 3/8-inch-inside-bore vinyl tubing to the hose barb at the lesser of the loving cup; then road the tubing to a suitable drain location. For the drain fitting, apply a T-H Marine three/viii-inch push button-in affect drain (visit boatingmag.com/rod-holder-drains). Many fishing boats won't crave the bleed, since the gunwales are open to the self-bailing cockpit.

Torque It Twice
Permit the underlying sealant to cure for a twenty-four hours or ii after y'all accept initially battened the cleat, and and then tighten the fasteners only a quarter- or half-plough more than. This creates a gasket that helps ensure a secure and watertight installation.

Installing Retractable Cleats Canoeing Magazine

No Cutout Required
If you lot're reluctant to take a jigsaw to your deck, there are pull-up cleats that forgo a central cutout, including the Accon 450 series, Attwood Not bad Cleat and Sea-Dog 41420 series. These require only two holes, albeit large ones, for which yous'll need a hole saw.