Anybody install aftermarket pop-up cleats?

[JohnnyB]

Thinking that putting cleats on my 92 190PS would be very helpful for mooring at the lake. Has anybody added these to a boat like mine? Where did you put them? Any installation tips would be helpful as well.

[rmc1]

I have a 92 ps. Instead of installing cleats order a couple of dock buddys from overton or one of those places. I have some and I hook the dock buddys to the lift ring on the front and the ski eye on the back or on the pylon and it holds great

[pdoppenheim]

Perhaps I'm old school, but I don't think any kind of cleat goes on a ski boat. While the pop-ups don't hurt function, they do hurt looks. This may not be a factor to you, but it could be to the boat's next owner.

You have a bow eye, a fordeck and two stern lifting rings and a pylon. That's a lot of attachment points. These rings are also far more solidly mounted to the boat that a cleat will be. Also, whenever you cut a hole in the boat you run the risk of a leak.

Good luck with your choices. Let us know what you decide.

And remember, whatever you decide, it will still be a MasterCraft.

[roddydog]

I was thinking of doing the same thing but at 75 bucks each (plus the cutting) I think the dock buddies are a perfect solution. Cleats now come as an option on the new MC's and they are pop-up but the option gives 'purists' a choice.

[pdoppenheim]

Roddydog,
I like your word. From now on I'm a "purist." It makes me sound younger than "old School." Plus "old school" makes me sound like one of the Tutels.

[mitch]

I added a MC pop up cleat I found on ebay. Had to have one as I keep boat on whips. If you do add some, I'd add the MC branded one's. The cutting part was a little terrifying, but it came out great, and works great.

[Brent]

I'm thinking of doing it also , but have not made up my mind!

Found this link for some (http://www.rexmar.com/page30.html)

If you do it , share the info please. :D

[sfitzgerald351]

I use climbing carabiners to hook my lines to the bow eye and stern rings. That way I can unconnect the line from the boat easily. They even make locking ones if you're worried about them coming undone. I probably wouldn't leave my boat unattended for more than a day or two with them, but it works great for gas stops, overnight at the dock, etc...

[roddydog]

Roddydog,
I like your word. From now on I'm a "purist." It makes me sound younger than "old School." Plus "old school" makes me sound like one of the Tutels.
You know it.... there are those who do , those who pretend and there are the "purists". I like it myself.

[AirJunky]

I've gone thru about 4 of those dock buddies in the last 5 years. The big hog ring that secures the bungie inside always comes loose. Even had another one snap the bungie a few inches from the end. Their only good when tieing your boat up in super light conditions.

[c640947]

I was also thinking of putting these on. Anyone have any pictures of these mounted on older boats?

[SD190EVO]

Maybe I'm 'old school' but being around boats all my life, I can't image a boat without some freakin cleats on it. That is the one thing I never liked about ski boats is there was no good way to tie up. And I would never have defiled my deck with traditional cleats that could catch a rope or something.

As soon as Accon Marine came out with pop-ups, I put them on my '94 190. It was the best boat upgrade I ever did and I will never have a ski boat without them.

My friend has that boat now and if I get a chance, I'll take a pic. I put 4 of them on it. I used a dremel with a little router-type bit to carefully cut out the holes necessary.

[lakes Rick]

All I can add is my Maristar has the pop up cleats and they sure are nice......

[aprgriggs]

I love my cleats but the install sounds scary. Might want to look at other options first and do this install as a last resort. Good Luck

[rasmithaz]

hint for fiberglass drilling for screws. Always make sure the hole you drill is bigger than the diameter of the solid portion of the screw. You want to allow as much bite as possible for the threads. There is a fine line there so if you can test your combination of screw and hole diameter you won't be taking a chance of cracking your boat gelcoat or installing a sloppy screw. Before you drill give yourself a good solid drilling surface with a punch. Remember to take it easy with the punch because you can crack the gelcoat if you slam it to hard. Gradually increase size of drill bits until you get the hole size your after. Keep in mind that the bit will walk across your gelcoat if you try to take to big of a bite. Finally...before screwing take a phillips screwdriver and spin it in the hole to make a small cone so the top layer of gelcoat isn't in direct contact with the screw. One small dab of epoxy on the screw helps makes it solid.

[pdoppenheim]

A small piece of masking tape over where you intend to drill helps keep the gelcoat from chipping. Also, make sure your drill bits are very sharp. A new or freshly sharpened bit would be a good investment in a clean installation. Lastly, always drill from the gelcoat in to avoid chiping.

[jimmer2880]

A small piece of masking tape over where you intend to drill helps keep the gelcoat from chipping. Also, make sure your drill bits are very sharp. A new or freshly sharpened bit would be a good investment in a clean installation. Lastly, always drill from the gelcoat in to avoid chiping.

Along those lines, I'll run the drill bit backwards a few rev's first, and just before the outer-most edge of the bit starts to cut. This seems to help splintering. It's much more effective on hole-saw bits though.

[Hemey5]

Let me know how it turns out, I'm thinking of adding them.

[Larryp]

Any pictures yet on the cleats, I thinkI want to add some to my boat.