Ex-SolentBoy
New member
They dont sell inflatable fenders
Inflatable fenders
- Thread starter Salty John
- Start date
They dont sell inflatable fenders
Ex-SolentBoy
New member
None on ebay. Avon Hypalon ones are all around £300.
Ex-SolentBoy
New member
These are the Easystore ones. About £50 for the large size. Probably not very robust, but in the other hand they will probably last for more than 1/6th of the time of the Avon ones, so perhaps are a very good buy?
prv
Well-known member
I want to get a couple of bigguns.
I have four moderate sized fenders which is all I can reasonably stow on KS. That's just about adequate for a marina berth, but if I moored alongside a quayside or anywhere else more "traditional", as I'd like to, it's far too little. So I want to get at least two large inflatables for those situations.
Problem, as everyone here already knows, is the price. They do seem very expensive for what they are. My reaction when I first saw the thread, and its author, was to hope that Salty John had found a supplier and was selling them at a more reasonable price. If he can do that, I'm buying
Pete
I have four moderate sized fenders which is all I can reasonably stow on KS. That's just about adequate for a marina berth, but if I moored alongside a quayside or anywhere else more "traditional", as I'd like to, it's far too little. So I want to get at least two large inflatables for those situations.
Problem, as everyone here already knows, is the price. They do seem very expensive for what they are. My reaction when I first saw the thread, and its author, was to hope that Salty John had found a supplier and was selling them at a more reasonable price. If he can do that, I'm buying
Pete
pugwash60
Member
I used to use them a bit on a superyacht. They are good and tough, two obvious disadvantages were that they were a bit rougher on the paintwork so needed fender sox, and they used to blow around a lot in the wind. Good at their job apart from that, we had a combination of normal and inflatable. Duncans seem to be selling some at a good price - 30 quid for 700 X250 mm.
Ex-SolentBoy
New member
Interesting comment. Were they hypalon or PVC which are lighter and blows about more. The wear thing is worrying though. 300 quid for a fender and 50 for a sock makes it economically preferable to scratch your boat.
Tom Price
N/A
[QUOTE=Salty John: "These (Easystow) look very durable and are better priced, depending on shipping cost from USA."
The shipping for one 27" Heavy Duty(£43) with one 36" Heavy Duty(£67) is £40 sez the manufacturer.
The shipping for one 27" Heavy Duty(£43) with one 36" Heavy Duty(£67) is £40 sez the manufacturer.
Salty John
Active member
I want to get a couple of bigguns.
My reaction when I first saw the thread, and its author, was to hope that Salty John had found a supplier and was selling them at a more reasonable price. If he can do that, I'm buying
Pete
Pete, I'm on the case! More complicated that it first seems. There are several different approaches to making these things - single skin pvc at one end of the quality spectrum, internal bladder and external wear sleeve at the other. The prices vary but what they have in common is, they are all too high. In some cases it would be more economical to hang cheap inflatable dinghies off your rails, or bouncy castles!
Salty John
Active member
Quite high in percentage terms. They seem to be quite heavy, 2Kg and 3Kg respectively for those two sizes. I suppose if you don't get charged VAT it's not so bad.
prv
Well-known member
Glad to hear it!
I guess the question is how your likely customers will use them. It seems superyachts often use inflatables as (part of) their normal fendering arrangements, so they need to be tough and long-lasting. But for us normal yotties, I suspect the more likely use is like mine, an occasional "overflow" for use in a troublesome berth. That needs to be robust enough not to pop in a surge, or be holed by rough stonework over a few nights, but it doesn't need to stand daily use for months on end.
I think I'd rather buy more of them cheaply than only be able to afford one bomb-proof one.
Don't think I haven't considered it! A fender is such a simple shape to make, compared to the dinghies, that it seems obvious there's room to undercut the current prices.
If you did get into this business, any idea of a very rough timescale? I'm planning to sail in Cornwall this summer and I'd like to take some inflatables with me. Should I hold out for the Salty John version, or just buy some Force 4 "boat rollers" now if there's no chance of you being ready to fill orders by then? (The boat rollers appear to be much the same thing as the fenders at a reduced price. Just need a loop glued on for a lanyard.)
Pete
Ex-SolentBoy
New member
I was wrong.
Compass Marine in Dartmouth do make inflatable fenders. They are just not on their website. They have sent me pictures and they seem to be very high quality in Hypalon.
Prices are still not cheap, but lower than the ones mentioned previously. Had a long chat with the guy that makes them. They are hand made to order and a reasonable size fender takes almost a day to make. No wonder they cost a bit.
