Adding a cleat to cabin top

[Dick Kobayashi]

I plan to add a cleat on the port side of my cabintop to match the cleat on the starbd side. Why? so I can run a piece of webbing from each cleat to the mast base and clip on as I go to the mast. Clipping on to a line near the center makes sense to me. I know - doesn't help if I go fwd of the mast.

Question: What is the best way to install the cleat. I am assuming I need to use a hole saw to drill through the headlined and some of the core. I have studiously avoided adding gizmos to the cabin top and elsewhere. I'd like to do this right ans simply and do it once, sooooo your advice please.

dk

[psjanker]

Dick

Thinking of doing the same so will be following. I was thinking of some type of eye bolt so nothing would catch on lines or sails. Don't understand why hard points and such are not incorporated as standard features when boats are manufactured.

V/r

Pete

[jen1722terry]

You could also just use a S/S or bronze eyebolt with a large fender washer for backing, which is what we did. We have stout locking carabiners on our line for our tethers, so its' easy to install the line when needed.

Probably other ways to do it without drilling, e.g., a Y-shaped line or webbing that would anchor to the mast and the midship cleats. Just thinking of the top of my head here.

Good luck!

Jenn and Terry

[John Stone]

1. Position the hardware.
2. Run lines to that location to make sure the leads are fair. Do what you can to make sure there are no wires between the headliner and the deck where you'll be drilling.
3. Tape off the deck where you will drill. Reposition the hardware. Drill the holes down through the top skin of the core only. Use a small diameter bit, e.g. 3/16". Then switch bits to a fostner bit.
4. If the fastener size is 1/4"-5/16" I'd use maybe a 1/2"-5/8" fostner bit drill down through the top skin and through the core but not through the bottom layer of the skin.
5. Dig out more core under the lip of the top skin. I usually use a dental probe but have used the bent nail or allen wrench hacked into a drill technique too. Vacuum out the core debris
6. Mix and pour unthickened epoxy into the cavity. I recommend you use a hot wx epoxy and or make three small pours to allow each previous pour to kick but not cure. Sometimes, too much epoxy poured at once in small confined hole can get very hot and smoke--very bad. A couple of pours over about an hour or 90 minutes will eliminate that issue. But don't let the epoxy cure between pours or you won't get a chemical bond. If the deck has camber you won't be able to fill to top without epoxy running down the deck. Stop short of that. Wait till the epoxy has kicked but not cured. Mix some more epoxy add thickener and fill any remaining gap. Trowel it smooth level with the deck. Let it cure overnight.
7. Reposition the hardware. Drill the fastener holes being careful to drill down through the center of the epoxy plugs you made. Drill all the way down through the head liner.
8. Go inside the boat. Spot the drill holes. Using a large diameter hole saw, maybe 4", center it between the fastener holes and cut out the headliner. Be careful to not let the hole saw drill bit cut into the underside of the deck. Remove the section you cut.
9. Cut a backing plate from 1/4" G-10. The shape, if round, can't be larger than the hole. If is oblong you might be able to get a longer but narrower backing plate in the hole. Check to see if the backing plate lies flat to the underside of the deck. If not, and you probably should do this anyway, epoxy the backing plate to the underside of the deck with thickened epoxy. Be careful not to lose control of the backing plate and have it slide sideways between the deck and the headliner. Let the epoxy cure.
10. Drill down through the hardware holes and through the g10 backing plate. Chamfer out the top of the fastener holes on the deck.
11. Mount the hardware with bedding compound. I recommend butyl rubber but it's your choice. Install the washers and lock nuts.
12. Get a piece of 1/4 to 3/4" thick teak. Hole saw out a piece larger than the diameter of the opening in your head liner. Position the teak cover plate over the opening in the headliner. Mark though the hole onto the g10 backing plate. Remove the teak cover plate.
13. Drill and tap a hole for a 1/4-20 fastener into the g10 backing plate you marked. Then install the cover plate with the fastener. Cut the fastener to the appropriate length to secure the cover plate firmly in place. A bronze round head fastener looks very nice.