Fenders for dinghies

snowleopard

snowleopard

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My venerable rubber duck is falling apart so I am about to start on the new dinghy project.

My question is - what alternatives are there for providing all-round fendering for a rigid dinghy?

My objective is something that would allow me to go alongside people's smart gelcoat without making them wince. The options seem to be (a) lots of tiny fenders or (b) rubber strip like this:
RFD96small.jpg

An inflatable collar like the Walker Bay would be nice but difficult to make.

Any other suggestions?

p.s. it has to be lightweight as I'm trying to make the boat portable.
 
I have used hot water pipe insulation (15mm or 22mm pipe) with some success in the past, the problem is attaching it. It can be split lengthwise and glued or cable tied, depending on the shape of the dinghy's gunwhale. It isn't especially durable, more the sort of thing you'd replace every seasson or three.
 
I've had rigid dinghies, both fibreglass and timber, and made a long "sausage" of canvas (if you haven't the facilities to stitich it up yourself, should be quite a cheap job from a canvas worker) then filled it with bean bag beads! Drill very small diameter holes through the gunwhales and attach with polyester twine.

The first one I made was of very thin kind of plastic hessian material, which wore through and I spent some time scooping the escapees up from the water, but later incarnations in canvas worked well, and added flotation plus stopped the odd splash coming aboard in choppy conditions. If you can find a source of closed cell foam or similar (such as offcuts from a wetsuit manufacturer) this would work too, although you would have to chop the bits up quite a bit to avoid a lumpy fender.
 
my local chandler had some rather smart rope as a fender.

Claud Worth suggest 3ins coir rope covered in canvas supported on a shaped moulding to bring it flush with the gunwale.

I find the Handy stitcher makes sowing leather and canvas pretty easy.i have just releathered the gaff jaws without any problem
 
I have fitted a small Bow fender, two corner ones and 4 small sausage ones along each side. Works very well although I'm thinking of adding a fifth along the side. Not too expensive and they are all tied onto small stainless 'U' fittings? screwed to the wood. Got them all off Ebay if my memory serves me right and have lasted 7 years so far. A couple have been pulled off but easy to screw back on again. It was this guy I think:- http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/stephen1073/
 
If you opt for the plastic (PVC) or rubber fendering avoid black. It may be OK when new but eventually will leave black streaks.

Rope is nice

c9d48597.jpg
 
<<<I am about to start on the new dinghy project.

My question is - what alternatives are there for providing all-round fendering for a rigid dinghy?>>>

G'day Snowleopard,

Off cuts of modern fire hose are available at your local fire station, light, durable, will not leave marks.

Can be filled with foam beads but I have never bothered, just flatten and fix to the top edge of the gunwale and let it all hang out. :eek:

Avagoodweekend......:rolleyes:
 
Pool Noodles

Pool noodles work well, and they often have a hole from end to end, are 6 feet long available in 3 to 5 inch diameter but have the disadvantage of horrible neon colours.
 
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