CB16 - Centerboard Jam Cleat. Not Jamming - Need advice.

[rchiare1]

My CB16 has a centerboard. The previous owner, told me he didn't like the way the factory installed centerboard jam cleat worked, so he replaced it.
Now that I've sailed the boat, I find that the 'new' cleat does not grip the pennant very well. It is very awkward to try to jam the line into the cleat when you want the board retracted. I have to pull the board all the way up into the housing and then jam the line by pushing it forward, towards the cabin.
The traveller that is mounted on the bridge deck in front of the cabin makes this movement very ineffective. I end up either pushing the line into the teeth of the cleat with my fingers, or tying a knot in the line to prevent the centerboard from dropping when I m at the dock.

Is it me, or the cleat? I've never seen the factory installed hardware, so for all I know the current claet is installed incorrectly. The size of the cleat and  line appear to be matched properly, approx. 1/4 inch in diamater.

Any adive would be appreciated, and a photo of the original hardware would be very instructive.

Bob Chiarello

[doug]

Bob

While I don't quire follow what the prior owner did, I can tell you the original cleat looks just like the rudder cleat only in a hard plastic/rubber. I could not find cleat that hole spacing lined up with the original and I wasted money trying to use a alternative cleat (when I purchased the boat, the original cleat was worn and would not hold the line). After wasting 20-30 bucks on cleats I finally did the smart thing and ordered a replacement from Com-Pac. I don't remember the pricing, but it was reasonable. I do know attempting to do purchasing research on the web, the only place I could find a the same cleat was marine shops in the UK. I think if you search for "jam cleat" you might find an alternative source, but I'd pick up the phone and just call. If you do and if your new to sailing or com-pac like I was you might also pick up the book "hand book of trailor sailing" by  Bob  Burgess.

doug 

[rchiare1]

Doug
Thanks for the advice. Is it safe to assume that the cleat provided by ComPac works well?
No matter how hard I jam the line into the cleat, to hold the board retracted while at the dock, it is always loose within 24 hours. No damage or any real problem, I just want it to be right.

I've written to ComPac and asked for the part number and will order it as soon as I hear back.
I don't know if my cleat is worn out or just a bad design it is even possibe that it is the wrong size and I am just not seeing it. (The existing cleat could be too small. )
It is the only one of it's kind on the boat and it is in sort of an awkward position.

I have copies of both editions of the Book. Interesting how the story hardly changed over the years.

[doug]

I have not had any trouble with the cleat supplied by com pac. I tried about four different cleats before ordering the one from com pac, have had no trouble since then. I did need to put my 16 up on my neighbors lift to replace the line as the existing line had a knot large enough that the centerboard would stick either up or down. Soon I'll need to do it again to see if i have growth starting -- hope not.

doug