Tieing up without midship deck cleats

[mojotoronto]

I have a 2005 SO 35.
It has midship toerail lead slots, but no midship deck cleats.
Does anyone have advice on methods to set spring lines with this setup?
Is there any experience with tieing spring lines to the shroud chainplates at the deck? Is this recommended?
Is it strong enough to take lateral forces without weakening the sealant and stressing the deck at this connection point?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[NZL50505]

I have used chain plates for spring lines prior to having midship cleats. But Luke you I’ve always been aware that they are not designed for big lateral loads so I’ve always set the tension so they are secondary / assisting lines rather than taking primary loads.

In situations where I’ve really needed to run a line to the mid-point I have clipped on a removable sheet block and then run back to either the primary sheet winch or anchor windlass (depending on direction of course). These are obviously specifically designed for lateral loads.

[Charlie-Bravo]

As above, shroud base can be used in light conditions but better to run to a winch, alternatively tie your springs to the deck cleats with a bowline leaving the cleat available for bow and stern line, or spring from your fore and aft fairleads to a pontoon cleat if one is available.

Fitting a cleat each side is a better solution, and is not difficult or expensive, and there are easily removable panels to get to the underside of the deck, ( from which you can also get to the sheet track if required. ) My cleats are just aft of the stanchion aft of the fairlead. 
Having a proper midships set up aids mooring to pontoons, nobody has to jump off the boat in a panic to tie up.

Another modification I did was to replace the fore and aft track bolts with eye bolts, giving a little ring at each track end, I attached some blocks to the rings and made the cars adjustable from the cockpit, possibly a little job to do whilst the panel is down, it makes a world of difference to the sailing experience. I did a post on adjustable sheet cars some time ago,  

jeanneau.proboards.com/post/66315/threadhttps://jeanneau.proboards.com/post/66315/thread

CB

[mojotoronto]

Thank you NZL50505 and CB for your prompt, thoughtful and experienced replies!

I know a lot of boats have similar factory setups with midship fairleads without midship cleats, and I have always wondered what they were thinking. At the present time, I am tieing the aft spring line to the base of the shroud and running it through the midship fairlead; for bow docking it works great, requiring a jump to the finger to loop an end cleat which acts as a safety to keep the bow away from the main dock. When I come in hot due to higher winds, I can imagine that chainplate groaning as the aft spring tensions!

I have thought about installing midship cleats, but the thought of drilling deck fibreglass freaks me out! (I know, I should get over it.)
Thanks again, and looking forward to connecting with you later!

MojoToronto

[Charlie-Bravo]

The drilling of the deck can cause some anxiety for many, but after the first hole it disappears, as you have done it so might as well do another and fit the cleat,  a small donut of butyl tape around the bolt just between the cleat and deck prevents water ingress, and some large as you can fit backing plates will give great strength, adding a smear of Sikka to help it bed down can also be good, but not too much as you wouldn’t want a flexible cleat.

Chew on it a bit more …….. then get the drill out

CB

[mthackray]

My 2007 39i came without mid-ship cleats.  For a time I used the shroud chain plates to tie spring lines. Thinking this was not ideal, I ordered cleats and backing plate from Bénéteau Group (via BoatClick website - an Israeli company that placed the order with Bénéteau). The new cleats matched the current cleats perfectly. The installation was very straight forward: remove the interior trim on the starboard side, the interior trim and head medicine cabinet on the port side. Drill the holes. Caulk and mount with a backing plate. This boat had a spot in the deck clearly meant to take the cleat: no balsa core in that area.

[NZL50505]

Or if - like me - you’re not into boat DIY then just get a boatbuilder to do it for you! 😊

[mojotoronto]

Thank you for your replies!