That's a cam cleat, and would work well. I used a jam cleat with a biult-in fairlead. The only reason I went with a jam cleat is that I thought it had less sharp corners on it to gouge the bare toes with. Which, of course, is my only complaint about the hooks. No moving parts either, but a good jam cleat will not fail.

If you drill a 3/8" hole in the wings at the bottom, and another through the center support, then a 1/4" line can be run through and tied off right at the wings. Low-stretch line works best, I have poly 3-strand. All the force goes into the center support, which is good.

: You got me thinking on the topic of cleats (of all kinds). What do you think
: of replacing the "hook" part of the rail with the type of cleat
: shown below or a traditional T shaped cleat. The two ropes coming back
: from the wings would have to be merged into one at some point, but these
: cleats would be fast and adjustable in a continuous manner. You could then
: extend the runner part of the rail so the footrest could come back more.
: Maybe not a problem, but another method. FYI: The cleat below is a rescue
: type deck cleat designed for towing and sold by NRS.

: Bill