Your best tip for squeaky fender buoys?

With respect, your mooring appears to be in a very rural location, with little paved or hard areas in view. When we are alongside this is not the case. Our home berth is town centre, only wind blown dust from a town likely to get on our fender socks. Because we keep her in the UK the sometime nonstop pissing rain obviously keeps them clean! ;)

Your mooring is possibly affected by agricultural wind blown dust and soil, meaning fender socks might not work so well.

I purposely ran my hands over six of my twelve large fenders fitted with socks, the ones that were in use or being changed as per previous post. No grit .

My fingertips can detect a two thou wear ridge in a cylinder bore or other hard worked mechanical component. They would find grit in fender socks for sure.

We had broken shell on two fenders during a heavy weather stop in Baltimore, but a quick hose off soon sorted that. They were from the 'Yacht Haven' a barge with a concrete deck with a garden shed fixed to it for alongside mooring. It had a substantial growth of small mussels on the hull, which were crushed by our fenders.
 
With respect, your mooring appears to be in a very rural location, with little paved or hard areas in view. When we are alongside this is not the case. Our home berth is town centre, only wind blown dust from a town likely to get on our fender socks. Because we keep her in the UK the sometime nonstop pissing rain obviously keeps them clean! ;)

Your mooring is possibly affected by agricultural wind blown dust and soil, meaning fender socks might not work so well.

I purposely ran my hands over six of my twelve large fenders fitted with socks, the ones that were in use or being changed as per previous post. No grit .

My fingertips can detect a two thou wear ridge in a cylinder bore or other hard worked mechanical component. They would find grit in fender socks for sure.

We had broken shell on two fenders during a heavy weather stop in Baltimore, but a quick hose off soon sorted that. They were from the 'Yacht Haven' a barge with a concrete deck with a garden shed fixed to it for alongside mooring. It had a substantial growth of small mussels on the hull, which were crushed by our fenders.

Don't forget I have two boats ... one (25ft) is as you say 'rural' at bottom of my garden with wooden pontoons .... but other (38ft - too big to get to my home mooring) is in Harbour with concrete / wood / other boats etc.

Also until 2007 - the 25ft'r was in UK marina ... and cruised Solent extensively when I was there.

Been boating since about 5yrs old ... now near 68.
 
We have two big sperical fenders. Tied quite loosely fore and aft, they roll with the boat so that there is no rubbing. Problem solved.
So are mine. Will still screm when being pushed.
Just tie up so they aren't rubbing. Use your forward offside line to pull the boat against the stern nearside line and your boat won't push against the dock
Sounds like footbal to me. When wind or current is pushing the boat against the dock, there is no lines that will make it so the boat does not push against it. I dont care where you put em. It is not possible.
 
So are mine. Will still screm when being pushed.

Sounds like footbal to me. When wind or current is pushing the boat against the dock, there is no lines that will make it so the boat does not push against it. I dont care where you put em. It is not possible.

The only way to stop it - if you have a berth with fingers either side that allows you to centre the boat .... such as previous owner had for my latest ....

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but most marinas have two boat spacing ...
 
The only way to stop it - if you have a berth with fingers either side that allows you to centre the boat .... such as previous owner had for my latest ....



but most marinas have two boat spacing ...
My marina has two boat spacing, but my boat is a similar distance from the pontoon as yours because my starboard bow line pulls against my port bow spring (the spring at the stern!). The boat never touches the pontoon and we obviously don't get any squeaky fenders since they aren't touching anything but the topsides.
Sure, it's a little further to step aboard, but worth it for a good night sleep.
 
My marina has two boat spacing, but my boat is a similar distance from the pontoon as yours because my starboard bow line pulls against my port bow spring (the spring at the stern!). The boat never touches the pontoon and we obviously don't get any squeaky fenders since they aren't touching anything but the topsides.
Sure, it's a little further to step aboard, but worth it for a good night sleep.


I've tried understanding this line setup and also the previous post you mentioned lines .... but something just doesn't seem right ...
starboard bow line pulls against my port bow spring (the spring at the stern!).

