MacGregorSailors.com

DELETED

Maybe should have mentioned their sources, the first is available through kelly hanson marine, the second through bill@boats4sail.

They do appear to be the same. If I were buying I'd buy the less expensive of the two. My reasoning is that even if one is a knockoff of the other, as little hard service as our Macs get, any difference in materials or construction is not likelly to show up in material wear over the next 20 years, so why pay more?

cuisto wrote:Am preparing to lead more of my controlls aft, and am considering track mounted swivel cam cleats.

I have found 2 products that seem the same but priced very differently and would like to know if anyone knows of a difference between them besides price?

Garhauer Swivel Cam Cleats - Our Best Seller!

Here is a great piece of deck hardware that almost seems like it was designed specifically for the MacGregor 26M and 26X.

Garhauer has just made life a lot easier for the skipper. They have taken a swivel cam cleat with a bulls-eye and attached it to a car that will slide right on the aft sail track of your Mac. This set-up provides total control of the jib and genoa right at the pedestal and eliminates having to use the winches in all but the heaviest wind conditions.

Price: $84.95 (Per Pair)
Garhauer Swivel Cam Cleats - Our Best Seller!

Or this one

EZ Cleats - Swivel cam-cleats, with fairlead, that goes on Genoa track, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ $120
letting you handle the sheets for the Jib, Genoa, and Spinnaker from the helm.

On my 26C I had used the Harken 240 to bring my sheets (Jib, Genoa, Spinnaker) aft to the helm. I had to cut a hole in the side of the coaming so I could put backing plates, washers and nuts on them.
I went over to Harken and talked to one of their engineers, as they have their 452P and 452S that go on their smaller track. I asked if they could put them on a car for a 1" track, but they weren't interested.
Two years ago, at Strictly Sail, Chicago, I was looking at the hardware at the Garhauer booth. I noticed on their Adjustable Genoa Car System, which sells for $242, one of the parts I now call Bill's EZ Cleat. It was not sold separately at the time, so it would cost $484 to get two of them.
I talked them into letting me buy just that one part, at a higher price than I now pay for them.
I had a competition, on this site, to name them and Scott was the winner, with "EZ Cleat". I gave him a pair, a major award, and he now lists that on his resume.
Garhauer now lists and sells them individually in their most recent catalog. My cost is now lower than it originally was. I am in the process of re-doing my price lists, with the list price of the 26M going from $19,900 to $21,500.
"Bill's EZ Cleats" are the same as the "Garhauer Swivel Cam Cleats".

Thanks Bill for the history. One can't always tell now days. Plenty of inferior hardware from Asia is parading as good stuff in our hardware stores. I was also thinking of budgeting for a pair, after I determine how and where I'm going to put lee cloths on the lifelines.

And thanks for being innovative and creative for all of us who can't make it to the shows.