bow cleats

[Tom Glennon]

Has anyone added cleats to the port/starboard sides of the bow?  I have a 1987 Mark I, with the mooring cleat located centerline right behind the furling drum.  This is really not idea when anchoring or with the mooring line.... would be nice to put one on either toe rail, as was on my cat 30.

[Ted Pounds]

Tom,

I did it a few years ago.  It's a great mod.  I matched the stern cleats  (Schaefers I think they are).  I made backing plates out of aluminium bar stock.  I also added backing plates to the stern cleats as they didn't have them.  The anchor cleat did have a backing plate.  I had to cut an access hole in the port side of the anchor locker to get the nut on the bots on the port one.  The access hole in the front of the anchor locker was adequate for the starboard cleat.  Get a screw-on access cover for the new hole.  A trick for the wrench:  tie some twine to it so if you drop it inside the cavity you'll be able to retrieve it.  :cool:

Ted

[Tom Glennon]

Thank you for the input... this is one modification I think will be very useful!!

[Jim Price]

Additional quick idea, if you have access to a "Rotozip" tool, use that instead of saber saw when you have flat surfaces.  You can contol depth of cut exactly; just have to get use to torque when cutting. (Of course if wires are snug against inside of surface your cutting - #$@@#$%@!!@#@!)

[Stu Jackson]

Bow Cleats

Many folks have added two bow cleats in addition to the middle one.  With the position of the existing middle factory-installed cleat, we find it is in a perfect position for use with the anchor from the roller.  We only added a port side new cleat, since that was relatively easy to access through the existing Beckson port.  We didn't install a second Beckson or a starboard new cleat.  We use the new port cleat for the port side at our dock and the middle one for the starboard side.  It's kind of a halfway solution, but it works for us.