Q 4 37C owners

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John Livingston

Does anyone know what the cleats on the outside of the cockpit coaming just forward of the winches are for?
 
T

Tom Hadoulias

A feeble attempt at springline cleats...

They're virtually useless but I think they were an attempt at a springline cleat. I use them to secure my dodger flaps. Tom S/V Lite Chop
 
E

Ed Schenck

No, but. . . .

I do know how I use them. My jib sheets run through those cleats. It is where the stopper knot hangs up in the event I lose the sheet off of the winch. I also use that cleat when I fly the gennaker. Those sheets come back to a block at the very end of the toerail and then forward to the winch. Since the aft cleats are busy with the jibsheets I just use the forward cleats. It is also a handy place to tie off the dodger. I keep mine folded up except in really foul weather. I pull it up and the flap that comes back along the coaming has a cord which I can secure to that cleat. But why did they actually put a cleat there?
 
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Ed Allen

i never fight to many cleats

I have used mine when in a short slip against a seawall ect. and for a aft spring to a center cleat on the dock. i like em. but they are not great for anything. by the way. when i looked up at the back of mine there were no nuts or backing plates on them. which i fixed. had to remove the panel at the foot of the quarter berth to see up there.
 
D

D. Prior

Cleats

I believe the cleats were originally meant for the jib sheets before they added self tailing winches. I also noted that there were no nuts or backing plates on the bolts holding the cleats. I called Hunter about it about 18 years back and they said there is a metal plate in the coaming and all the winches, cleats and turning blocks etc are threaded into the plate. They said no nuts or backing plate are necessary. I was going on the Galveston/Vera Cruz race so I put lock washers and nuts on all the bolts. I have not looked under there in at least ten years so I do not know what the condition is now. I guess thinking about it will now give me an excuse to get down in there and look again. Fair winds. Don
 
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Ed Allen

thanks don

This is a reasuring update, another thing to put in the ole data bank. ED
 
D

Dave Simpson

Mystery Cleats....

On Duet, those cleats are very useful. The starboard one is used when tying off the staysail sheet, and the port one is to tie off the control line for the roller furler. Both of these uses are relatively low-stress, thus the lack of backing reinforcement
 
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Ed Schenck

Dave, which ones?

I wonder if we are all thinking of the same cleats. I know Tom and I at least were writing about the cleats on the outside of the coaming that are forward of the winches. Sounds like you are writing about those aft ones. I also use those for the staysail sheet and the furler line.
 
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John Livingston

Maybe...

Could it be to tie off the (nomenclature may not be correct) running back stays for the stays'l?
 
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Ed Schenck

Don't think so John.

Thanks for the picture, looks exactly like mine with the black canvas. But you can see where your running backstays attach in the picture. Back on those cleats would be too far back and too far inboard. You would not be able to sail off the wind more than a few degrees without your main up against the stay. If your backstays have the snapshackles like mine then the toerail is the obvious spot.
 
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John Livingston

Not the attach points

Mine attach to the toe rails also, but the lines from the blocks go thru a (again not sure of nomenclature) cam lock device. Maybe the cleats are there to tie the lines off instead of locking them, then you could adjust the running backs from the cockpit, releasing the leeward side and tightening the windward side. I wish my boat still looked like that, I've attached another pic taken a couple of weeks ago. I'm doing some major glass work, removing the bad spot on the port side, replacing a piece of deck, rebuilding portlights on both sides where there had been larger ports. If you want to know anything about what's under anything I've removed all the carpet and most of the cabinets.
 

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Ed Schenck

Still pretty John.

Even in that state(and I have been there) she is still a pretty boat, just look at those lines. And I now understand your point about the running backstays. That's a good idea if you are doing a lot of downwind work. There is so much extra line if you are rigged to go way back with those. Those cleats would be a good place to tie those off. I have thought about one of those cleats that clamps to the stay but I worry about snagging things.
 
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