Cheap alternatives to dock fenders?

[Refueler]

My 6m x 2.4m pontoon .... thinking to buy clear plastic water tube and run rope through it .... at intervals drill through, use screws and washers through ONE wall of tube to the pontoon and rope sits over top of screw inside tube. Cheap and cheerful ... clear so I can see what's inside .. no marks on my white hull .... easy to replace later ..

Once done - will try and post up some photies.

 

[[70521]]

Have you never had a fender ride up when alongside ? The Dock Fender is a secondary protection ..... and if your own fender rides up and sits on the dock as I have seen / had many times when floating pontoon moves etc. - then the fixed Dock Fender is well worth it ...

No.

I suspect it is because my fenders are larger than most people would fit on a boat my size. The mooring lines are also bigger. The investment is 'bigger' kit proved a good move in a storm last winter, lots of other boats had snapped lines and burst fenders. The marina team were busy with the 'blue lines of shame' that morning.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Old tyres? Painted white of course...

In Croatia many ferries and other working vessels use old tyres that have been covered in a kind of macrame of three-stranded rope.

 

[Refueler]

In Croatia many ferries and other working vessels use old tyres that have been covered in a kind of macrame of three-stranded rope.

Tyres are common but even with covers - you can end up with black streaks etc. The rope / material covers as mentioned earlier can harbour grit / salt and become abrasive.
Not so much problem for working boats - but our boats ??