mil1194
Well-Known Member
Just don’t forget to ‘unattach’ the orange mooring line…. ?
how many fenders is enough/too much?
- Thread starter Coxsimon
- Start date
Just don’t forget to ‘unattach’ the orange mooring line…. ?
dune16
Well-Known Member
8 regular fenders and 2 ball fenders on our 44ft sailboat. Always feel like I want more!
johnalison
Well-Known Member
Don't tell me you were there.
mil1194
Well-Known Member
Don't tell me you were there.
There’s always SOMEONE watching unless it was a seamless takeoff/landing.
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
As Poignard says.
I've found it an especially useful technique when going into a marina berth with a fast flowing opposing current through the pontoons such as Roscoff.
Arcady
Well-Known Member
Been there, done that. Not very pretty :-(
johnalison
Well-Known Member
In my defence, I will say that it only happened once, at Den Helder. We had cast off all our lines when one of us noticed that the orange one was still connected, but fortunately I had not yet engaged gear. I would swear that there was no-one around.
Momac
Well-Known Member
4 Fenders each side plus a couple of ball fenders. If someone rafts up that seems about right . Better too many than too few .
thinwater
Well-Known Member
You say "maneuvering skills."
Ball and oblong fenders get pushed out of the way and snag on pilings if you are still moving. Rub rails or some manner of long pad might be more useful. Suggestions?
I never think in terms of fenders for maneuvering. They are for tying up, once I am positioned. The idea of crew moving them around is impractical, since I singlehand much of the time, or sail with disabled (or not agile) crew). Either way, it's just me to put the boat against the pilings just so.
---
And if you feel you need more, hang more. Forget the comments from the peanut gallery and do what works for you. Pride matters less than dock rash.
johnalison
Well-Known Member
That is very true. The boat should be making no progress fore or aft when finally alongside, having come to a halt a short distance off, even a few inches. This is not always easy to achieve, but should always be the rule when approaching another boat. Unfortunately many sailors seem to think that they are devices designed to add friction to assist in stopping their boat, with little concern for the state of my topsides (or good humour, if there is any left).
Stemar
Well-Known Member
This is why coming alongside or leaving in difficult conditions is such a great spectator sport - from a safe distance!
steve yates
Well-Known Member
The latter, i have one
steve yates
Well-Known Member
I have 6 fenders, 3 down each side, plus a ball fender on either side at the stern, and a bow fender , all this on an 18ft boat
( though i have the same on the 32footer bar the bow fender )
Same as Lady said earlier, I always come in with both sides fendered and with breast and stern lines ready on both sides too, as I have no idea which side I will be docking on and am singlehanded.
And on such a small boat, no I dont even attempt to stow them, they stay tied onto the guard rails, with a loop on the bottom to attach them to the rail out of the water.
( though i have the same on the 32footer bar the bow fender )
Same as Lady said earlier, I always come in with both sides fendered and with breast and stern lines ready on both sides too, as I have no idea which side I will be docking on and am singlehanded.
And on such a small boat, no I dont even attempt to stow them, they stay tied onto the guard rails, with a loop on the bottom to attach them to the rail out of the water.
ChathamSailor
Active Member
I have a 11.5 ton 34ft pilothouse ( extra windage) ketch rigged long keel motorsailor, and sail with older less than mobile crew via a lock to a marina berth. I have 3 rigged high (for thru lock, side varies at the last minute) and 4 rigged low (for either side marina) on each side plus a bow protection fender ( for anchor protection and front pontoon protection) plus a large ball at the bow and a small ball at the stern when coming onto the pontoon. The boat is heavy, long keel, hard to manoeuvre with a lot of windage off the pilothouse. She does not go predictably in reverse. Underway they are all stored on the pilothouse roof (six) pulpit (five) , pulpit (five) and foredeck (four) (no room in small lockers). When at berth there are five deployed dockside plus three offside. Plus have three very small ones for rigid dingy. Twenty in total fifteen bought second hand or came with the boat. I am not proud. When I was at my swing mooring for several years I only carried six in case arriving at a pontoon (rare in those days).
wingcommander
Well-Known Member
27 ft boat 4 each side , single handed. Home berth port side to ,so these at pontoon ht, starboard side gunwale ht to keep my neighbour happy .Big ball roving fender. Also one of those bow fenders as a fail safe . Quite happy to rest onto neighbour if being blown off, and sort out later, with all that protection .
ingenious
RIP
Are these things any good?
I have 8 normal sausage-shaped ones down the side plus two spares and two round ones hanging off the back at the moment. Haven't got anything for the bow but was debating one of these or one off the y shaped buoys
thinwater
Well-Known Member
+1 fender boards.
Much depends on what you are docking against. For floating docks and rafting individual fenders can work. Against pilings a fender board is mandatory if there is any wave action or wakes. Otherwise the fenders will pop out. Most times, I would be happier with a fender board, two fenders for it and rope, than 4-6 free fenders.
With a fenderboard, 4 fenders should be enough. However, I've shoved more than 2 fenders behind the board in rough conditions.
Also, I like fenders I can string vertically for concrete walls with a tide.
Roberto
Well-Known Member
I have one but I prefer a slightly beefier one I bought later, very similar shape. It s quite useful for maneuvering alone: engine in slow forward with the bow resting against the pontoon and the rudder to push the side to the finger, you can take off all mooring lines the boat will not move, then reverse and off you go. Also useful when arriving, need just a bit of judgement for the distance bow/pontoon
bow against the pontoon and engine left in forward +rudder against the finger, attach mooring lines at leisure, then turn off engine Found a link
Défense d'étrave PVM1 Ocean
D1bram
New Member
When we acquired the current boat she had none, I went a bit daft with hurricane fenders, got a pack of 6 of their PM04 size I think? Then 3 of the size down, also have a fender step mainly to help us get up from the tender.
She's only 27 feet, but has a cavernous cockpit locker which takes them all plus a 2.3m inflatable while leaving loads of space over, reckon I'd get a couple of paddle boards in there too. There's a much more sensible sized locker the other side for mooring lines etc and a lazarette for spare fuel cans. I think cockpit storage is nearly as much as cabin space!
She's only 27 feet, but has a cavernous cockpit locker which takes them all plus a 2.3m inflatable while leaving loads of space over, reckon I'd get a couple of paddle boards in there too. There's a much more sensible sized locker the other side for mooring lines etc and a lazarette for spare fuel cans. I think cockpit storage is nearly as much as cabin space!
ylop
Well-Known Member
I have one. it has never been tested in anger so can't really say. We used to have a V shaped one but I didn't like it as whilst psychologically it was reassuring for entering fingers of uncertain length, in practice the height of the pontoons varied enough to risk invalidating that benefit. These long ones seem to address that range far better (and IMHO look a bit better too). It also seems to discourage the crew from tying the boat up quite so far forward on the finger which is good IMHO.