Types of dock cleats to choose from?

2023-11-01

Types of dock cleats to choose from?

When it comes to selecting a type of dock cleat, one thing to keep in mind is that many of these designs aren’t necessarily better than any of the others, they are simply based on personal preference. When it comes to strength, most of the cast dock cleats are the traditional horn style dock cleats, and generally the strongest and most popular.

Horn dock cleats

The common type of dock cleat you’re likely to see are horn-style dock cleats. These come in a variety of materials, and most larger cleats fall into this category.

Flip-up dock cleats

Flip up dock cleats (or fold-up) are one of a couple of types of cleats you can purchase that are designed to stay hidden when not in use. While they function like standard horn-style dock cleats, typically you will find these in smaller sizes, since they include hinges.

As a general rule, the less moving parts the better (when it comes to securing large boats), but these are a fine option for smaller boats found in lakes or reservoirs.

Pop-Up dock cleats

Similar to flip-up cleats, pop-up (or pull-up)cleats are usually stainless steel, and designed to stay out of the way. While these aren’t ideal for larger boats due to their moving parts, you really never have to worry about stubbing toes with these.With pop-up cleats these come with backing plates, which allow you to secure them to the underside of the dock.

Mooring bollards vs dock cleats

As opposed to a dock cleat, mooring bollard is actually a short vertical post used as an anchor point for ships. Similar to typical dock cleats, you can also find mooring cleats, which all have a vertical protrusion.

Mooring bollards are more practical in design for securing yachts and ships with numerous lines as opposed to cleats, which commonly secure a smaller boats and aren’t designed to handle very thick rope.

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