: I just put a nylon fairlead in the middle of my bungee arrangement. If I need
: to park my paddle I just lay it on the deck aft of the fairlead, grab a
: strand of bungee, lay it over the paddle and hook it on the fairlead. I
: think a fairlead is less apt to foul things than a cleat.

While it would be less likely to catch things in the first place, it would probably also be less likely to let go once it did foul something, since the facing hook could catch when you try to free the first snag.

Cleats are more "quick-release" for a paddle park.

With a small modification, a fairlead could be a superior alternative to a cleat. Cutting off one hook from the fairlead (but not the post) would make a nice one-way hook that should clear easily, plus the remaining post would protect the one remaining hook from accidental snags.

Safe paddling,

Shawn