What's the big deal with fenders?

[johnalison]

Fenders will only get tangled and ride up when the moving boat is being helmed by an incompetent helmsman. The correct way to approach another boat will always bring the adjacent boats together without a shearing force. If you don't understand this, please don't try to come alongside me.

 

[l'escargot]

Fenders will only get tangled and ride up when the moving boat is being helmed by an incompetent helmsman. The correct way to approach another boat will always bring the adjacent boats together without a shearing force. If you don't understand this, please don't try to come alongside me.

Nonsense. It may be partially true when rafting but it certainly isn't when entering a marina berth between two fingers. which is the circumstance in the OP - one marina I use there is often only a foot or two between my offside and the other boat when between the two fingers. There physically is not enough room to get opposing fenders past without tangling as you are entering the berth. If you don't understand that please don't come into a finger berth alongside me in a marina...

Have a look at how tight some of these berths are:

 

[Gordonmc]

I currently have nine fenders. Four go on each side, three midships-ish with one on the forward quarter.
The last one is a rover which stays handy.
Reason - on a misbehaving long keeler I need to be ready to berth either side on a pontoon. Best intentions are oft victim to a cross-wind.
Once berthed, fenders are shifted as appropriate, normally six on the pontoon side, three on t'other.

 

[colhel]

Is it possible that fenders are lost overboard on charter boats and aren't replaced?

 

[Seajet]

Is it possible that fenders are lost overboard on charter boats and aren't replaced?

I don't think that's an excuse; it's a pretty simple concept, show consideration for and don't damage other peoples' pride and joy !

A charterer might be there for a week but the owner might have spent all their retirement and the years leading up to it setting up their boat, so some clown bumbling into her on a holiday who couldn't give a toss would be a nightmare scenario...

 

[jac]

I don't think that's an excuse; it's a pretty simple concept, show consideration for and don't damage other peoples' pride and joy !

A charterer might be there for a week but the owner might have spent all their retirement and the years leading up to it setting up their boat, so some clown bumbling into her on a holiday who couldn't give a toss would be a nightmare scenario...

Not sure of that Andy.

What is the charterer to do? He has 4 fenders and knows that port side will touch pontoon and that starboard shouldn't touch anything.

By your logic he should fender starboard in case it goes wrong but that means he definitely scratches his chartered boat in 100 of cases but may avoid damaging someone else's boat in 10% of cases.

Ideal is 4-5 a side and a rover as I have but not all boats have that many.

 

[davidwf]

Its not just charter boats, in the summer I see plenty of boats normally kept on swinging moorings coming into the marina with some seriously small pathetic excuses for fenders.

I believe its only polite to use appropriately sized fenders and have them out both sides I don't rely on my neighbours fenders and we both agree that we'd rather we laid against each other properly if we are blown off our pontoon when arriving, rather than using brute force and ignorance with the throttle.

 

[Leighb]

Like others who have replied already we always rig fenders both sides, lowish on the side where we "expect" the pontoon and higher on the outside. We have more than once been caught out by marinas allocating a berth already occupied and had to go in opposite side to what was expected. For this reason we also have lines ready both sides also.
Perhaps belt and braces but avoids any last minute hassle. Normally we rig 4 fenders each side and have 2 more as spares for tricky circumstances. They all, plus warps, bucket and other stuff fit comfortably into one cockpit locker and it is only a 30' boat of 1980s vintage. Most modern yachts have vast lockers so no excuse not to carry a reasonable number of fenders?

Only once have we been given a slot where there was barely room, and on that occasion there was time for the crew to simply pull our fenders up as we crept into the narrow space. Coming in dead slow helps with most berthing problems.

 

[Seajet]

Not sure of that Andy.

What is the charterer to do? He has 4 fenders and knows that port side will touch pontoon and that starboard shouldn't touch anything.

By your logic he should fender starboard in case it goes wrong but that means he definitely scratches his chartered boat in 100 of cases but may avoid damaging someone else's boat in 10% of cases.

Ideal is 4-5 a side and a rover as I have but not all boats have that many.

jac,

it's obviously a matter for that all too rare element, commonsensium.

If a charter boat really is sent out with 3 fenders, for a start the provider needs a good kicking, then proporionately 1 fender ought to be left on the non - pontoon etc side and be ' roaming ' if there are enough crew.

More likely, if one has 6 fenders, 2 could be on the side away from the pontoon in case things go awry.

 

[Tempus]

I have never even been close to hitting the other boat at a pontoon.

Not sure many of us could say that with our hands on our hearts. Either you haven't moored in many marinas or your boat handling is way way better than mine or anybody else's who ever comes alongside me. We were in a hamble marina for many years and sustained constant damage at springs form boats coming into the adjacent berth, fendered or not and usually not on our side.

