The invention relates to a cleat for sailboats, motorboats and sailing yachts. The cleat comprises a base plate on which two cleat arms are arranged pivotably mounted. The end sections, facing one another, of the cleat arms, are engaged with one another via a connecting device for the synchronous operation of the cleat arms. The cleat arms can be locked in an upper end position and a lower end position, wherein the cleat arms are arranged in the operational position in the upper end position and in the lower end position are folded down.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a cleat for sailboats, motorboats and sailing 
yachts. 
Cleats serve for fastening spring ropes or fender ropes and are so designed 
that they comprise at least a foot and at least a cleat arm laterally 
projecting over the foot. These cleats have the disadvantage that the 
protruding cleat arms form stumbling steps on which the boat passengers 
may injure themselves. Moreover, the ropes necessary for the operation of 
the sails on board a sailboat or sailing yacht may become unintentionally 
fastened to the cleats and in this way put into question the smooth 
running and safety of the sailing operation. In order to eliminate this 
disadvantage, there have already been proposed cleats which can be sunk 
into the deck. These may be moved out of the cleat housing which is sunk 
into the deck by applying an operating member. The disadvantage of these 
cleats lies in the fact that a flawless dewatering of the cleat housing 
requires extremely time consuming measures when the installation of the 
cleat is to be effected subsequently. Moreover, there is the danger of 
mechanical breakdowns, the repair of which is quite difficult. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is the object of the invention to provide a cleat for sailboats and 
motorboats, which in the idle condition can be brought into an attitude 
preventing the danger of injury but for operation can easily be brought 
into the operational attitude, which in the idle attitude prevents the 
effective engagement of rope and which comprises only abrasion-poor 
components as well as requiring no particular additional measures for 
dewatering. 
According to the invention this object is achieved by those features 
specified in the characterizing part of claim 1. Advantageous forms of the 
invention are described in the dependent claims. 
The cleat according to the invention comprises two cleat arms which are 
pivotably mounted on a base plate and which can locked into two end 
positions by way of a connecting device. The one end position forms the 
operational attitude in which the cleat arms are folded up. In the other 
end position the cleat arms are in the resting position and lie on the 
base plate or on the deck. With a curved design of the surface of the base 
plate in the region of the links, it is prevented that water may collect 
here. Additionally, the lower surface of the base plate may be curved 
upwardly in the region of the links in order to let out water entering the 
base plate and the deck. In the base plate in the region of the links, it 
is also possible to design an opening which serves for draining water 
entering into the cleats above the base plate between the cleat arms.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The cleat 1, 2, 3, is composed of a base plate 4 on which two cleat arms 5 
are pivotably mounted and lockable in an upper end position 8 and a lower 
end position 7 by way of an elastic clamping member 6, whereby the cleat 
arms 5 in the upper end position 8 are arranged in the operational 
attitude and in the lower end position 7 lie on the base plate 4. The 
upper side 9 of the base plate 4 is curved in a crowned manner in the 
region of the links 10 of the cleat arms 5. The lower side 11 of the base 
plate 4 is likewise curved in a crowned manner in the region of the links 
10. 
Two middle webs 12 facing each other and each with an opening 13 are formed 
on the base plate 4. The cleat arms 5 comprise two parallely arranged 
lateral flanges 15 at a distance from one another, likewise each with an 
opening 14. A link bolt 16 is guided through the openings 13 and in each 
case pivotally mounts a cleat arm 5 onto a middle web 12 of the base plate 
4. 
In each case, a recess 18 is designed on the end sections 17, facing one 
another, of the cleat arms 5. Between these recesses there is arranged an 
elastic clamping member 6. The cleat 1 comprises a clamping member 6 which 
is formed as an elongate body 19 with a crowned lateral surface 20. The 
cleat 1a comprises a ball as an elastic clamping member 6. With the cleat 
2, the clamping member 6 is formed as a generally perpendicularly arranged 
egg-shaped body 21, with which, in the idle position of the cleat arms 5, 
a section 22 of the body 21 projects over the surface of the cleat arm 5. 
In order to bring the cleat arms 5 in their operational position, it is 
only necessary to bring pressure on the projecting section 22 for example 
by using a foot, whereupon the cleat arms 5 fold upwards. It is possible 
design the lower located section between the cleat arms 5 ball-shaped as a 
clamping member 6. The cleat 3 represented in FIGS. 13 to 15 comprises a 
further clamping member 6 which is formed as a generally horizontally 
arranged egg-shaped body 23. With this body 23, in the idle position of 
the cleat arms 5, a flattened body section 24 projects over the surface of 
the cleat arms 5. This body 23 is led up to the plane of the lateral 
surface of the cleat arms 5. With this clamping member 6, it is likewise 
possible to form that section of the clamping member 6 which is located 
between the cleat arms 6 ball-shaped. The described elastic clamping 
members 6 may be formed for example of rubber and additionally serve to 
dampen the noise on opening the cleats 1, 2, and 3. On lifting the cleat 
arms 5, the elastic clamping members 6 come to rest on the stop surfaces 
of the lateral flange 15 on the base plate 4, so that on locking, only a 
muffled sound occurs. This is particularly advantageous when members of 
the crew or guests are sleeping below deck. 
With that cleat 30 represented by way of FIG. 16, the elastic clamping 
member 6 is designed as a compression spring 25 the end section of which 
comprising shell-shaped spring plates 26. The spring plates 26 in each 
case are mounted in a recess 18 of the end section 17 of the cleat arm 5. 
With this cleat 30, the base plate 4 is formed shortened such that the 
cleat arms 5 project over it. 
FIG. 17 shows a cleat 13, in which the connecting device arranged between 
the cleat arms is composed of rigidly formed connecting means which are 
mechanically engaged with one another. Each rigidly formed connecting 
means is arranged on the end section 17 of the cleat arm 5 and comprises a 
toothed section 27. The toothed sections 27 are formed on those surface 
sections, facing one another on the end face sides, of the lateral flange 
15 of the cleat arms 5, and are so aligned that the teeth 28 and teeth 
recesses facing one another are rigidly engaged with one another. Also 
with this cleat 31, the base plate 4 is so formed that the cleat arms 5 
project over it.