Any Views On Fender Makes ?

GAJ52 said:
Once again your comments are really appreciated, thank you.

Regarding fender socks, the lady at my local Chandlery made a very good point, as I am based on the Thames and go through many locks, the lock walls are very 'dirty' and the socks build up grit which will scratch the GRP. As my current fenders have socks I can vouch for the fact they are very muddy after a trip and can see the possibility this could damage the GRP, so socks are definitely out - at least on my boat.

Maybe 5 fenders each side is an overkill, I am just replacing what was already on the boat when I bought it, but I won't be fitting less than 4 each side.

I think the current fenders are labelled 'Anchor' and 5 of the 10 are very low pressure, almost flat. As I don't know when these were last serviced its hard to say if they are faulty or not touched for many years, but with my Halfords foot pump I don't have an adaptor that will fit the valves.

To enhance the look of the boat I am willing to replace the very worn looking fenders but am not prepared to pay silly money just because its for a boat.

Glen
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Thames - different rules. You wont take them in........

You don't need 10 though.

The issue is when up in the lock, the quay is sometimes very low indeed.

When down in the lock, you need to protect the rub rail.

I use a ball fender per side at the stern approx 30-45 cm. Touching the water. Protects up or down. (or you can use a fat sausage, but the fatter ball protects the bathing platform if you have one as the bow comes off the wall)

Then a very large ball fender per side just forward of the point where the topsides curve into the bow. Touching the water.

Depending on how flared your bows are this may be enough. If the rub rail can touch when down in the lock, then put a normal sausage fender in the line above the forward ball, overlapping the rub rail.

4, maybe 6 fenders. Anything else is paranoia. Agreed no socks and a dark colour is wise.

You also need 4 mooring lines, so you can leave them on all the time. Braided or octoplait so they feel nice and don't kink.

Sorted.
 
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bitbaltic said:
The valve is quite unreliable- two of ours (18 months old and not hard lives) have bust valves and can't be properly inflated. The rest don't inflate that easily really even with the majoni adapter.
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I see the Majoni website mentions an adapter to use with a bike pump but doesn't show it.
If you use an air line or even a foot pump you only need press it against the fender not insert anything.
I've had no valve problems doing them this way.
 
I imagined when I suggested fender socks that the usual prejudices and myths would be posted, and I was right! Our boat has always had fenders in socks in our ownership, almost 20 years now. Having lived and sailed in Holland for seven years and transited the Canal du Midi, we have probably been through more locks than most boats do in their lifetime. Far from damaging the topsides, socks protect them from the wear that occurs between fenders and gelcoat, especially in marinas. We have seen dreadful wear scars on topsides caused by years of using uncovered fenders. I dare say that it depends on the make and composition of the fenders used, some of the plastics used are filled with powdered glass to improve their properties. Socks overcome all this, they don't attract dust and grit but if they did it is easy to wash them down occasionally, either by towing them or by using a hose pipe.

Numbers of fenders used depends very much on the type of cruising you do. Our numbers have gradually increased as our cruising became more varied and we now have 12 or 13 at the latest count. There have been times when we used every one of them.
 
GAJ52 said:
I think the current fenders are labelled 'Anchor' and 5 of the 10 are very low pressure, almost flat. As I don't know when these were last serviced its hard to say if they are faulty or not touched for many years, but with my Halfords foot pump I don't have an adaptor that will fit the valves.
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We had some very tired fenders when we took over Cherry Ripe. However new valves in a couple of cases and some pumping up and cleaning and they now look reasonably respectable.
 
Check out Boatfenderstore.co.uk, Sell some well know fenders, Just changed some of mine for Polyform F3s as these are on special offer and used a code on the checkout to get even more off "5off" but dot forget the pump as these use a conicle valve, alliteratively Search for Anchor Fenders 0101s are good and they use a standard football inflator, Majoni are not to bad for a budget but again use a special valve worth considering asking the shop to inflate them for you if bought online might cost a couple of quid extra in postage.
 
Our fenders are a collection of whatever was available when the old one required replacement. Size is what matters rather than make..... Home made fender socks go a long way to keeping the top sides clean and are much easier to clean than the fenders themselves. SWMBO made them from cheap fleece from the local fabric shop. Numbers of fenders? We have 2 small ones (less than a foot long), 8 medium sized cylinders and 2 large ball fenders and find it prudent to use most of them whenever we moor. Rather have one too many then one too few....
 
Re Taylor fenders lifetime warranty.

My boat came with 6 Taylors. Three of which had leaky valves. I visit the local chandlers in the Eastern Caribbean more in hope than expectation. Nope they did not have any and nope they could not order any for me but did I know that Taylors offered a lifetime warrenty on their fenders.

I had a long conversation with a delightfully helpful customer service rep who insisted on swapping the old ones for new. However when it came clear to them that I was not in the USA then the shutters went down. No warranty and no service. They would not even send me the valves if I was going to pay for them and the carriage.

Go figure.
 
It isnt just your mistakes fenders compensate for, it's weather and other boats

duncan99210 said:
Our fenders are a collection of whatever was available when the old one required replacement. Size is what matters rather than make..... Home made fender socks go a long way to keeping the top sides clean and are much easier to clean than the fenders themselves. SWMBO made them from cheap fleece from the local fabric shop. Numbers of fenders? We have 2 small ones (less than a foot long), 8 medium sized cylinders and 2 large ball fenders and find it prudent to use most of them whenever we moor. Rather have one too many then one too few....
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Rather have one too many then one too few....[/QUOTE]
Definitely +1 on that.
This summer, we had two A2?ball up front, 4x 90x36 either side, two pan fenders, a triangular step fender(v useful) and 'big bertha'(a bit of flotsam or jetsam that floated past one day;)).
Deployed every single one in some Baltic harbours, just to stay undented from the '40+ft, two titchy fenders and full ahead/astern' flotilla, or high crosswinds when 'boxed up' with 'two titchy fenders, etc' either side.
When the wind gets up, you sleep sounder with good shore lines and well fendered all round:cool:
 
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