 

[prv]

They all, plus warps, bucket and other stuff fit comfortably into one cockpit locker and it is only a 30' boat of 1980s vintage. Most modern yachts have vast lockers so no excuse not to carry a reasonable number of fenders?

Errm, not necessarily. I'm guessing you have a quarter berth one side and a fairly cavernous locker the other, and perhaps a lazarette too. Whereas more modern boats will often stuff the whole stern full of cabins and have very shallow lockers. We suffer from that, and can only fit three fenders in the locker along with an undersized dinghy and minimal other odds and sods. But we also have four more fenders in mobo-style wire baskets along the inside of the stern rails.

Pete

 

[lw395]

.. Coming in dead slow helps with most berthing problems.

Just not the ones where losing steerage way in a cross-tide or gust of cross wind sends it all pear shaped.....

reading the Op's post, quite unlikely that any amount of fenders down the side will stop the anchor on the bow hitting another boat.

 

[Seajet]

Just not the ones where losing steerage way in a cross-tide or gust of cross wind sends it all pear shaped.....

reading the Op's post, quite unlikely that any amount of fenders down the side will stop the anchor on the bow hitting another boat.

Then that is up to the conscience & consideration of the owner of the unmanageable damaging boat; one would hope if someone knew their boat was more than a handful they might steer clear or at least pick an outer berth until they could get help being warped around.

 

[Seajet]

Warping around;

there have been a fair few times whan I've had to warp my 22 & 30' boats around in marinas during gales so as to have an easier exit, or even just so as not the wind blowing into the companionway; why do some newbies or even experienced bods think it a big deal ?

 

[Woodlouse]

Warping around;

there have been a fair few times whan I've had to warp my 22 & 30' boats around in marinas during gales so as to have an easier exit, or even just so as not the wind blowing into the companionway; why do some newbies or even experienced bods think it a big deal ?

Well for me it tends to be a fairly big deal because the boat is 13 tons dry and warping generally means I'm trying to get either in or out of somewhere very tight. It also usually involves digging out the longest and heaviest ropes out and then using the dinghy to rig them up. The operation is usually quite straight forward but carrying it out can take a fair bit of planning and effort.

 

[Seajet]

Woodlouse, fair enough but still a lot easier on everyone than doing it under engine; please don't think all my experiences are with 22' !

 

[Leighb]

Errm, not necessarily. I'm guessing you have a quarter berth one side and a fairly cavernous locker the other, and perhaps a lazarette too. Whereas more modern boats will often stuff the whole stern full of cabins and have very shallow lockers. We suffer from that, and can only fit three fenders in the locker along with an undersized dinghy and minimal other odds and sods. But we also have four more fenders in mobo-style wire baskets along the inside of the stern rails.

Pete

I stand corrected. We don't have a quarter berth either so both cockpit lockers are similar size, altho' port has the gas locker and a floor with engine battery below which reduces its volume somewhat.

 

[lw395]

Then that is up to the conscience & consideration of the owner of the unmanageable damaging boat; one would hope if someone knew their boat was more than a handful they might steer clear or at least pick an outer berth until they could get help being warped around.

The closest I've come to damaging another boat was in a French marina, being directed by a chap with a dory and a silly hat, I assume he was a marina official. It looked like he was going to assist, but after we'd followed him into a tight space, he just buggered off. Leaving us to moor facing down tide in a puffy cross wind.
I'm still grateful for the timely help from a German lady on another boat.
Give me the buoys outside Yarmouth every time.

Warping is a good option sometimes, but you have to get secured first. I've used it enough times for leaving a berth.
We do carry a lot of fenders, but no amount of fenders will stop the bow of most boats hitting another, or the stern when a turn goes wrong.
Having a line on the midships cleat both sides is a good call.
Also taking the odd hour to practise at the start of the season is worthwhile, we do get rusty over the winter. I know I'm a much better boat handler at the end of a two week cruise!

 

[SimonFa]

One tip I got from an instructor was that when you are in a position where someone is going to raft on you either don't put out fenders or if you do tie them to strong points eg cleats and the bottom of the shrouds. That way if you get a glancing blow and fenders tangle you won't get your stanchions ripped out.

The finger pontoon berth next to me in the marina has been empty since I bought Venezia and I've given a lot of thought to fenders on that side because the prevailing wind and the direction of approach mean there is a good chance that visitors will hit me. I came to the conclusion that its unlikely a fender will protect me from them really screwing up and T boning me, hoverer having watched a few visitors coming in I need protection amid ships and at the stern and arrange 4 large fenders accordingly.

 

[colhel]

Is there any reason not to tie fenders horizontally like you often see in water taxis? I've thought that doing this would minimise the risk if tangling and give a larger area of protection.