Figuring out Fenders: A Design Project

[MattFro]

I'm conducting research into demographics and potential problems concerning fender operation and storage. It's an undergraduate design project, and I'm in the early stages currently so I'm scoping things out and collecting as much useful data as I can.
Here's a link to a short survey I've put together (~3 mins), any help would be greatly appreciated, especially as I'm personally at risk of being biased!
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/G7ZCSDH

Please do leave replies in this thread as well, with regards to the questions raised in the survey. I'm keen to have as much subjective conversation on the topic as I can as well, as it helps build a picture of what individuals outside of my own personal experience think and have experienced on the matter.

Thanks!


Edit:
Thanks to everyone who has filled in the survey so far, at the time of writing this it has received almost 90 responses which is awesome (that's not a reason not to fill it in if you haven't already though, so make sure you do that . I've got loads of good data from which to jump off from, and I've received some very interesting points for consideration from people commenting in the thread - which is exactly what I'm looking for so thank you.

 

[TLouth7]

Nice survey, pleasingly brief but with plenty of scope for exact answers. You should note that this forum is chiefly frequented by racing sailors so if you want a more general response you should probably ask the admins to move this thread to Scuttlebutt.

 

[MattFro]

Nice survey, pleasingly brief but with plenty of scope for exact answers. You should note that this forum is chiefly frequented by racing sailors so if you want a more general response you should probably ask the admins to move this thread to Scuttlebutt.

Thanks, and thanks also for completing it, it's much appreciated!

I hadn't realised that this forum was so heavily frequented by racers so thanks for letting me know, it seemed like the most appropriate forum at the time. I'll see what can be done about moving it.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I've moved this from the Racing forum to here and deleted the duplicate request. (Matt perhaps didn't realise that he's not supposed to make multiple posts requesting the same thing across the various forums...)

Good luck with your research and I hope you get lots of respondents and helpful comments. I was fendering my boat for her winter berth only this morning.

 

[pvb]

Neat little survey, until we come to the final question, which says "Please briefly explain why, including benefits and drawbacks..."

Explain what? If you want sensible answers, you need to pose sensibly-phrased questions.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Neat little survey, until we come to the final question, which says "Please briefly explain why, including benefits and drawbacks..."

Explain what? If you want sensible answers, you need to pose sensibly-phrased questions.

I assumed he meant 'why do you store them where you say you store them.

For me the answer was 'in a locker' and the reason, 'because its neat and tidy and seamanlike'.

 

[pvb]

I assumed he meant 'why do you store them where you say you store them.

For me the answer was 'in a locker' and the reason, 'because its neat and tidy and seamanlike'.

You shouldn't have to make an assumption.

 

[NealB]

I've completed your survey.

A few points:

- I didn't really relate to your question about how often I go sailing. Eg if I sail every day for a couple of months, then two days a week for a few months: where does that
belong in your criteria? If I sail in the morning, then anchor for lunch, then potter around again after lunch....is that one sail or two?

- similarly, I'd have thought you might be more interested in how often people use fenders, rather than how often they sail eg. I keep my boat on a swinging mooring, and prefer my own anchor to a marina. So my fenders see the light of day far less than those who frequent marinas more regularly.

- why not ask about the features of fenders that could be improved (eg ease of stowage, ease of setting up)?

- it was very quick to complete....thank you!

I hope your project is a success: good luck!

 

[NealB]

You shouldn't have to make an assumption.

I unwittingly made the same assumption as John: seemed pretty obvious to me!

 

[john_morris_uk]

You shouldn't have to make an assumption.

That's true, but I didn't stop to think about it. I just answered the question that followed from the previous one. Perhaps I made a mistake. *

I will now fail to sleep tonight at the thought that I might have got it all wrong.... :sleeping:

* According to Mrs M, that's a regular occurrence.

 

[NealB]

That's true, but I didn't stop to think about it. I just answered the question that followed from the previous one. Perhaps I made a mistake. *

I will now fail to sleep tonight at the thought that I might have got it all wrong.... :sleeping:

* According to Mrs M, that's a regular occurrence.

Sleep easy : You got it quite correct!

 

[pvb]

That's true, but I didn't stop to think about it. I just answered the question that followed from the previous one. Perhaps I made a mistake. *

I will now fail to sleep tonight at the thought that I might have got it all wrong.... :sleeping:

* According to Mrs M, that's a regular occurrence.

My wife believes I'm often mistaken too!

As for the survey, the OP said he was looking into "fender operation and storage" as part of a design project. I'd have expected some questions on the types of fenders used - ie cylindrical, round, flat, etc.

 

[NealB]

Another thought.....

On this forum, you'll mainly get replies from sailing types, and not many from motor boaters.

Is that critical?

 

[pvb]

Another thought.....

On this forum, you'll mainly get replies from sailing types, and not many from motor boaters.

Is that critical?

That's a very valid point.

 

[johnalison]

We often stay on board for weeks at a time. How many times a week is that?

 

[JumbleDuck]

On this forum, you'll mainly get replies from sailing types, and not many from motor boaters.

Is that critical?

Is there any recorded case of a motorboater stowing a fender?

 

[Daydream believer]

Makes one wonder why anyone would want to waste time with something that has worked perfectly well in its various patterns for years. Still, going to school has to be better than getting a job, I suppose.

Now if you were to work out how to keep b..dy barnacles from growing over my coppercoat :encouragement:

Edit:
On reflection, if the point of the exercise is to teach the art of examination & how to research a project then there could be some merit. But somehow I wish that such things would have a more practical aspect. I know from my own son's experience the so called "thesis" was worthless.

 

[Tomahawk]

I am wondering if this is what the education system is coming to?
A design project about fenders?....
That ignores the basic shape and size of fenders (round, flat, cylindrical, step, bow, sleeve bow bulbous bow.. etc)
That ignores questions about where a vessel is berthed and what sort of swell the fenders have to contend witham
That doesn't ask about the locker space on a boat
That doesn't ask what other equipment is stored in said lockers.. (inflatable?)

It's going to take some imagination to write a dissertation that can be summed up as "the more the better for looking after the boat but which is compromised by available storage space".

 

[Daydream believer]

I am wondering if this is what the education system is coming to?
A design project about fenders?....
That ignores the basic shape and size of fenders (round, flat, cylindrical, step, bow, sleeve bow bulbous bow.. etc)
That ignores questions about where a vessel is berthed and what sort of swell the fenders have to contend witham
That doesn't ask about the locker space on a boat
That doesn't ask what other equipment is stored in said lockers.. (inflatable?)

It's going to take some imagination to write a dissertation that can be summed up as "the more the better for looking after the boat but which is compromised by available storage space".

We do not know that. You have only made an assumption. How do you know if the Op has made other inquiries elsewhere & is just filling in gaps.
Perhaps we should ask the OP first about his/her project & to what direction the research is actually meant to go

 

[JumbleDuck]

A design project about fenders?....
That ignores the basic shape and size of fenders (round, flat, cylindrical, step, bow, sleeve bow bulbous bow.. etc)
That ignores questions about where a vessel is berthed and what sort of swell the fenders have to contend witham
That doesn't ask about the locker space on a boat
That doesn't ask what other equipment is stored in said lockers.. (inflatable?)

I think that's unfair. The OP said this was just a starting point, and it's clear that all s/he wants to know now is (a) how often do you go sailing (b) how many fenders do you use and (c) where do you keep them. That could go in all sorts of directions and it's a perfectly good starting point.