Fold Down Cleat

Discreet fold down cleat made of mirror polished AISI 316 stainless steel. This fold down cleat is also sometimes known as a safety cleat, retractable cleat, flush mounted cleat, push down cleat or flip-up cleat as it can be folded flush with the deck when not in use. As well as looking neater it has obvious safety benefits, as it reduces the risk of tripping when on deck.

Simply flip up the well-built cleat from its mounting when needed; secure your lines as normal and then push it back down flush when not in use. To install the cleat on your deck there are 2 discrete mounting studs on the underside.

What size cleat do I need?

The size of cleat you should use depends on the size of line you use; and in turn the size of line you use depends on the size of your boat. As a general guide you can use the following equation to calculate the approximate size of cleat that you should be using:

Cleat length from end to end should be 1″ for every 1/16″ of line diameter; and dock lines should be 1/8″ of diameter for every 9 feet of boat length.

This will give you a good idea of what size cleat to use as a minimum; but remember bigger is often better and you may want to use the same cleat for more than one line at certain times, so be sure to give yourself enough capacity to be flexible. This model is available in two sizes: 115mm (4 1/2″) and 140mm (5 1/2″).

Cleats should be positioned at regular intervals along the port and starboard sides of your boat. As a basic guide you should have at least a minimum of three on each side (at the stern, bow and amidships), and again the more you can reasonably accommodate the easier you will make your sailing experience.

This cleat can also be used in many other applications as its handy design makes it suited for a range of other non-marine applications.