Clever pontoon fender bracket

[rotrax]

Whilst in France last year, I spotted these seemingly well-designed brackets for securing a fender to the aluminium pontoon edge. My efforts with Google and reverse image searches have failed to identify these. Anybody knows who makes them or where they can be bought?

Without the benefit of seeing that pic, but with three medium ball fenders and two extra pontoon cleats spaced where they were needed, I achieved a similar outcome. I used sections of heavy tape, joined with 5mm screws, penny washers and nuts. The way the heavy tape was fixed stops them rising as the 'eye' of the fender goes through the centre of the cleat. Never moved, punctured or damaged the tape in three winters alongside. To those who scoff at fender socks, the three ball fenders are 'socked' too! No fender rub to the hull either!

 

[Rappey]

In my experience - Boats on exposed pontoons have serious problems keeping the fenders in place when it gets really rough.
That " clever pontoon fender" could possibly be one of the best solutions ive seen as it will always keep the boat from rubbing on the pontoon no mater how large the waves. For sheltered areas not so necessary?
The dock fenders are usually added to the end of the finger berth and then the main pontoon in front of the bow to protect the boat from impact when docking. Everyone ive seen always uses fenders when moored and never just the dock fenders.
Some time back and every year at a large marina they would get me to go round and remove unused dock fenders, chains and steel cable shackled to cleats that were left by the previous occupants. Next they would get me to go round to properly fix all the customers dock fenders that were poorly done. Only about 2 in 20 seemed capable of fixing them in a proper manor. Some needed a good slap for using ferrous screws and bolts. Some rammed 3 screws in one fender dock eye as they probably didnt have penny washers. The amount of snapped off and bent screws was crazy.
Once everything was fixed properly the marina started to sell the dock fenders at a competitive price and fit them for free to avoid any more diy eyesores.
I was surprised that the marina allowed the diy without consent and even changed cleats and wrecked decking without protest because someone thought it clever to shackle chain to a aluminium dock cleat which soon wears through it.. One guy with a large 50 ft boat thought it a good idea to bolt a ladder to the side of his boat. One very violent night later the ladder chewed through the woodwork of the pontoon ,the exposed pontoon steel then chewed the side of his hull and the ladder was destroyed.
Many of the uk marina pontoons are made by Walcon. The plastimo pontoon fenders have their fixing holes in an unfortunate position as they align badly with the pontoons steel and woodwork. Drilling new fender holes closer to the pontoon edge was better.
The problem for most is not knowing there is a thick steel U section directly under the wood they are trying to fix to so any screw over 20mm is going to hit the steel and then possibly snap. The wood is very dense and needs a pilot hole to avoid the fixings shearing off..

 

[LiftyK]

How would you fix your system of horizontal fenders to the pontoon in the picture in post #12?
I do not think that with such posh pontoons the owners would want people screwing bits to them.
there are no holes for looping lines through.. It might work with older construction, but as owners upgrade they tend to avoid holes etc.
That being said some pontoons are now being built with rubber buffers anyway.
Not the sort of thing I would want to leave my boat against long term but nice for the clumsy docking maneouver

Fortunately, I had no trouble screwing my brackets into the wooden sides of my pontoon berth. It’s very pleasant to return to your home berth without having to hang out fenders.

 

[Bouba]

I use these...

So when I am coming to my pontoon berth, I let the fenders down to the waterline.....and when I’m going to berth Med style stern to, I can quickly pull up the fenders.
And at anchor, I pull them all the way up, so that they don’t band on the hull while sleeping nor obstruct the deck

 

[Gustywinds]

Ah, Spanish.

I thought it seemed far too sensible for the French, who seem to specialise in making docking as trying as possible, with those awful 'hoop' cleats and super-wobbly pontoon fingers!

The utter worst are those bollards that are inset into lock walls and you have to walk your ropes up them. The good lady refused to deal with them.
Then you get the ones where the bollards actually float up and down which are fabulous!

