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Cleats

Michiman

Michiman

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Our 25774 GCW off the dealer lot has standard cleats which I'd like to swap out for the pull-up style. While I'm not exactly sure of the location of each, they would seem to be a tripping hazard. Plus, that is what I had on my bowrider and really like them. The dealer didn't know if it would be possible to replace them and said they would check with the factory. Well, that was several weeks ago and I haven't heard back. So my first question for those of you with similar models is whether the wave shield will get in the way.


I also saw a "Boat Test" review of a Bennington where the test captain stated that if he were buying one, he would have a pull-up cleat installed in the middle of the bow for anchoring purposes. Has anyone of you done something like that? Do you think there would be any advantage to doing that? I thought it was an odd observation but I did use the bow eye to anchor on my bowrider.
 
The cleats are not where you would be walking and I don't know if the pullups are retrofitable. The standard ones that we have are bolted through the deck.
 
Doubt the cleats will have the same bolt spacing. This has been discussed here if you want to try searching for the old thread. Not saying it can't be done, you just might have to do a lot of looking to find the right ones, and remove the under skinning to get to the bolts. 


You don't need a bow cleat. Just fold your amchor line in half, thread the loop through the bow eye, then tie the loop off to one of the corner cleats. 


I would never put a bow cleat on for fear my kid would jamb a toe in it running to jump in the lake and break his toe off. It would be in front of the bow gate too, which is the most used gate on our boat, and someone would trip over it at the dock for sure. That would be the worst place to put a cleat if you ask me.  Use the bow eye.
 
Yeah, didn't realize it has a bow eye as we have yet to take delivery. That certainly makes a bow cleat unnecessary in my book. The dealer did mention something about the holes not lining up so if it's not a "plug and play" type swap we'll just keep it as is.
 
The underskinning is not in the way.
 
I added another cleat just for anchoring on the bow towards the port side years ago. I keep my bow anchor in the port side corner seat so its location is very convenient. I drilled 2 holes and installed the cleat from underneath with stainless lock washers and bolts. Easy access and very simple......
 
BigKahuna said:
I added another cleat just for anchoring on the bow towards the port side years ago. I keep my bow anchor in the port side corner seat so its location is very convenient. I drilled 2 holes and installed the cleat from underneath with stainless lock washers and bolts. Easy access and very simple......
Click to expand...

Is this in case you want to drop anchor while docked :blink:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Link said:
Is this in case you want to drop anchor while docked :blink:
Click to expand...

Yup you're right Link!


Also forgot to add that the reason for adding a dedicated anchor cleat was because on my 2004 the cleats are relatively small and once you add a dock line there really isn't any other room for anything else.......
 
Just for the record, my dealer informs me that Bennington has confirmed that the pull-up cleats have a different footprint than those that came with my boat. As such, it would require drilling new holes to install them. No thanks, I'll learn to live with what I have!
 
I kind of like the dedicated bow cleat, but I do see the concern. 


When you guys are saying bow eye,  are you talking about the eyelets on the pontoons themselves? 


I personally wouldn't mind having a dedicated anchor cleat.  There has been times we have a boat tied off on either side while our anchor is down and the cleats sometimes have a hard time accommodating both and anchor line and bow lines. 
 
JaccFrost said:
I kind of like the dedicated bow cleat, but I do see the concern. 


When you guys are saying bow eye,  are you talking about the eyelets on the pontoons themselves? 


I personally wouldn't mind having a dedicated anchor cleat.  There has been times we have a boat tied off on either side while our anchor is down and the cleats sometimes have a hard time accommodating both and anchor line and bow lines. 
Click to expand...

Yes, I think the reference was to the pontoon tube eyelets. 
 
I think the bow eye refers to the eyelet beneath the deck in the front on center.  The pontoon eyelets are different, if I'm not mistaken.
 
I was referring to the pontoon eyelets.  Forgot about the one under the deck. 
 
That would work nicely for fenders.
 
I wonder how it would work for anchoring. Install center of the bow.  Low profile design.  Just a thought. 
 
I use a carabiner on my middle toon  eye.  Run the anchor line through it and go to a cleat.  Works like a charm
 
First take the new cleat and use a Magic Marker to draw a circle around each leg. Then take the backing plate and draw a circle inside it centered as best you can. I took a 3/8" bit and moved the center holes for each leg so my hole saw wouldn't walk on me. I took a 1-1/4" hole saw and drilled through the aluminum bumper and floor vinyl. This will give you plenty of depth for the shoulder of the pop up cleat. Then I centered a 1" hole saw in the wood sub floor and drilled it all the way through. Then I tightened assembly with 1-1/4 " deep well socket. I took a 1/8" thick piece of rubber and cut it to fit under the cleat to take up the gap between the two different heights of aluminum bumper.
 

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Here is the finished product.
 

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