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Whether you’re missing one or you want to upsize those you already have, we’ll show you how
Photo: Getty Images
Difficulty
- Moderate (if de-coring is required)
Materials
- Cleat(s)
- Stainless steel mounting hardware including backing plate, bolts, locking nuts and washers, or Nyloc nuts
- Scrap wood for creating template
- Good quality painter’s tape
- Syringe
- Epoxy (as needed)
- Epoxy thickener
- Bedding compound/caulk such as BoatLife Life-Calk or West Marine Polyether Multi-Caulk Sealant
- Paper clip or wire Tools
- Drill & bits
- Countersink bit
- Hole saw
- Flat-head screwdriver
- Sharp knife
- Wrench
Time
- 2-3 hours over two days
Cost
- Approx. $100 for each cleat, depending on size
Types of cleats
While there are a number of cleat styles available, the two main types (and our focus here) are traditional horned cleats and recessed pop-up or pull-up style cleats. Pop-up cleats have a button-activated spring mechanism that “pops” the cleat up when pressed. Pull-up cleats are similar but designed to be pulled up and into position using your fingers.
Installation:
Solid vs. cored decking Mounting a new cleat (or upgrading an existing one) onto a solid fiberglass deck is fairly straightforward. Drilling into a cored deck, however, requires additional steps to protect the coring from water intrusion or crushing. In a perfect world, the boat manufacturer has anticipated where additional cleats may be needed and has “de-cored” those areas by reverting to solid fiberglass. In the real world, however, you’ll likely need to do a little de-coring of your own when installing a new cleat.
You can determine if the deck or cleat mounting location is cored or solid fiberglass when drilling the mounting holes. If cored, you can also see the type of coring (e.g., plywood, balsa) by looking at the shavings and by examining the holes. If the coring is marine plywood, there’s no need to de-core. After drilling or cutting, simply wet the raw edges of the plywood with a few coats of epoxy to prevent water migration into the plywood coring.
If the coring is a softer material (such as end-grain balsa), you’ll need to de-core the area and substitute with an epoxy plug. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, but the following method is straightforward and works well when installing or upgrading a traditional horned cleat in anything other than a plywood cored panel. It not only keeps moisture out of the coring (as your holes are now drilled through a solid epoxy plug) but also provides a solid backing when tightening the cleat mounting hardware.
1. Drill the cleat mounting holes. Drill bit size will be based on the size of the mounting bolts.
2. & 3. Using the cleat mounting holes as a guideline, take a 1-inch hole saw (or larger, depending on the size of the mounting bolt) and remove the coring from the underside of the deck where each bolt is to be installed.
4. & 5. Be careful not to drill through or damage the upper layer of fiberglass. Drill almost through the coring but leave the last ¼ inch or so to be removed by hand using a flat head screwdriver or similar tool to avoid any chance of damaging that outer fiberglass layer.
Most hole saws will have a pilot drill bit. Be careful to ensure it does not go through the upper layer of fiberglass when drilling. If the pilot drill bit can be removed, another option is to remove it and use a template to guide the hole saw and keep it from wandering. A hole saw template can easily be made by drilling through a small piece of wood with the hole saw. Remove the pilot bit, then hold the template up to the underside of the deck. Center the hole of the template over the cleat mounting hole, hold the template firmly in place and drill. Once through the bottom layer of fiberglass, the template can be removed (if desired) to facilitate drilling more easily.
6. & 7. Once the cutout and coring has been removed, seal the exposed edges of the coring around each mounting hole with epoxy. While you can brush the epoxy onto the coring, the best way is to flood the holes, which provides plenty of penetration. To do this, seal the bottom of each hole with good quality tape, then fill with epoxy using a syringe. Allow the epoxy time to penetrate the exposed coring (5 minutes or so) then remove any excess. Be sure to remove the excess epoxy before it cures or hardens.
8. & 9. Next, fill the holes completely with a mixture of thickened epoxy. After adding the mixture, use a small wire (a bent paperclip works fine) to stir the mixture and remove any air pockets.
10. Once the epoxy is cured, redrill the cleat mounting holes through the epoxy plug.
11. Bevel the edges of the mounting holes using an appropriately sized countersink drill bit. Then dry fit the cleat to ensure proper fit.