Can you do a simple sketch of your line setup ??
 
I've tried understanding this line setup and also the previous post you mentioned lines .... but something just doesn't seem right ...


Can you do a simple sketch of your line setup ??
Line from midships cleat to port goes to finger pontoon at stern. Pulling against this is a line from starboard bow to main pontoon. Boat is obviously bows to in this configuration. The two lines pull the boat away from the finger pontoon because they want to line up straight. A line from port bow keeps the boat straight and stern line stops the stern swinging out since it would naturally turn due to the line from midships.
 
We kept a boat in Evans Bay Marina, Wellington, NZ. Not floating pier or walkway, a big tide was 1.5 metres, so not neccessary.

The berth was between four posts. The lines were sized to keep the boat between the four posts, no fenders required, or springs. There was a very short-8 foot-pier joined to the walkway on the Port bow if we moored bow forward. The forward starboard line was eye and thimble spliced to a large steel hook, from a crane. This hook had a metre and a half of heavy chain fixed to it plus a light line long enough to be attached to the main walkway. There was a large steel "U" fixed to the Starboard post, protruding about five inches. The light line enabled the hook to be removed from the "U" which allowed slack enough to pull the boat with the port bow line to the short pier to get on and off the boat. The heavy length of chain had enough weight to keep the hook in place when hooked on to keep the vessel central.

Simples....................................

And every berth along Pier 1 used the same system.

I thought it a complicated and crap system, but soon found the many benefits.
 
Line from midships cleat to port goes to finger pontoon at stern. Pulling against this is a line from starboard bow to main pontoon. Boat is obviously bows to in this configuration. The two lines pull the boat away from the finger pontoon because they want to line up straight. A line from port bow keeps the boat straight and stern line stops the stern swinging out since it would naturally turn due to the line from midships.

Not being smart - but that is not quite what you posted before - and makes more sense.

Just a thought ... what if other boat is a wide boat as is often case now - and he decides to play similar trick ? Surely you now have fender situation between the boats ?? Most two slot marinas I have used are a bit skimpy on width for two modern boats wide 'arses' !!!
 
Line from midships cleat to port goes to finger pontoon at stern. Pulling against this is a line from starboard bow to main pontoon. Boat is obviously bows to in this configuration. The two lines pull the boat away from the finger pontoon because they want to line up straight. A line from port bow keeps the boat straight and stern line stops the stern swinging out since it would naturally turn due to the line from midships.
I can see what you are getting at but in my berth the lines would have to be bar-tight, and even then the prevailing wind would work against them and push the boat across. It might just work if I took a further line from the outside mid-cleat forwards in addition, but the stretch in the ropes would probably make even this ineffective. I use such lines in situations when wind or waves make the bow lines snatch and likely to disturb my precious sleep.
 
My wife worked in a chandlers at a South Coast marina. People who bought fender socks invariably came back to complain that big holes had been worn in them rubbing on the pontoons.......
 
First mate makes them to suit our ten large fenders. I tend to change four every year, holes and 'ladders'.

She used the material sold at boat shows but bought from the internet.

24 Inches long, a 1 inch hem each end with a space left for threading a light cord or bit of shockcord using my years old threader made from a bit of 1/16th welding wire. They stretch much larger.

It does fade badly, but stops serious rubbing and some substantial amount of noise.

The reason four need annual changing is that being lazy I tend to pull the four top ones out of the locker! Those, of course, were the ones used last time we were alongside.

We have not bought any material for three years and have three ready made socks 'in stock'.
 
Not being smart - but that is not quite what you posted before - and makes more sense.

Just a thought ... what if other boat is a wide boat as is often case now - and he decides to play similar trick ? Surely you now have fender situation between the boats ?? Most two slot marinas I have used are a bit skimpy on width for two modern boats wide 'arses' !!!
We’re in with a pretty wide mobo and it works for us but yes I’m quite sure it won’t work for everyone.
 
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