 

[Gustywinds]

I use these...

So when I am coming to my pontoon berth, I let the fenders down to the waterline.....and when I’m going to berth Med style stern to, I can quickly pull up the fenders.
And at anchor, I pull them all the way up, so that they don’t band on the hull while sleeping nor obstruct the deck

Ooo, where did you get them?

 

[Daydream believer]

Fortunately, I had no trouble screwing my brackets into the wooden sides of my pontoon berth. It’s very pleasant to return to your home berth without having to hang out fenders.

What about the guy in the next berth?

 

[Bouba]

Ooo, where did you get them?

Amazon.com

 

[LiftyK]

What about the guy in the next berth?

Can you explain a bit more please? My permanent fenders have no influence on my neighbours fore and aft so I’m not sure what you are asking.

 

[Bouba]

Can you explain a bit more please? My permanent fenders have no influence on my neighbours fore and aft so I’m not sure what you are asking.

I think what he’s saying is that you still have to fender the other sides...therefore it’s not such an effort to fender all the sides

 

[Gustywinds]

Amazon.com

Thank you! They will even deliver to France although I think I’ll wait until we hit Paris and have a firm address for a while. The lockers have been a bit hit and miss

 

[Daydream believer]

Can you explain a bit more please? My permanent fenders have no influence on my neighbours fore and aft so I’m not sure what you are asking.

Bouba got it in one. #30 But that assumes that you do actually care about the boat alongside & do not just rely on that boat having fenders.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I made something similar by cutting a short length of plastic pipe and cutting a slot in the side so the fender line passes through the pipe up over the handrail then under the line that passes through the pipe and passing the free end under the line where the slot is.

Easy and cheap using a short piece of plastic conduit

I think I got it from PBO some time ago

 

[LiftyK]

I think what he’s saying is that you still have to fender the other sides...therefore it’s not such an effort to fender all the sides

Ah, got it thanks. My berth is across the walkway between two long fingers, transverse if you like, so I have open water on the non-pontoon side. I do leave a small fender on the rear quarter to help my neighbour to the stern ease out without stress.

 

[Arcady]

If the pontoon has wood sides, simply use stainless self-tapper or drill and tap if they are steel.

Exactly so.

 

[Refueler]

I have held off commenting on this fender system .. but ......

My 38 has a ruined stbd side of hull where a similar ball fender was unable to do its job by rolling with the boat etc ... it was held by its line which had twisted and locked it ...
Another section of the hull suffered when the standard sausage fenders collapsed ... but fact remains that an area of my hull had its paint worn away by the fixed ball fender.
The side of my boat now needs preparing and a repaint ....

Fenders .. IMHO ... should be allowed to do their job by rolling .. riding with the boats motion.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I have held off commenting on this fender system .. but ......

My 38 has a ruined stbd side of hull where a similar ball fender was unable to do its job by rolling with the boat etc ... it was held by its line which had twisted and locked it ...
Another section of the hull suffered when the standard sausage fenders collapsed ... but fact remains that an area of my hull had its paint worn away by the fixed ball fender.
The side of my boat now needs preparing and a repaint ....

Fenders .. IMHO ... should be allowed to do their job by rolling .. riding with the boats motion.

Personally, I think both are required the fixed to take any places where the boat hanging fenders are displaced.

My issue is that my hanging fenders burst and go flat and causing hull paint damage.

I have been looking for sone time a way to fill fenders with a closed cell foam

 

[Refueler]

Just a quickie drift ...

I found that thye blue topped white fenders have a fault .... mine anyway ..

The blue top rope part is formed from 3 or 4 layers ... when mine flattened - I could prise the layers apart and see the white fender down in the slit was split ... that was where the air was leaking ..

I have liquid PVC - for repairing inflatables ... so with a lollipop stick - I forced Liquid PVC down intothe splits and closed the layers up .. it worked. But how for long ? I do not trust them now.

From now on - I will only buy one piece moulded white fenders ...