Mainsheet Cleat

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truckman

truckman

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Sep 29, 2009
76
2005 catalina 310 gig harbor, Wa
Hello all, Just back from the Maimi show which got got me thinking about finally fixing the pathetic Clam Cleat that Catalina installed on our boats. A Harken 150 cam cleat and a Harken extreme angle cam farilead 375 now sits proudly on my coach roof and it works flawlessly. You can set and release from almost anywhere even behind the helm on the port side and in all kinds of wind even light wind which was always a problem. It leads easily to the winch if needed and can be set back in the cams without any fuss. $43 total price.:)

pics from phone Feb. 2011 001.jpg

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G

goblin

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Sep 4, 2006
28
Catalina 310 Pottsboro Tx
truckman said:
Hello all, Just back from the Maimi show which got got me thinking about finally fixing the pathetic Clam Cleat that Catalina installed on our boats. A Harken 150 cam cleat and a Harken extreme angle cam farilead 375 now sits proudly on my coach roof and it works flawlessly. You can set and release from almost anywhere even behind the helm on the port side and in all kinds of wind even light wind which was always a problem. It leads easily to the winch if needed and can be set back in the cams without any fuss. $43 total price.:)

View attachment 37654

View attachment 37655
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Bless you, my Son !!
I just went back to refresh myself on the previously suggested cam cleat on Lexan idea and here you are.
Great work !!
 
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paulj

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Mar 16, 2007
1,361
Catalina 310 Anacortes,Wa
truckman

Nice............. but where is the label?


paulj :troll:
 
rpwillia

rpwillia

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Sep 29, 2008
1,928
Catalina 310 #185 Quantico
One other idea

Have had this working for about 4 years. I prefer the open cam cleat as sometimes when the wind is blowing hard it can be a bit of a bear to get the line to pop out of the cam cleat. Plus I still have the jam cleat for strength.
 

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truckman

truckman

.
Sep 29, 2009
76
2005 catalina 310 gig harbor, Wa
rpwillia said:
Have had this working for about 4 years. I prefer the open cam cleat as sometimes when the wind is blowing hard it can be a bit of a bear to get the line to pop out of the cam cleat. Plus I still have the jam cleat for strength.
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One of the reason's I tossed my Clam/jam Cleat is that in higher windspeeds my wife couldn't pop it out because as the forces build on the sheet it sinks deeper in the jam and more force is needed to pull it out and up. Additionally with the Clam/Jam cleat you cannot feed it to the winch on the coach roof either which is something she needs to do when we are out and it is really blowing and she wants to let the sheet out or in. One of the other pluses of the new Cam cleat is that even in higher wind speeds the sheet can easily be popped out and adjusted It is well engineered with ball bearings and is probably much easier to work with than the type you installed. The other cool thing is that it has a fairlead built in so the line is always where its supposed to be. I am glad your happy with your set up I just could not see anything good about the Jam cleat and keeping the admiral happy is high on my list. I may have just won husband of the year award all for a few hours of work and $43.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,770
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Years ago we faced the same issue. After a bareboat charter, we opted to purchased a sheet stopper, leave it open when sailing. Fair lead to the winch, easy. Catalina's continued use of he clam cleat is a disaster.
 
rpwillia

rpwillia

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Sep 29, 2008
1,928
Catalina 310 #185 Quantico
Point taken, now about labels

truckman said:
...admiral happy is high on my list. I may have just won husband of the year award all for a few hours of work and $43.
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You've hit the nail on the head. Now, if we could just learn how to use labels we would be set.
 
SBinNSB

SBinNSB

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Dec 5, 2010
84
Beneteau 331 0 Niceville FL
Great find...I just ordered one, like you I think this will please the Admiral.
 
JK_Boston_Catalina310

JK_Boston_Catalina310

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Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
truckman said:
I may have just won husband of the year award all for a few hours of work and $43.
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On those "few hours of work", how did you install it? It looks like you did the following, but please correct me if I am wrong:

  1. removed old cam cleat
  2. filled forward hole
  3. used existing aftward hole from old cam cleat
  4. drilled new forward hole and tapped into aluminum plate
  5. bedded hardware and attached.
Thanks,

JK
 
truckman

truckman

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Sep 29, 2009
76
2005 catalina 310 gig harbor, Wa
JK_Boston_Catalina310 said:
On those "few hours of work", how did you install it? It looks like you did the following, but please correct me if I am wrong:

  1. removed old cam cleat
  2. filled forward hole
  3. used existing aftward hole from old cam cleat
  4. drilled new forward hole and tapped into aluminum plate
  5. bedded hardware and attached.
Thanks,

JK
Click to expand
JK, I first removed the clam cleat and the adjacent empty rope clutch. Port side clutches are Jib,traveler,topping,reef,vang. Starboard side is now Mainhalyard, spinnaker, and traveler with new mainsheet cam cleat.

Next I cleaned off all the adhesive caulk on the top and from inside the four holes. Drilled and tapped for 10/24 bolts, new holes in the aluminum plate as the existing holes were two big for the new cam cleat.

After clean up I filled the existing 4 holes and installed the cam cleat. By removing the empty clutch it enabled me to be able to fit the cleat in exactly where I wanted it. It actually took longer to figure out where I wanted to tap the new holes than to complete the other tasks. Hope that helps.

dave
 
C

CCHer

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Jul 7, 2010
230
Beneteau 37 Cranes Creek, VA
I too was very unsatisfied with the stock clam cleat after a season of sailing my new boat and have been thinking about solutions. This appears to be it and I just orderd one from Defender. Thanks Truckman for the another boat project!!

Harry
 
Witzend

Witzend

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Dec 25, 2008
1,580
catalina 310 Elk River
My solution was similar to Ray's but I used a swivel so it would have fair lead to the winch. I also left the original as a backup in case the swivel failed. No new holes needed to be drilled. The original bolts were even long enough. I used DuPont Corian just because I had some scraps. I was worried it might be too brittle and break, but I have had her pretty loaded up, and so far no problems, I think the swivel would probably fail first anyway.
 

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C

CCHer

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Jul 7, 2010
230
Beneteau 37 Cranes Creek, VA
Truckman, what is the length of the #10 machine screw or bolt needed? Thanks.
 
truckman

truckman

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Sep 29, 2009
76
2005 catalina 310 gig harbor, Wa
CCHer said:
Truckman, what is the length of the #10 machine screw or bolt needed? Thanks

I believe they were 1 3/4. The aluminum plate is not very deep below the gel coat and when you tap a hole you will find what depth the al. plate is and you will more than likely punch through to the void between the inside deck and the gelcoat and al. from the top. You can use that as a guide. I drilled the holes first and sized the bolts according to that to make sure I had the proper depth to take full advantage of the tap. There was a good 3/4 inch below the cam cleat base if memory serves me.
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Witzend

Witzend

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Dec 25, 2008
1,580
catalina 310 Elk River
After you drill the hole, use a small partially straitened dental pic to probe the hole to determine the depth of the bottom of the plate. From this process you can help determine the length of bolt you will need.
 
Silvio

Silvio

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Dec 1, 2010
61
Catalina 310 Solomons Island, MD
Nice job Truckman! I bet that makes a world of difference.

Not to hijack your thread but has anyone come up with a similar fix with a roller furled mainsail? Four rope clutches on each side of the cabin top so not quite enough room to fit the cam cleat without moving all the clutches over an inch or so.

I am thinking of replacing the clam cleat with a Garhauer rope clutch since it will fit the space and at least provide a secure grip and sheet fairing.

Appreciate any thoughts.
 
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