Fitting the jamming cleat for the anchor trolley on my Ascend FS10 Kayak

3 Replies

I’ve finally got round to fitting a jamming cleat for the anchor traveler (trolley) on my Ascend FS10 kayak.

Drilling the holes for the anchor traveller jamming cleat

The first time you drill holes in your Kayak it’s quite daunting, but after that it’s straight forward, I just make sure I have the right spot, using whatever I am fitting as a marker/template. It helps to use a centre punch (a screw or nail hammered in will do) to mark the spot and minimize any slipping of the drill bit. I use a fairly slow drill speed to maintain more control over the bit.

I’ve written a short step-by-step post on attaching fittings to my kayak.

Fitting the Jamming Cleat

Kayak Anchor Traveler Jamming Cleat

Kayak anchor traveler jamming cleat

I found the best spot by jamming the traveler rope in the cleat then pulling it tight and sliding it into what I thought was the best position. The important thing is to make sure it’s not in the way when you are paddling, and at the same time easily accessible while you are fishing.

Once in the right spot I removed the rope and taped the cleat down to hold it in place while I drilled out the holes. I used long aircraft quality black anodized aluminium rivets to secure the cleat.

 

Do you need a cleat and does it work?

I often see this question on the Search results. The answer is, if you only ever fish with the anchor set right out at the bow or stern, then no, you probably don’t need one. The way to find out is fit your anchor traveler without one and try it.

You’ll soon find out if you need one.

If you find the anchoring point is slowly shifting over time or it needs constant tweaking, then fit one. If not, don’t bother. I often fish with the kayak anchored on the beam (midway) or about a third of the way from the bow or stern, so I found I needed to fit the jamming cleat to hold it in place. It works a treat.

Read about my other modifications to my Ascend FS10 Kayak here.

See our other kayaking & canoeing posts and resources.

3 thoughts on “Fitting the jamming cleat for the anchor trolley on my Ascend FS10 Kayak”

  1. devon cantley

    I know this post is a bit old but I wanted to know how you stop the rope from disengaging when the current pulls you the opposite way of the cleat? The rope tightens great one way, but if I move the anchor to the bow (or stern), this would change the pressure on the cleat, making it disengage wouldn’t it?

    Unless you switch which section of the rope you put into the cleat maybe?

    Reply ↓
    1. Gary Post author

      Good question. In my experience it has never been an issue, but I can see why you’d ask. I guess I need to go lower the kayak, set it up and give it a really hard pull and see what happens. I primarily fish in lakes, so that’s why your question never occurred to me.

      I’ll be back…

      Reply ↓
    2. Gary Post author

      Well, I could pull it out by pulling on the rope as it came from the cleat, but once you start pulling it around the block or there is pull on both sides, it takes a *lot* of force to un-jam it. It was a very unscientific test! As you suggest you could swap it over in such circumstances, but if you had to do that I’d tie the anchor line onto the other side of the traveler.

      That’s all I’ve got.

      Reply ↓

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