Fender Repair

Plum said:
just to add to my earlier post, I repaired my Majoni fender 4 years ago and it has been in service since without a problem.
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A proper plastic weld must be stronger than any adheavice.

I have welded several types of plastic and if done properly is s stronger as the original base material.

One issue I find is that most fenders are quite thin for cheapness so the quality of the molding is important.

This could be why Refueler's Chinese fenders lasted a long time

The adding of a flexible material inside like the tire sealer should thicken the material so making the fender more robust
 
rogerthebodger said:
What closed cell expanding foam. did you use, can you post a link
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I am sorry I can not post a link as it was over 20 years ago. If you do a Google search for glass fibre supply companies you may find one that can help you. I have just done a Google search putting in (liquid closed cell foam suppliers) I had quite a few positive hits. Hope this helps
 
AntarcticPilot said:
Given the nature of fender valves, I think that getting stuff inside the fender without damaging the valve might be difficult. If you have replacement valves on hand that may not be an issue,
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If I remember correctly when I did this there was a screw that you had to undo before being able to inflate the mooring ball/fender. I drilled a hole with out damaging the thread, then using a small funnel filled it with foam cleaned the thread Job done. I think the fender thickness is thicker at the ends near the eye, drill a small hole in that area. If using closed cell foam use a little at a time, using a thick rubber glove put thumb over the hole wait until a small amount of foam comes out of the hole leave for 24 hrs trim excess foam.
 
rogerthebodger said:
A proper plastic weld must be stronger than any adheavice.

I have welded several types of plastic and if done properly is s stronger as the original base material.

One issue I find is that most fenders are quite thin for cheapness so the quality of the molding is important.

This could be why Refueler's Chinese fenders lasted a long time

The adding of a flexible material inside like the tire sealer should thicken the material so making the fender more robust
Click to expand...

I bought a set of chinese fenders of eBay - basically for my small boats on the river ... thinking they would be crap ... about 5 or more years ago.

Surprised when they turned up ... excellent in fact ... about 60% size of the ones I have for my two larger boats - but in fact have proven good for midships where boat is wider ... the larger diameter being fwd and aft ...

I'm seriously thinking to buy some more ... easy to handle .. as they are light, smaller and stow away well ...
 
Refueler said:
I bought a set of chinese fenders of eBay - basically for my small boats on the river ... thinking they would be crap ... about 5 or more years ago.

Surprised when they turned up ... excellent in fact ... about 60% size of the ones I have for my two larger boats - but in fact have proven good for midships where boat is wider ... the larger diameter being fwd and aft ...

I'm seriously thinking to buy some more ... easy to handle .. as they are light, smaller and stow away well ...
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Good to know that and if you have details of the ones you got from E Bay of the ones you plan to purchase let us know as all the ones I purchased local are crap
 
rogerthebodger said:
Good to know that and if you have details of the ones you got from E Bay of the ones you plan to purchase let us know as all the ones I purchased local are crap
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Purchase history doesn't go back that far !! But TBH - most sellers are selling same product .. you only have to see the full page and its same as so many others ...

If I do - then sure ... I'll post up.
 
Geoff A said:
If I remember correctly when I did this there was a screw that you had to undo before being able to inflate the mooring ball/fender. I drilled a hole with out damaging the thread, then using a small funnel filled it with foam cleaned the thread Job done. I think the fender thickness is thicker at the ends near the eye, drill a small hole in that area. If using closed cell foam use a little at a time, using a thick rubber glove put thumb over the hole wait until a small amount of foam comes out of the hole leave for 24 hrs trim excess foam.
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It depends; that's one type. I have Majoni type valves, and they're a) very delicate and b) quite easy to replace!
 
Refueler said:
I bought a can of Tyre repair gunk ... thinking to sort out wheelbarrow tyres .. all 3 of the barrows had bad tyres ...

Still ended up having to find new tyres ... worked for about 1 day .. the PHUUUUFFFFFFF
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Many cars don't carry spare wheels these days but have a can of that stuff in lieu of a spare tire. But I understand it's really intended as a "get you to a garage" fix, not a permanent repair. In any case, the one time I had a flat tyre I called out roadside assistance, and they were (to say the least) scathing about that stuff. In my case it wouldn't have worked anyway - the damage was to the side-wall of the tyre.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
Many cars don't carry spare wheels these days but have a can of that stuff in lieu of a spare tire. But I understand it's really intended as a "get you to a garage" fix, not a permanent repair. In any case, the one time I had a flat tyre I called out roadside assistance, and they were (to say the least) scathing about that stuff. In my case it wouldn't have worked anyway - the damage was to the side-wall of the tyre.
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I could not get it to work reasonably ... if I was buying a new car and no option to have at least a space saver tyre .. I would walk away ...

Problem though ... when my Volvo XC70 had a flat in Riga last year ... I could not get the wheel nuts off ... had to call out the 'Assistance guys' ... who even they had to use extra long bars to do it. Drove home 190kms at low speed on a space saver tyre ... not something I wish to repeat ..
AWD is not best for this ... it can break the system if not careful ... I know - I did it on my previous XC70 .... and I know Subarus and Audis that have had same happen ....
 
Refueler said:
I could not get it to work reasonably ... if I was buying a new car and no option to have at least a space saver tyre .. I would walk away ...

Problem though ... when my Volvo XC70 had a flat in Riga last year ... I could not get the wheel nuts off ... had to call out the 'Assistance guys' ... who even they had to use extra long bars to do it. Drove home 190kms at low speed on a space saver tyre ... not something I wish to repeat ..
AWD is not best for this ... it can break the system if not careful ... I know - I did it on my previous XC70 .... and I know Subarus and Audis that have had same happen ....
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Judging by what I've seen of the UK market, these days you might have trouble finding a car with a spare wheel. The reason given is saving weight in the interests of fuel economy. and reduced emissions. And TBH, with modern tyres, punctures that will stop you from driving to a tyre fitter are few and far between. I've driven many miles with a nail or screw embedded in a tyre - the leak was slow enough that you could just top it up.
 
I've had 3 nail punctures and 2 written off tyres in 2 1/2 years on my MG5. The fist one was the day after a bought the car brand new :-(
I now carry a kit similar to what the RAC use to do temporary repairs.
 
Boater Sam said:
Do stop faffing about and buy some new ones! You will spend more failing to fix the bust ones than new ones will cost.
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The problem is getting them delivered to the Silver Coast.


Super glue between the black rope eyelet and the white polypropylene fender seems to have worked now cleaning them.

Will a wash of mild bleach on any stains work?
 
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AntarcticPilot said:
Judging by what I've seen of the UK market, these days you might have trouble finding a car with a spare wheel. The reason given is saving weight in the interests of fuel economy. and reduced emissions. And TBH, with modern tyres, punctures that will stop you from driving to a tyre fitter are few and far between. I've driven many miles with a nail or screw embedded in a tyre - the leak was slow enough that you could just top it up.
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You need a fender bender
 
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