Mast Cleat

[TortolaTim]

Do any of you guys have your genoa halyard cleated off on the mast? I'm thinking of doing it to free up a clutch on the cabin top for 2-line reefing. I was doing some reading on cruisers forum and a bunch of them were talking about riveting a small plate of aluminum to the mast to thicken the amount of aluminum that the machine screws "bite" thus securing the cleat more effectively. One even suggested "through-bolting" I think this sounds like complete overkill, but am I missing something here? Seems to me that based on the direction of force from a cleated halyard would be relatively low and 2 high quality stainless machine screws would be sufficient, but I'm just a pilot, not an engineer. 

[mark_53]

I had a cleat on the mast for the main a while back.  Took it off but never had an issue with 2 tapped stainless screws.  It seems like a belt and suspenders approach to rivet an extra plate but the genoa my induce higher loads.

[Jim Hardesty]

Do any of you guys have your genoa halyard cleated off on the mast?

The problem with that as I see it is halyard tension.  A few decades past the normal set-up was a winch and cleat on the mast.
Jim

[Jon W]

I use a rope clutch to store the jib/headsail halyard on the port side of mast. I have another rope clutch on the starboard side of the mast for the spinnaker.

[LogoFreak]

I've made my own halyard track on the mast, two of them since I also have a in-mast main. Both my halyards stay at the mast and there's no tail to deal with. That also gives me the extra room for other lines in the cockpit. I now have 6 control lines.