Agreed. I wouldn't use them on highly-loaded running rigging. I use one on
my outhaul, mostly because no other cleat would fit well. (I previously said
I used one on my reefing line, but that isn't the case, I was thinking of
the outhaul.) I also recently changed my boom downhaul to use one, mostly
for speed... i can't get my sail cover on without adjusting the boom, so
when I need the adjustment, there's not really any tension on it anyways.
Which reminds me: Speed tip: run boom as low as practical to reduce induced
drag off the foot of the sail. The cabin acts as a 'wing' slowing the flow
of air undder the sail, pushing it aft where it can do some good.
> I used to use them on my racing dinghy (outhaul, cunningham, and
> vang) and I
> hated how hard they were to adjust frequently (the operative word
> for me). I
> didn't like the lack of "positive" feedback that the line was
> cleated or the
> effort of pulling them down so carefully into the plane of the v.
> I switched
> over to cam-cleats, which I like a *whole* more.
>
> But, to each his own, and it sounds to me like they're strong
> enough for just
> about anything as well as cheap.
Cam cleats are overall my favorite for frequently-adjusted lines, but its
the size of clam cleats I find useful in some instances. I moved my boom
downhaul from the side of the mast (it was too high there anyways), to in
the mast track itself, by running screws through the cleat into a varnished
and drilled dowel inside the mast track. Works great.