Wooden Cleats

[ddeaton]

Does anyone have a good pattern for wood cleats? I am looking for the simple ones, like catboat style, and for 1/2 inch halyards.
Thanks, Danny

[Don Z.]

The Marlinespike Sailor. Hervey Garret Smith. International Marine. ISBN: 0070592187

[Tom W.]

Danny:
Arch Davis has a pattern on the Penobscot 17 mylar plans.
How is the boat coming? I did a little driveway sailing yesterday, here's some pics:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p558ccab32d9d89845b22a60165742cef/eef5276b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/mypictures/inbox/view.html?id=4009043787&url=http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p34abfc307577a964d536a8d215026cc2/eef5274b.jpg.orig.jpg

[BrianY]

perhaps you'll find what you're looking for here:

http://www2.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/boat/matl/cleats.html

[ddeaton]

Don - I have Smith's book, it is great, but the cleats are to fancy. I am making my mast coat from his section.

Brian - Great web site, I like the dimension tables

Tom - Now your talking! the rig looks great. When are you going to sail her?

I have a bunch of pics from Mystic and Newport. I think from the patterns you guys turned me on to and the pics I have, I can make a few and see how they turn out. The original catboat cleats look a little blocky and not as finished as most. Not trying to get anal, just wanta keep that look.

[Bill Perkins]

Edson Schocks' excellent cleat model is not well presented in the link above . Here's the presentation from the mans' book .

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid206/p42c6eaea7651256664d6d1a896032fbb/eef23d16.jpg

I've cut the blanks for some 8 inchers , intended for 1/2 in. line . I enlarged the pic till B= 8 in. and will glue photocopies tothe stock .

[Tom M.]

Go here:

http://www.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/boat/matl/cleats.html

[ddeaton]

Bill - That looks about like it! Thanks

[Jay Greer]

L. Francis Herreshoff has wooden cleats shown for many of his boats.
Check in "Sensible Cruising Designs" on the H28.
JG

[Bill Perkins]

I've got a Herreshoff cleat in the 'putor too. This one has a low profile good for on the mast .


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid23/p68394616eaeeb0869a816c77310ead77/fda1ecad.gif

[DougWilde]

When I needed cleats for my mast, I just used a bronze one I already had, for a pattern. These are ash.

http://dbwilde.home.comcast.net/Williwaw/cleat2.jpg

I used a Fostner bit to cut the circle where the horns meet the base. Then cut, filed, and sanded to shape.
Hollowed the base a bit for better fit to the mast.
Drilled the holes to accept 1/4 inch red oak dowels from Lowe's. That way the mast remains all wood with no weak point caused by screws. Also the red oak contrasts nicely with the ash and Sitka spruce mast.

Doug Wilde

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

I like the idea of the all-wood mast, Doug.

But I must tell you that my sundial's pedestal is the head of a 30' mast which at some stage had had a hole drilled through it that was later plugged with a dowel. The dowel wicked water into the interior of the mast and eventually rotted it, resulting in Swallow's dismasting in a blow.

So my inclination would be to take out the end 1/4" of the dowels and plug them.

Mike

(Perhaps I can add, at the risk of being accused of something 'orrible, that we have templates (http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/other.htm) for many of our fittings, including a variety of cleats.)

[Thorne]

I've made mine to various patterns, still experimenting with different shapes for different uses. Clear white oak soaked with 50/50 BLO and turps. Attached with bronze screws dipped in red lead paint, then pluged with oak bungs.

http://www.luckhardt.com/spritboom-cleats.jpg

[almeyer]

I think I got this pattern from the Arch Davis plans. They're simple enough to make. I like having the hole between the two screws, it makes the cleats dual-purpose. The two cleats at the bow secure the becket, which gives me a good place to tie my anchor line and dock line to. I've got two similar cleats near the transom. I use the hole in these to run a rope traveler.
Al
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid120/p56b1cc94c8838b3ddb506435ce7dd5b8/f85c7e5e.jpg

[Don Z.]

I like the idea of the all-wood mast, Doug.

But I must tell you that my sundial's pedestal is the head of a 30' mast which at some stage had had a hole drilled through it that was later plugged with a dowel. The dowel wicked water into the interior of the mast and eventually rotted it, resulting in Swallow's dismasting in a blow.

So my inclination would be to take out the end 1/4" of the dowels and plug them.

Mike



At the risk of piling on, a dowel is made along the grain, and with Red Oak, that dowel will basically be a straw...

I think you'll want something cross grained there... even White Oak would be better...

[BrianW]

Are wood cleats suitable for mooring, or mostly for rigging?

[J. Dillon]

Boy do I love to make cleats. I must have a dozen or so lying around I designed for special needs.:D

Here's is one I made to eliminate flailing sheets catching on the horns. The fingers open out to prevent catching and or fold in flush with the cleat.:cool:

JD

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/4278/antifoulingcleats9rx.jpg

[ddeaton]

Brian, mooring and rigging. Take a look at all the old catboats, and the old workboats, most had wood cleats for both.

[paladin]

an inshore boat may use wooden cleats for anchoring, any boat of normal size, such as 25 feet and above that is going offshore should have metal cleats for all anchor lines....you may need to support the weight of the boat on one cleat....would you rather have it metal or wood..?

[BrianW]

I did forget anchoring in my question. Thanks for bringing that up.

[BillyBudd]

A wood Jonesport cleat with a stainless steel rod through it would be nice anchor cleat if well bolted near the forward stem, if boat is rightly sized.

[Bill Perkins]

Herreshoff also recommended a metal cleat for the anchor line .

[DougWilde]

Geez guys, give me some credit.

The holes and dowels were slathered with straight epoxy. Then thickened epoxy was applied before final assembly. They were finished with thinned varnish, followed by 5-6 coats of full strength varnish.

Ain't a straw any more.

I thought long and hard about varnishing these cleats. They only handle the halyard and downhaul for a 70 square foot leg'o mutton sail with a sprit boom. So far the finish is holding up just fine.

Doug Wilde

[paladin]

when I want to seal cleats, or belaying pins and such...I have an old crock pot. I put the parts inside, weighted down with a couple of diving weights, cover with soup...set it on low for 24-48 hours...clean the parts off and never had any problems....:D

[ddeaton]

I think I may try and make some from osage orange. I rebuilt my wood blocks with osage and they turned out great. Soaked them like Paladin does and the UV turned them a nice dark brown.

[paladin]

that's what I use...osage orange...known in my neck of the woods as Bois d'Arc.....makes damn good blocks etc.....got some more wood blanks getting ready for whittlin'.....wood shell blocks and using Antal/Harken sheaves mit der delrin bearings......

[ddeaton]

Its about all I burn in my woodstove in the barn also

[Jay Greer]

Osage is good stuff. In addition to blocks and cleats, I use it for vise handles. The chips will keep critters out of your sock drawer too.
JG