Hi. Fender lines

[CFG98]

I am returning to sailing now I am retired. Boat is at side of house having a spruce up. Have decided to renew grotty nylon fender lines. Thought I would ask what type of line others use. Type of rope, length, diameter, colour etc etc. Recommend a seller? My largest fender is three foot long. 26 foot boat. Probably 3 foot freeboard. Dont want to spend lots on fender lines but don’t want to spoil ship for tuppence of tar either or look silly in a marina.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Braided 6 or 8mm polyester would be ideal, don't use polypropylene as although it's cheap and floats does not withstand UV degradation. Length to suit, either an eye splice to the fender or a bowline.

 

[pvb]

I use old jib sheets, so larger diameter, maybe 12/14mm, makes handling easier.

 

[TernVI]

Splice on a bit of 3-strand.
Too big a rope doesn't hold clove hitches well around guardwires, a bit of soft 3 strand is good from this POV.

 

[seadog30]

Hi

yes 10mm ( or 8mm on small fenders) 3 strand for me also. Easy to splice and makes secure knots on the other end

 

[Laysula]

10 mm three strand spliced onto your fender and a backsplice on the other end to make sure that if your knot slips you don't lose your fender.If you can't splice then now is the time to learn a new skill.

 

[tjbrace]

My original 3 strand lines unlayed when the fenders rolled on the topsides. Swapped to braid now, and black doesn’t show the grime.

 

[duncan99210]

8mm braid, polyester for uv resistance. Whipped loop used to cow hitch at the fender end, then through a plastic fender hook on the guardrail: makes attaching, moving and height adjustment easy. Hooks were cheap off eBay years ago, can’t find them anymore, only much more expensive versions.

 

[Robin]

bought a few packs of pre spliced soft 3 strand (nylon?) from chandlers when on sale, cow hitched to fenders otherwise used bin ends on sale whenever, wherever like Jimmy Green's stands at boatshows.

 

[Stemar]

A set of grotty, mismatched fenders can do wonders for keeping undesirables from rafting alongside. A few baby clothes drying in the rigging will compete the look and ensure an absence of trampling feet after closing time...

More seriously, I had crew whose knots weren't to be trusted, so my fenders have cheap snap hooks set at the appropriate length for each position and are numbered 1 to 4, to be clipped on forward of each stanchion. They work in 90% of situations and mean lines and fenders can be sorted a good bit quicker, which is particularly useful when single handed.

 

[peter gibbs]

Braided 6 or 8mm polyester would be ideal, don't use polypropylene as although it's cheap and floats does not withstand UV degradation. Length to suit, either an eye splice to the fender or a bowline.

All good. An offcut from the chandlery will suffice but avoid line you know will be slippery, or fenders will go overboard. 10m would be optimal for larger fenders. Length sufficient to allow fender to lie on water, then fenders can be doubled up horizontally for protection against harbour piles etc.

PWG

 

[johnalison]

A set of grotty, mismatched fenders can do wonders for keeping undesirables from rafting alongside. A few baby clothes drying in the rigging will compete the look and ensure an absence of trampling feet after closing time...

More seriously, I had crew whose knots weren't to be trusted, so my fenders have cheap snap hooks set at the appropriate length for each position and are numbered 1 to 4, to be clipped on forward of each stanchion. They work in 90% of situations and mean lines and fenders can be sorted a good bit quicker, which is particularly useful when single handed.

To complete the look, the ends of the lines should be fraying. This is easier with three-ply, and the look that I favour. Just occasionally, I will accede to aesthetic sensitivities by wielding some amalgamating tape or doing sailmaker’s whipping. The only considerations for the lines are ease of handling and abrasion resistance. I use plain polyester but I wouldn’t claim that any other is wrong.

I don’t like the idea of clips. I check my crew’s knots. She checks mine.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

To complete the look, the ends of the lines should be fraying. This is easier with three-ply, and the look that I favour. Just occasionally, I will accede to aesthetic sensitivities by wielding some amalgamating tape or doing sailmaker’s whipping. The only considerations for the lines are ease of handling and abrasion resistance. I use plain polyester but I wouldn’t claim that any other is wrong.

I don’t like the idea of clips. I check my crew’s knots. She checks mine.

Quite right. Our boat is a working mans recreation, not a rich mans toy with paid hands to keep it shiny even when the owner is long absent. Fenders are functional , to be jammed between wharf and boat then put away when sailing. Ideally only the fender board should be seen above deck when on the water and even that must succumb to functionality over aesthetics

 

[CFG98]

All good thanks.

 

[LadyInBed]

10 mm three strand spliced onto your fender and a backsplice on the other end to make sure that if your knot slips you don't lose your fender.If you can't splice then now is the time to learn a new skill.

I put an eye splice into the end of the line then cow hitch the eye splice to the fender so the line can be taken off.

 

[Gary Fox]

Does anyone tie their fender lines round the bottom of the stanchions, at least after you're tied up?

 

[CFG98]

Does anyone tie their fender lines round the bottom of the stanchions, at least after you're tied up?

Better place to tie them them guardwires I was taught. Toe rail even better place.

 

[alahol2]

My 4 main fenders have lines attached at both ends so that they can be used horizontally. The 'bottom' rope is normally half hitched to the 'upper' rope when used vertically. Anyone else use the bottom eye?

 

[capnsensible]

One catamaran I occasionally skipper locally uses the lower hole of the fender. Some thin line and a plastic clip is secured to each one. Instead of taking ages to stow fenders and rig them again 4 hours later, my crew simply lift the fender horizontally and secure them with clip to guard wire. Simple and outside the wires so free gangway for the punters.

I like this idea. A friend of mine who is now a bit old and a bit dodgy on his feet quite often asks me to take him out on his boat, a very tidy Beneteau 331. So I rigged drop em and go dock lines and put those clips on the fenders, 9 of them. As it's normally only for a few hours, it's perfect.

Might do that on my yacht for short trips round to anchor off the beach. Easy life.

 

[Poignard]

Does anyone tie their fender lines round the bottom of the stanchions, at least after you're tied up?

Yes