Cleats wot go on genoa car track

Tintin

Tintin

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In France recently I noticed a boat the same as mine with a neat solution to the lack of mid cleat - they had a cleat that went on the car track - any idea what they are called so I can google s efforts so far have drawn a blank? also where to get them from - boat is a beneteau first 325.

Of course I should have asked aforementioned french skipper but beyond a simple bonjour I tend to struggle
 
Comrade Red said:
In France recently I noticed a boat the same as mine with a neat solution to the lack of mid cleat - they had a cleat that went on the car track - any idea what they are called so I can google s efforts so far have drawn a blank? also where to get them from - boat is a beneteau first 325.

Of course I should have asked aforementioned french skipper but beyond a simple bonjour I tend to struggle
Click to expand...

Bonsoir monsiieur Le Camerade rouge.

Trouvez bien ici

http://www.force4.co.uk/6639/Barton-205mm-Sliding-Cleat---32mm-T-Track.html

Eh Bien Nest pas

Vive la revolution!
 
I've been tempted to get one but am worried about the side load on the track and its mountings. It's designed for nearer to fore and aft loads not lateral loads.
Take the Barton 32mm T track, it's only 20mm wide at the base, that's 10mm moment arm to the bolt centre. The cleat loading line maybe (guessing) 35mm above deck so 3.5:1. If your mooring exercise goes a bit wrong in a wind that's potentially a lot of twist on the track and the deck under it. The torsional stiffness of the track won't distribute this far, just the adjacent 2 bolts i would say.
Anyone else concerned?
 
I have some, cheaper and made of black nylon plastic, but they go on 1 inch track http://www.force4.co.uk/6638/Barton-165mm-Sliding-Cleat---25mm-T-Track.html

They are ....ok. But not super heavy duty. I tried to use it once to slow and stop the boat and found they bent alarmingly. Which is probably better than pulling the track up. Maybe big (expensive!) metal ones on a beefier track will be more the thing.

To be fair my track is not Barton

Graham
 
I fitted a pair of Barton sliding blocks, to the fore end of the track, which worked for me as I only wanted to rig a light line for singlehanded mooring. In fact I now have midship cleats but I still use the blocks for my initial grab-it mooring springs. They were cheap - under £20.

The blocks (and therefore possibly the cleat, above) have an annoying dimple on the underside which may damage the track if you leather them on, like I did. Better to file off the dimple first. This no doubt weakens it but mine have shown no inclination to fall apart yet.
 
gdallas said:
I have some, cheaper and made of black nylon plastic, but they go on 1 inch track http://www.force4.co.uk/6638/Barton-165mm-Sliding-Cleat---25mm-T-Track.html

They are ....ok. But not super heavy duty. I tried to use it once to slow and stop the boat and found they bent alarmingly. Which is probably better than pulling the track up. Maybe big (expensive!) metal ones on a beefier track will be more the thing.

To be fair my track is not Barton

Graham
Click to expand...

I have had those for more than 10 years and use them mainly for a midship spring to stop the boat (4-1/4 tons) when coming alongside a pontoon. They have sometimes had quite a load on them when I have misjudged things but they have withstood it, so far. No sign of the genoa track being harmed or working loose either. I should think a full genoa in a strong breeze puts quite a load on the track and that's force tending to pull it upwards.
 
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charles_reed said:
Made by Barton they fit their genoa track perfectly and other peoples' not as well. Just make sure you get the correct size for your track. And take them off when not using them or you'll suffer a loss of toenails.
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I use these for my 32mm tracks, on which the top section is 6mm thick. The Barton 32mm track is only 5mm thick, so their cleat would not slide on easily.

http://www.svb24.com/en/pfeiffer-marine-midrail-cleat.html

I have found them very handy, but like Troubadour points out perhaps not suitable for extreme side loads.
 
parsifal said:
I have had those for more than 10 years and use them mainly for a midship spring to stop the boat (4-1/4 tons) when coming alongside a pontoon. They have sometimes had quite a load on them when I have misjudged things but they have withstood it, so far. No sign of the genoa track being harmed or working loose either. I should think a full genoa in a strong breeze puts quite a load on the track and that's force tending to pull it upwards.
Click to expand...

I bought a pair earlier this year (Barton from Force 4) - my deck area isn't very big and I stepped backwards from the cabin roof and put all my weight on the end of a cleat with my heel. It promptly snapped off!

I was none too impressed.

The other problem I have is that when sailing, if I don't remove them, occasionally the Genoa sheet gets caught up in them when tacking - this then means you have to go forward and sort it out - rather ruins an efficient tack.

JuSw
 
Hi Rob - I bought two normal metal cleats, cut and drilled some right angle alli, and bolted them thru the toe rail - perfecto! and very economical.
 
jusw said:
The other problem I have is that when sailing, if I don't remove them, occasionally the Genoa sheet gets caught up in them when tacking - this then means you have to go forward and sort it out - rather ruins an efficient tack.

JuSw
Click to expand...

I put my cleats aft of the genoa leads so when they are not needed I slide them to the aft end of the track which (on a Salder29) is well out of the way of sheets. They still slide forward enough to be useful.
 
jusw said:
The other problem I have is that when sailing, if I don't remove them, occasionally the Genoa sheet gets caught up in them when tacking - this then means you have to go forward and sort it out - rather ruins an efficient tack.
JuSw
Click to expand...

I have wondered about that snag with these cleats; I think the answer would be those 2 plastic wedges / boots held together by elastic, which fit under the horns of the cleat and give a streamlined shape for lines like sheets to slip over.

Here we go; http://www.bosunslockerchandlery.co.uk/3243/Plastic-Cleat-Boot.html
 
I was contemplating the issue of sideways strain... On any boat the track will to a minor extent spread the load along its length which may put the load onto more fasteners than directly mounted cleats. Any comparison is meaningless without knowing what backing plates are fitted - not always easy to see, especially in a new production boat where you'd rather not pull off the headlining! So no conclusions.

Rob
 
Rob,

if one does not know what backing plates are fitted, and are not accessible for inspection, the boat is not worth having without surgery - plus forming a general distrust of the builders - one gets shot of the boat !

This was exactly my experience with a Carter 30, potentially a nice boat but too much hidden away, inaccessible, too much left to trust & hope !

After 4 years I sold her and bought back the boat I'd helped build & know every backing plate...
 
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