SailNet Community - Schaefer Mid-ship Cleat

<HTML><B><P></P><P></B>You’re coming into the marina alone. It’s a flood tide and a down-current slip. You’ve thought of backing in, but the last time you did that, well, it wasn’t pretty. If this maneuvering scenario is one that strikes fear in your heart, an adjustable mid-ship cleat may take some of the edge off. A mid-ship cleat with a spring line on it allows you to glide in, step down, tie off, and break the momentum of your several thousand pounds of pride and joy from merging with the dock. Controlling the boat at its midpoint ensures that either end won’t get far away. </P><P><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=8></TD><TD vAlign=top align=left width=192><A href="http://www.sailnet.com/store/item.cfm?pid=742"><IMG height=180 src="http://www.sailnet.com/images/content/authors/matthews/100200_MM_chockcleat.jpg" width=192 border=0></A></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 height=8></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>This 316 stainless steel cleat will keep its shine and the smooth edges protect lines against chafe and wear. Being able to place the cleat exactly where you need it is also useful when tying up to a dock other than your own, or in the event of a raft up. And let’s face it, there’s always a need for another heavy-duty attachment point on a boat. Dinghies, springs lines, fenders, tenders, or whatever else needs affixing find a suitable, strong, and secure cleat. The larger version of this cleat has a 4,500-pound safe working load should be more than sufficient for all applications involving 5/8-inch line, and a five-year warranty should give you ample time for this feature to prove itself. At 7 1/2 inches long, this baby means business. Likewise, there is ample height for the base of the cleat to function as a chock 1 3/4 inches wide, should you need to run a line from a winch through it and out to an anchor, boat, or dock. Simply pulling up the pin allows the cleat to be moved for or aft. The cleat mounts on 1 1/4 inch genoa-T Track and again is moveable without tools.  A smaller version is available to fit 1" genona track. <P>About the only disadvantage that springs to mind may be in the stubbed-toe category, although judging from the robust construction, one-time contact will be all that is needed to avoid a future incident. The stainless steel construction should provide enough glint to avoid this scenario in the first place, and if you don’t already trip over your genoa leads, you’re not likely to do so with this.</P><P><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=center><A href="http://www.sailnet.com/store/item.cfm?pid=742"><IMG height=75 src="http://www.sailnet.com/images/content/authors/matthews/100300_adsn_chock.gif" width=320 border=0></A></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P><P></P></HTML>