Home fenders

[mobeydick]

I like the idea of not having to bother hauling fenders in and out when leaving and returning to my home pontoon. If I anchor when away, the fenders can stay stowed.

If I attached a couple of eg Plastimo dock buffers to the pontoon, does anybody see any problems? (I am not talking about fending off other boats, just for mooring.

Do the normal round fenders absorb some of the relative movement between boat and pontoon by rolling: would I be asking for scratched topsides? (but at least only low down, compared with normal fenders...)

 

[morgandlm]

I have also thought about doing this. There are a few other berths around mine where the boat owner has fixed fenders. However, in all case they also seem to deploy conventional fenders. I think you are correct about the benefits of the rolling action in a bit of a blow.

I suspect that a combination of both is probably ideal although the fixed ones would tend to push the hanging ones aside when actually berthing the boat. I've had one instance this year where fenders rode up during strong wind and the stuck on plastic lines on the hull were scuffed by the pontoon edge. Some fixed protection would have avoided this. I should add that the boat had been moved to the berth by the yard and they had not positioned the fenders correctly.
Morgan

 

[cashinone]

I have used ordinary fenders lashed horizontally for the last two years and have noticed no adverse wear to the hull. Though I do clean the fenders whenever I visit and still hang a couple of fenders in the traditional way in just in case of the odd tsunami.

The trade dock fenders whilst purpose made look to be made of too harsh a substance not to produce wear on a tidal berth.

 

[dockmaster]

Come on how long does it take to tie on 3-4 fenders ? are you that short of available sailing time ?

 

[mobeydick]

[ QUOTE ]
Come on how long does it take to tie on 3-4 fenders ? are you that short of available sailing time ?

[/ QUOTE ]

When you have to haul fairly large fenders one at a time out the locker, attach and then go back for the next one, five times... it is something I could do without if possible.