No-Knot Boat Quick Cleat
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Purchased two of these to mount on our Silverton 410 swim platform as dinghy cleats. When we have our dinghy in use we always had a tangle of dock lines across our swim platform. Using one cleat for multiple lines is not always ideal and I had been eyeballing various cam cleats in the sailboat rigging isle at West Marine. Then I happened across this guy. I purchased the stainless version because we're in brackish waters. The stainless seems okay, magnets don't attract to it. So, I'm assuming it has a high chromium content. Time will tell if I'll get a visit from the rust monster. Mounting is straight forward, two screws (not included). However, there is little flush area on the bottom for sealant bedding. I applied Life Seal to these flat areas around the screw holes. Which won't do much in the way of holding power. But, I also don't want to fully commit with an edge seal until I'm 100% on these cleats.
There are a couple of potential things to watch for. First is the angle of the line. If the line comes down to the cleat at an angle it can be jerked out. The opposite is true if the line runs down and away or enters the cleat on a level plane. In this case the cam will bite harder with the more strain that's applied. 3/8" line is a tight squeeze especially if it's wet. Getting the cam to lip over this size line can take more effort. These cleats aren't exactly beginner user friendly but are fantastic when the idea is grasped. The last thing I'm keeping an eye on is the teeth inside the cleat can put snags in the line during removal. This seems to only happen if the line is really tight.
Good things I've found is the ability to make small line adjustments without having to undo everything. We can pull our RIB tight enough to the edge of the swim platform that it doesn't rub and squeak. And boarding is safer because without line slack the dinghy doesn't move out from under you when you step down into it. Docking and launching our dinghy is now incredibly easy with newbies on board. There's no verbal confusion on tying/un-tying lines to the cleats while you're trying to keep station and everyone dry.
Recommendations for the next version: The little pyramid shaped flap that sticks up is really not needed. It's too small to use as a turn knob and interrupts the smooth dome shape of the cleat. It is not something I'd want to step on in bare feet either. I think just shaving it flush and leaving the finger indentations will give the user plenty of turning force to open the cleat. The addition of more bedding surface to the bottom is needed. Screws alone pull out after awhile. Some bonding surface for urethane sealant would help distribute the load.
All in all, I'm happy with these. We'll just have to wait to see how well they hold up. Mike from the Lifesaport live-aboard blog
