Mid ship Cleat Backing Pads?

[lw395]

I have used GRP to make backing plates very successfully.
Either laid up I place, or using an existing piece such as cut out of a panel to fit a hatch.
I laid on another few layers of heavy glass and resin, then bolted in place with the resin wet.
I then took the bolts out and fitted the cleat with sealant, as I thought the wet resin might affect the sealant.

Midship cleats do make life easier.

 

[Searush]

My Pentland came without them & I have managed OK for 25 years, tho they have long been on my "to do list", but I just bought a pair to fit because I am not on a trot mooring anymore & they would be handy for a second set of springs to reduce the fore & aft surge on the 25' high quayside wall I am moored to. I will also use them to hold the dink alongside for the ladies.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Generally once the boat is stopped alongside I get off smartly with the lines and do the necessary.

And of course if the wind is blowing a bit you will need to be getting off extra smartly otherwise you will be tying up one end of the boat only. Got to agree with ghostlymoron midship cleats have been one of the most effective items I have fitted recently. On big boats this is always the first line to be secured, midship line.

 

[John the kiwi]

I have no mid-ship cleats and sometimes sail alone.
I always keep a couple of 6 metre lines close to hand in the cockpit bins so until such time as i fit mid-ship cleats i simply throw a clove hitch over the coach roof mounted winch on the side that i will be docking to.
The winches are strongly mounted, could probably carry the weight of the boat, and are certainly up to this task.
Actually this works so well that fitting midships cleats has fallen off my list of things to do.

As an engineer i am fascinated by the opinions on backing plates expressed so far. I have been looking for some empirical science to dare i say "back up" the various options, but have failed to find it.
Certainly i would start by looking at shear strength of fibre-glass. If you are looking at preventing pull through then the key dimensions are the length of the perimeter of the backing plate (or washer) and the thickness of the Fibre glass.

On this basis i would suggest to the OP that two strips of 100 mm wide flat bar stainless steel may in fact be more effective than one especially if there is a gap between them and certainly cheaper..
Good luck.

 

[xeitosaphil]

Thanks for all the contributions re the Midship cleat backing plates/ pads. I will have to digest all the suggestions and find the best solution.

The actual need to provide a Midship cleat stems from mooring singlehanded more times than not on pontoons sometimes mid river with cross wind or tide.

Using a downwind / tide approach due to the available space on the pontoon, the approach tends to be a relatively hard one to keep steerage, but with little time once arrived to jump ashore etc before the wind or tide takes the bow. With a mid ship cleat the point of balance would be better.

I have been using the Genoa winch with a short rope strop to lasso the nearest available cleat on the pontoon, and with a large round buoy on the Stern quarter for protection have found that the point of pivot due to tide or wind is too far aft.

I’m hoping a Midship cleat and rope strop lead back to the cockpit, it will be a vast improvement?

 

[estarzinger]

No-one has mentioned it . . . But the best material for the backing plates is in fact g10 . . .it is tough and stiff and bonds well, and can be cut/drilled with carbide tools. No rot and no rust. See for example: http://www.professionalplastics.com/G10FR4SHEET or in UK perhaps G10.

Bond it in with thickened epoxy.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

I've just replaced the backing plates on my for'ard cleats very similar to the OP's

They were of mild steel which had what looked like a great deal of corrosion and were 'bleeding' rust into the chain locker.

The fabricator in our yard gave an old one a quick 'clean up' on a linisher and showed me that there was in fact a great deal of steel still left after 37yrs.

I knew that priming with any long term success to the old steel would probably be doubtful so I made up some new ones from flat mild steel bar,

heavily greased them and fixed them in place.

If they last another 37yrs that will be fine with me!

S.