12. Mount the cleat using properly sized stainless backing plates or washers (bigger is better, within reason) and bed using a suitable marine grade caulk. Apply caulking to the base of the cleat and top of the backing plate, install, then snug up the mounting hardware using stainless steel Nyloc nuts or nuts and lock washers. Tighten the mounting hardware until you first see the bedding compound oozing out around the edges, then leave it overnight to set up, forming a gasket. If necessary, trim any excess after it cures using a sharp knife.
Come back the next day and tighten to the proper torque (avoid overtightening, which can crush laminate and deform hardware).
Tips For A Successful Installation
- When installing new cleats, verify that the location has adequate access and clearance underneath to carry out the installation.
- Determine the size and type of cleat you want, such as a traditional horn-type cleat or one of the various flush mounted pop-up or pull-up models.
- Mounting a new cleat is primarily a matter of correct placement of the drilling template or cutout (depending on the type of cleat). If upgrading a traditional horned cleat with a larger one, the footprint of the new cleat probably won’t match the existing hole pattern. If you’re lucky, the base of the new cleat will cover these existing holes, in which case you can simply fill the old holes with thickened epoxy. Otherwise, you can fill the unused holes and paint over them or install a base for the new cleat of some suitable material (e.g., a thin piece of fiberglass) to cover the holes once sealed. If replacing a traditional cleat with a pop-up or similar style cleat, the best scenario is locating the required cutout (if required) over the existing holes where possible. Otherwise, fill the existing holes from the old cleat with thickened epoxy and paint or cover them as described above.
- Cover the mounting area with painter’s tape to protect the gelcoat from scratches and help prevent chipping while drilling or cutting.
- For traditional cleats, use templates (if provided) or the base of the cleat itself to mark the mounting holes.
- When drilling, run the drill in reverse until through the gelcoat (to help prevent chipping) then switch to forward and continue drilling. Beveling each hole (as shown in Fig. 11) will help prevent future gelcoat cracking and provides a better seal once caulking is applied.
- Once the holes are drilled, dry fit the cleat to ensure a perfect fit prior to bedding (caulking). This should include installing a stainless steel backing plate (preferred) or large, thick stainless fender washers. This is a crucial step as once caulking is applied, it is infinitely messier to make any necessary adjustments. Once out of the tube, marine caulk can be as pernicious as Satan’s blood to deal with and it will seem to get on every body part and boat surface within a 50-yard radius.
- Check that backing plates or washers rest flat against the underside of the deck. If uneven, fair any surface irregularities with epoxy prior to mounting.
- Bed the cleat with a suitable marine-grade caulking. Polysulfides such as BoatLife Life Calk or hybrid caulks such as West Marine’s Polyether Multi-Caulk Sealant work well. Avoid adhesives (such as 3M 5200) — they make removal and rebedding difficult. — F.L.
Pop-up or pull-up cleats
Pop-up or pull-up cleats may require that an additional hole be cut in the deck. Most come with a precut backing plate, which makes an excellent drilling and cutting template. Place the backing plate where the cleat will be mounted, drill the first hole, insert a bolt to keep the backing plate in place, then drill the remaining bolt holes. Insert a bolt in each of the holes, then tighten down two bolts at opposite ends (to prevent the template from moving) and use it as a guide to cut the hole with a rotary tool or jigsaw, depending on deck thickness.
Seal any exposed coring (as previously described) and mount. Note that you may have to cut out a hole in the center between the mounting holes to accept the pop-up cleat mechanism (located below the deck).
While traditional cleats have no moving parts, water can enter the mechanisms found in pop-up or pull-up cleats, causing potential problems. To address this issue, most manufacturers offer cups or trays that fit under the cleat mechanism and have drain fittings that can be plumbed into the bilge or overboard.
As with everything else onboard, “moving parts” means required maintenance. Although most manufacturers advertise their pop-up or pull-up cleats as being maintenance-free, I’d recommend conducting the following at least twice a year:
- Give the mechanism a thorough rinsing with fresh water.
- Check the drain hoses to verify they are properly installed and clear of debris (to allow drainage).
- If operation is stiff, clean and sparingly apply a light lubricant (such as WD-40). Avoid using grease, which can attract dirt and grit.