Cleat & Stuff...

I love discovering or inventing ways to achieve elegant results with simple low tech materials. Craig O'donnel is a genius at this. See his "Cheap Pages."

Here are some cleats I've come up with made from plastic tubing. These are very "quick and dirty." I made all of the ones pictured in about an hour. The material cost is negligible. This ivory colored plastic pipe, (I believe it's  called CPVC)  is available in different diameters. The brand name on it is Coastline. The ones in the pictures are 5/8" I.D. and about 7/8" O.D. Make sure you sand all edges pretty smooth to prevent line chafe. These are my first experiments so I don't know about UV resistance or longevity. I'll keep you posted.

The first one above takes the place of a fair  lead and cam cleats on a small boat. I have mine tied to the middle of the central frame with 3/16" line. It's not as foolproof as "the real thing" but is far better than just hanging onto the main sheet, or wrapping it around a normal cleat. 

Here's a close up of it. It's cut at a 45 degree angle. A 3/16" hole is drilled in the side. Sketch out then cut a tapered V to this hole. Drill the mounting hole the size you need for your mounting cord. (mine is 1/4") With practice you can adjust it with one hand. A downward sqeeeze with the thumb will release it. Works well in combination with a tiller tamer of some sort. (A simple one of these soon!)

This one is similar to a horn cleat or jam cleat, being a bit of both. Again, the slot holes are 3/16" as are the mounting holes. They are drilled all the way through, then the upper holes are enlarged to 5/16" to allow clearance for the screw head and driver for mounting.

This last one is pretty experimental. It's designed to take a line or bungee cord running through it that can then be prevented from running out either way. Not often necessary, but handy for things like the loop of line used on my Venture McGreggor's rudder to both hold the rudder up and down.

Experiment with different sized tubing and slots for the line you're  using. Let me know your results!

The Jam Seat Cleat

This is  a simple notch cut in the mast step/ seat with a saber saw. I have one on either end. The halyard and  down haul go through 1/2" holes at the base of the mast, then come under seat and up into jam slot. Works great with no hardware! For  slippery line take a turn around the seat before jamming.