Hello,

Has anyone installed cleats on your cap rail at mid-ships to make it easier to secure the boat to the dock when the wind kicking up?

I am thinking about adding this feature and would like some tips on how to proceed.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Jack,

I'm leaning towards installing a couple of cleats on top of the caprail vs. cutting holes through the bulwarks. I haven't investigated whether I'll have access inside the boat to install backing blocks, but I'm assuming the only hardware that can be used to install the cleats on top of the caprail is by using lag bolts. However, I don't know what kind of strength this will provide. I'm looking for anyone that has done this before and where they positioned them on the caprail.

Thanks again for your reply,

Dan

Dan,

If I understand your reply, I suspect you might have misinterpreted the drawing on that page. As I read it, the cleat in the drawing IS mounted through the cap rail, as Kevin described, and NOT through the bulwark. (The drawing is indeed somewhat confusing, in order to show the hawse fitting through the bulwark. Although I cleaned up the manual and created the online versions, I did not make the original drawings.) 

As in Kevin's reply, mine are mounted such that their centers are 7-1/2" forward of the Genoa track and 30-1/2" behind of the aft lower shroud.

I did not mount them myself (they were probably factory-installed). But I would have to say that their locations have been ideal in all situations. Personally, I would opt for thru-bolting with backing plates, rather than lag bolts. Lag bolts can make a good structural bond in fresh timber, but your cap rails are probably 40 years old and who knows how well they were kept up by previous owners? I had some ares that rotted totally through. 

I use my cleats not only used for spring lines at the dock, but also for rafting to another boat (like the pump-out boat), for tying up my dinghy next to my ladder at anchor, etc. I couldn't imagine getting along without them!

Jack