Whether your old cleats are oxidizing, you want to remove excess items that may snag fishing lines, or you simply want to update your boat's look - changing your traditional cleats to pop-up cleats is relatively easy, provided you've had some practice with power tools. From start to finish it shouldn't take more than an hour to do your first one, and half that time to do the next; as in anything else, the more you do it, the easier - and faster - it goes.

There's an abundance of cleats to choose from when preparing for installation. Accon Marine makes a great six-inch, the Series 202 model (757/572-9202, www.acconmarine.com). If your installation will be in a section where there's no interior access, Accon cleats are the best, because the company provides a mounting plate. For boats where there is access, there are several different backing bolts available (stainless, bronze and plastic). This style of cleats has the backing screwed onto integral bolts. With the Series 202, the fastening work is done from the outside in. The "blind" set-up backing plate has the additional function of making a perfect template for cutting the deck.

TOOLS
Since cutting the deck will require some curved cuts, opt for a rotary saw rather than the traditional scroll saw. You'll need to buy cutting blades, because a 1/4-inch fiberglass deck will eat one blade per cleat cut. You'll also need a drill with 1/4- and 5/16-inch bits, a #2 Phillips head screwdriver and a 5/16-inch straight blade. A screw gun won't hurt, but you'll want to do the tightening of the 5/16 screw by hand to avoid tearing-up screw heads.

Other equipment needed includes a marker (use a soft tip-style pen refill unless you have a very skinny pencil), six to eight feet of string or twine, and bedding compound/sealant. Although you'll probably be working off the existing cleats for size and location, bring a tape measure anyway. For this particular cleat installation, four stainless-steel, 1/4-inch round-top bolts about 1-1/4 to a 1-1/2 inches long are needed. Finally, pick up some masking tape to tape the backing plate where you want the cleat located; this will help ensure your hole marks don't move around.

ON THE JOB
Lay the plate where you want to position the cleat, and then trace the opening. Make sure the plate is lying flat along its complete area. The marked section is what you'll be cutting out. Mark the hole where the 3/16-inch screw goes, as well as the holes for the 1/4-inch bolts that will fasten the cleat through the deck to the plate. Make sure you have no wiring, etc., beneath where you're cutting. You'll need at least three inches of below-deck clearance for a four- or six-inch pop-up, more for the eight- and 10-inchers.

Using a rotary saw is a clean and accurate alternative to a scroll saw. Rather than having to drill a hole big enough for a scroll saw blade to start cutting from, the rotary serves as its own drill and starts the cut immediately. Cut on the traced line; i.e. remove the pencil mark. If you cut inside, it will be too tight.

Once you've cut the hole, loop the string through the plate (tie both loose ends off together and then secure it to something out of the way), slide the plate underneath the deck and work it into position so that the 3/16-inch screw can be threaded into its hole in the plate. Tighten this down to make sure everything sits flush (don't over-tighten, but make sure the plate is flush to the underside of the deck), then loosen it slightly and remove the string.

Drill the holes for the 1/4-inch bolts. Place the cleat into the hole to check for fit. Test-screw the bolts to make sure everything is lined up where it's supposed to be. Then, test the pop-up action and remove the cleat, place a layer of bedding compound or sealant around the cut, and replace the cleat.Tighten the bolts down, check the pop action again and presto: pop-up cleats.

TOOLS

• Bedding compound
• Cord/string; 6-8 feet
• Drill; 3/16-, 1/4- and 5/16-inch bits
• Masking tape
• Pencil (long thin nose; a pen refill will work well)
• Screwdrivers (Phillips #2; 5/16 straight blade)
• Scroll saw or rotary cutter, with extra blades
• Tape measure

QUICK TIPS

• Use a rotary saw, instead of a scroll saw, to make clean curved cuts.
• Make sure you have at least 3 inches of below-deck clearance before cutting.
• To make sure the backing plate doesn't drop into an inaccessible place, tie a string around it until it's properly fitted.
• Make sure to have perfect sealant coverage to prevent water from seeping into the fiberglass.