Wichard U-Bolt Pad Eye - 8mm Diameter - 5/16" - 80mm Length - 3-5/32"

The Wichard U-Bolt Pad Eye – 8mm Diameter, 5/16" – 80mm Length is the professional-grade attachment point that serious boaters and riggers depend on for secure, reliable fastening across the most demanding marine applications. Whether you're installing shrouds, tensioning lifelines, or anchoring deck hardware on a cruiser, fishing vessel, or performance boat, this forged stainless pad eye delivers the robust connection required to handle years of salt spray, UV exposure, and heavy working loads on the water.

Manufactured by Wichard Marine using fully drop-forged, marine-grade stainless steel, this U-bolt pad eye combines superior material integrity with outstanding working and breaking loads that exceed typical hardware-store fittings. The 8mm diameter U-bolt accepts standard 5/16" fasteners and extends 80mm (approximately 3-5/32"), providing ample bearing surface for secure clamping and load distribution without localized stress concentration. The forged construction eliminates the weakness inherent in cast or stamped pad eyes, ensuring consistent mechanical properties and predictable performance under tension, shock loads, and the corrosive salt environment.

Experienced boat owners and professional riggers favor Wichard hardware for standing rigging, chainplate reinforcement, tow eyes, and any through-deck or structural fastening where failure is not an option. Installation is straightforward: secure the pad eye to deck or bulkhead using appropriately sized bolts, backing plates, and washers (hardware not included), then attach lines, cables, or shrouds to the U-bolt opening. This pad eye is equally at home on sailboats, center-console fishing boats, and commercial vessels where corrosion resistance and load-bearing reliability define the difference between safe operation and catastrophic failure.