Why fairleads?

[Simondjuk]

I too use the fairleads for the purpose of 'cross cleating', as it were. Not often, but handy to be able to do in certain circumstances.

I thought not to mention it as a benefit since one could use a horn of the opposite cleat as a lead at a push, although it'd be rather inelegant and unkind to the made off line beneath.

 

[prv]

I too use the fairleads for the purpose of 'cross cleating', as it were. Not often, but handy to be able to do in certain circumstances.

I thought not to mention it as a benefit since one could use a horn of the opposite cleat as a lead at a push, although it'd be rather inelegant and unkind to the made off line beneath.

Depending on the exact lead, it could just as well be unkind to the line already occupying a fairlead

Pete

 

[Woodlouse]

OK. Usually when someone says something is a money-saving exercise, the implication is that it's inferior to the more expensive option.

For what it's worth, having seen the structure in some detail, I think my bow and stern cleats are more strongly mounted on the gunwale (where they go through both the hull and the deck mouldings) than they would be on deck.

Pete

The strength I suppose will depend on how big a backing pad you have. Certainly you'll be able to mount a perfectly strong enough cleat to the gunwale but I reckon you'll always be able to stick a stronger one down to the deck. Not that most manufacturers will bother to beef them up to that extent.

 

[Simondjuk]

Depending on the exact lead, it could just as well be unkind to the line already occupying a fairlead

Pete

Indeed it could, but more often than not the lines are diverging.

I have occasionally thought it would be nice if my fairleads we're tall enough to accommodate two lines, one above the other though, so you're not wrong at all.

 

[prv]

The strength I suppose will depend on how big a backing pad you have. Certainly you'll be able to mount a perfectly strong enough cleat to the gunwale but I reckon you'll always be able to stick a stronger one down to the deck.

I reckon either could be beefed up to the point of silliness before one was proven to be definitely inferior

On my boat, though, the deck is two relatively thin skins with lightweight foam in between. The hull is quite thick solid GRP, and along the gunwale it's folded over (there's a three-inch inward-facing horizontal rim which the deck is bolted down onto) so you get an angle-iron kind of effect rather than a flat panel. On my boat (and I was only ever commenting on my boat, construction varies too much to make definitive statements otherwise) I am definitely happier with fittings bolted to the hull moulding than to the deck.

Pete

 

[Woodlouse]

I reckon either could be beefed up to the point of silliness before one was proven to be definitely inferior

On my boat, though, the deck is two relatively thin skins with lightweight foam in between. The hull is quite thick solid GRP, and along the gunwale it's folded over (there's a three-inch inward-facing horizontal rim which the deck is bolted down onto) so you get an angle-iron kind of effect rather than a flat panel. On my boat (and I was only ever commenting on my boat, construction varies too much to make definitive statements otherwise) I am definitely happier with fittings bolted to the hull moulding than to the deck.

Pete

Ah, but any deck fittings that would take load would have some nice solid blocking between the two skins of the deck instead of the foam which would obviously crush as soon as you tried to wazz the bolts up on a cleat. The area of the blocking would of course determine the strength of the fitting. As you said though you'd probably have to get a bit silly about it before the strength was greatly improved and it wouldn't be necessary to over spec like that anyway.

 

[haydude]

I believe it is simple physic of the composite materials. If the cleat is mounted over the deck, the forces on the cleat are parallel to the plane of the composite which thus provide its greatest strength. Mounted on the gunwale the forces on the cleat are perpendicular to the plane of the composite which is at its weakest. This might be mitigated if the cleat is mounted at the junction thus using part of the deck, however if this is right on the edge this could be a problem, which is why cleats are normally fitted a few centimetres in.