Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I would like to add a Cleat or tie point to the side of my pontoon, but I'm not sure how or where. Best option I have seen is a U bolt of sorts that came up through the tubing, but then curved out away from fencing. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything like this online.

Just looking for another tie point when I am rafted up with other boats instead of just the two Cleats I have now ( one bow and one stern)

Ideas?

JNorris79 wrote:I would like to add a Cleat or tie point to the side of my pontoon, but I'm not sure how or where. Best option I have seen is a U bolt of sorts that came up through the tubing, but then curved out away from fencing. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything like this online.

Just looking for another tie point when I am rafted up with other boats instead of just the two Cleats I have now ( one bow and one stern)

Ideas?

If the upload worked, here are 2 pics of ideas I had. The only place I can add a rear cleat is thru the rail at the base of the fencing. Bryan made me a couple of EZFenders with 3/8" holes. I heated and bent the 3/8" SS eye bolt then drilled an indentation in the threads where the thumbscrew touches the eyebolt. This is to lock it in place in the raised (folded) position.

I made the longer eyebolt in case the EXF doesn't work as well as planned. I plan to thread the longer eyebolt up nearer the eye to gain as much length as I can to attach lock nuts underneath the deck.

I plan on using SS lock nuts on either design I go with. Both are designed to fold out of the way when not in use.

I like this. If you use the second option and drill through the tubing and through the deck will you use some sort of spacer between the square tubing and deck to prevent compression or bending of the tubing?

JNorris79 wrote:I like this. If you use the second option and drill through the tubing and through the deck will you use some sort of spacer between the square tubing and deck to prevent compression or bending of the tubing?

I have since threaded the eye bolt even with the bottom of the eye. I plan to add a SS lock nut and flat washer at the top where it rests on the tubing. I may superglue the washer to the tubing or add a Teflon washer beneath the flatwasher to prevent wear on the tubing.

Below deck, I'll probably add a large SS fender washer or a square of 1/8" thick aluminum (or both) to reinforce it.

I missed your Q. I hadn't thought about putting a spacer under the tubing. It may be possible to add a nut and washer under the railing or some other spacer. I don't think there would be any compression. I was more concerned about possible enlargement of the hole on top of the tubing or bending of the tubing. We typically only tie up the stern briefly when launching or returning to the dock, so there's not much pulling on it.

My boat came from the factory with an eye bolt on each side in the rear for tie ups. I want to replace them because there is so little room to thread a rope thru the eye. Using them has not affected the tubing.

The better alternative may be to go with the EZFs.

I'd be a little leery of using the fence for any type of tie down (cleat or otherwise). It's not that strong, nor is it meant to take the strain of the boat's weight rocking. Especially if you're rafted up with other boats and adding their weight to the strain.

Better to find somewhere that you can through-bolt through the deck, using backing plates.

BoatCop wrote:I'd be a little leery of using the fence for any type of tie down (cleat or otherwise). It's not that strong, nor is it meant to take the strain of the boat's weight rocking. Especially if you're rafted up with other boats and adding their weight to the strain.

Better to find somewhere that you can through-bolt through the deck, using backing plates.

When I wanted to add a cleat nearest to the bow for anchoring out I used a piece of 3x6x3/16 alum plate topside of the decking and added a piece of 2x4x12 under the decking and some really hefty screws to suck the sandwich together; even used some Gorilla Glue on the 2x4 piece too.... Not going anywhere!

BoatCop wrote:I'd be a little leery of using the fence for any type of tie down (cleat or otherwise). It's not that strong, nor is it meant to take the strain of the boat's weight rocking. Especially if you're rafted up with other boats and adding their weight to the strain.

Better to find somewhere that you can through-bolt through the deck, using backing plates.

The OEM eyebolts bolt thru the fence and the deck. I was thinking of just replacing the existing OEM eyebolts with the bent ones in the above pics just to make it easier to thread the rope thru them. I made aluminum backer plates for the bolts below deck. If I used the EZFs, they would also be bolted thru the deck. Nothing would be attached solely to the fence.

I was planning on putting some kind of eye or U bolt through both the tubing and the deck as well. My concern is finding one the bends out away from the fencing so I don't scratch it up. I saw something similar on an older regency that had a good design. I'm just concerned about the space between the tubing and the floor. I don't want to bend my tubing. Need some kind of rigid filler.