[Rhodes22-list] Fenders?

[Bill Effros]

Dave,

I use fenders a lot to come into a public dock.  I use the Bob Weber 
technique, but get off my boat with lines attached to boat cleats to 
come to a complete stop by wrapping the bitter ends around dockside 
cleats, stern first.  It looks elegant when it works.  I don't like to 
hand my lines to people on shore unless I know they know what to do next.

I have used the round fenders, but have a problem with them whenever 
something comes up under them, and pushes them up and away from the 
boat.  I now favor the long fenders--the more the merrier.  I generally 
come in with 5 on one side.

Taylor sells a 4-pack of oval cross-section fenders at a very reasonable 
price.  They don't roll when under the seats, and lay flat against the 
boat when coming in.  There is plenty of room under the cockpit seats 
for as many fenders as you could ever want.

I have one oversize long fender which I keep tied to the handle on the 
cabin, along with 2 oval fenders to the rear to keep the launch from 
banging up the boat under the gunwale when people get to my boat before 
I get there.  The long fender kisses the water.  But my boat doesn't get 
scratched up by the launch any more.

The fenders will absorb a lot of energy if you come into something 
intentionally broadside (the Weber method--Point in at an angle, then 
swing the stern into the object so all fenders hit at roughly the same 
time, and none get brushed aside.)

It takes a while to experience all the different problems--having an 
array of energy absorbing fenders makes it easier to deal with 
situations you can't imagine when you're just imagining.

Bill Effros

DCLewis1 at aol.com wrote:
> Hank, Will, Mary Lou, BobW, BobS, everyone,
>  
> Thank you all for responding to my fender query.  Based on your input,  I 
> think our first step is to actually visit the slip they’ve given us and see  what 
> our neighbors use.  I gather there’s no canonical solution.
>  
> Will,  Flat sounds great, but they’re not going to roll if the boat is  
> moving fore and aft, they’re just going to rub and abrade against the  
> pier/piling/whatever.  Have you actually used flat fenders?  Do they  work well for you?  
> If you do use them, what thickness and length do you  use?  I can see where 
> they’d be great for stowing, you could use them  as seats, life-preservers, a 
> lot of things.  But I worry that they will get  pinched and abraded when the 
> boat moves fore and aft against a pier where  cylindrical and spherical fenders 
> just roll.
>  
> Mary Lou, Thanks, I serendipitously got a message from Elton to begin  
> arranging for delivery.  I responded asking if he provided special fenders  with his 
> delivery.  I had noted the fenders you use in the West Marine  catalog and 
> they looked interesting, but I didn’t know what a good size was  (looks to me 
> like you’re using the shortest length) and whether they rolled  sufficiently 
> given their shape.  I gather they work well for you.   Thank you.
>  
> BobW, Yours is a very interesting concept that we may just use for  docking.  
> We may keep one onboard in the event we opt to sail to and tie up  at a 
> public pier - I think it’s a great idea.  But we’re one of a number of  fingered 
> slips in a pretty small area and we are required to motor in that  area verrry 
> slooowly.  I expect that we will be moving so  slowly as we approach our tie 
> up that we may not have to worry about  caroming off the side of a pier.  At a 
> public pier, where we might try to  boldly come in under sail and dock 
> expeditiously - thus displaying the  limits of our sailing abilities and testing the 
> limits of our liability  insurance - I think your approach is good.  In fact, 
> I think I’d like  to surround the hull with bubble wrap
>  
> BobS,  I hope we won’t wind up having to sling a 2x6 off the side and  back 
> them with cylindrical fenders.  I’ll keep it in mind though.
>  
> Dave
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