Hand-ee-Cleat and StrictlySail Ticket Giveaway

Have you ever come up to a dock that didn't have cleats in the places you wanted them? How about a piling without a convenient way to attach a fender? The Hand-ee-Cleat allows for custom temporary placement of a cleat around a piling or other locations. There are lots of other creative uses too, like using it as a gear hook, piling handhold or handle for carrying a SUP when wrapped around the board.


The Hand-ee-Cleat is a fairly sizable cleat with a length of 11.25". It's made from glass-filled nylon with polypropylene webbing that uses quick-release buckles to wrap around objects up to 48" in diameter. I found it easy and quick to attach to the kid's swing set and a couple of trees around the house. While I haven't had a chance to try it out at the boat yet, the Hand-ee-Cleat is small enough that I'm sure it'll find its' way into our onboard cruising gear bin.


The working load is rated at 650lbs, which is based on lab testing and is rated at 50% of breaking strength. This should allow a single Hand-ee-Cleat to hold a 35 foot vessel in 15 knots of wind, according to the American Boat and Yacht Council's (ABYC) horizontal wind load table. Using additional Hand-ee-Cleats and/or permanent dock cleats would obviously allow for holding in stronger winds. While I personally wouldn't only use Hand-ee-Cleats to hold our sailboat to the dock, it's nice to know it's a possibility if you stay within the working load.

Want a Hand-ee-Cleat of your own? You can buy one directly from the manufacturer for $59.95 on their website.

2/3rds of my daughters finding new
uses for the Hand-ee-Cleat

Ticket Giveaway - Speaking of cool and innovative new gear for your sailboat: Is anyone planning to attend the upcoming Strictly Sail Chicago sailboat show? If so, I've got 2 pairs of complimentary tickets that will get you in any time from Thursday through Sunday (Jan. 23-26, 2014). All you have to do to claim two of the tickets is be one of the first two people to email me and post a link to SailFarLiveFree.com on your blog, Twitter account, Instagram, Pinterest or just about any other social network.

I'll mail out two pairs of tickets to the winners and update this post when the tickets are gone. See you in Chicago!

UPDATE: Tickets are gone. Thanks to everyone who emailed and enjoy the show!

Comments

  1. Gybe the sailor05 January

    Interesting, simple solution!

    Sunshine rapidly deteriorates polypropylene so I hope they upgrade the straps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SailFarLiveFree05 January

      Gybe - To be fair, the manufacturer's info says "Abrasion and UV resistant polypropylene webbing", so it may be more UV resistant than poly ropes. In any case, I'll share the concern with them and see what they say. Thanks!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09 January

    I just have to say first and foremost, I love your blog! It is truly a wealth of information and has sent me on quite a few internet excursions already! I have found the stories here relevant and quite helpful. Just wanted to say thanks and keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SailFarLiveFree09 January

      Thank you Michelle! I selfishly started this blog back in 2007 just to track my own thoughts and chronicle some memories for our kids, but I have to say that interacting with readers and knowing that others find some of it useful, interesting or inspiring means a lot!

      Delete

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