DaySailer.org Forum

I have an early 70's DSII and the sliding Cam Cleat on one side is loose. The mounting bolts will not tighten down when turned. Is there a threaded mounting plate or nuts on the backside? It does not appear that you can get access to them. Has anyone had this problem and have a recommended fix? Just found your site and it is terrific.

Hi There,
I had the same problem. In my '78 DSII, they were attached with nuts behind the fiberglass, with a wood backplate. The wood deteriorated over time, and the nuts became loose and rattled off when my jib sheet was luffing on a heavy air day.

My resolution to this was to have a bar nut made by a local machine shop. I took my jib track into the shop, and they matched up an aluminum (hardened aluminum) bar with fine thread screws in tapped holes. It's a little less than 1/4" thick, made of some scrap they had laying around. It works great.

Hope this helps....
-Nate

From inside the cuddy I cut access ports to reach the area behind the sliding track, then replaced the loose nuts with proper ss bolts, ss nuts and ss fender washers. I used inspection ports to replace the access hole I cut.

Thanks for the quick replies. For the bar nut solution was the bar the full lenth of the sliding track or was it just a short piece for each bolt like a butterfly nut? How do you feed it in behind the fiberglass? Will study the problem and both solutions when I get back up to the lake this weekend and visit my boat. Thanks for you help

The bar nut was the length of the track, and was about 1" tall, and less than 1/4" thick, my boat had inspection ports already there, so I was able to recruit someone with small arms to help hold it while I threaded the screws back into it.

I think that nuts with some big washers would also have worked, but I opted for the total strength of the bigger bar nut. It was also a little easier to install (I don't think I could have reached the far side of the track from the inspection ports).
-Nate