Fenders

[mark99]

Dear All,

 

Fenders - I like the rubber long cylinder types.

 

Where should these be hung from? I see some hung from roof and some from the gunwhales? some cruise with thm out, some don't.

 

I beleive it's not good form to hang them whilst cuising however, if each fender is attached by a weak link (cable clip?) to the rope, surely they will detach before creating an hang up issue?

 

Are there other reasons for not hanging whilst cruising?

 

TIA

 

Mark

[carlt]

Are there other reasons for not hanging whilst cruising?

Apart from looking wrong , why suffer the expense and inconvenience of losing fenders to weak link failures, when they serve no purpose, dangling whilst underway.

 

A weak link won't stop you getting hung up, in a narrow lock, with dangly fenders.

[Idunhoe]

I would strongly recommened against cruising with fenders hanging over the side. It would not be the first time that a boat had become stuck in a lock by a fender and once jammed no amount of 'weak links' are going to help the situation. On a more personal note imho cruising with fenders dangling over the side just does not look right.

 

Edited to insert missing word and spelling mistake(s)

Edited September 21, 2009 by Idunhoe

[churchward]

Dear All,

 

Fenders - I like the rubber long cylinder types.

 

Where should these be hung from? I see some hung from roof and some from the gunwhales? some cruise with thm out, some don't.

 

I beleive it's not good form to hang them whilst cuising however, if each fender is attached by a weak link (cable clip?) to the rope, surely they will detach before creating an hang up issue?

 

Are there other reasons for not hanging whilst cruising?

 

TIA

 

Mark

If hanging fenders wedge between the boat and the wall in a lock for instance it may not matter if the rope breaks the fender will still be stuck and cause an problem.

 

I never cruise with fenders down due to the additional hazard they represent in a narrow lock or when paired with another boat in a wide lock. From a pure "looks" point of view I think it looks awful to have the dragging in the water and down the side of the boat anyway.

 

other than when mooring they do not serve any purpose. The chances of one of these pipe fenders actually protecting the boat from a collision with another boat or object is very small as they only cover a small area.

[howardang]

Dear All,

 

Fenders - I like the rubber long cylinder types.

 

Where should these be hung from? I see some hung from roof and some from the gunwhales? some cruise with thm out, some don't.

 

I beleive it's not good form to hang them whilst cuising however, if each fender is attached by a weak link (cable clip?) to the rope, surely they will detach before creating an hang up issue?

 

Are there other reasons for not hanging whilst cruising?

 

TIA

 

Mark

If they hang up and detach, they are quite often not recovered and another boat may well get it through the propeller.

If they detach in a lock, they can jamb between the bottom of a gate and the cill causing unnecessary expense and delays.

If the lock is tight they can easily cause a boat to jamb in the lock, either in a narrow lock, or if two boats have them rigged, in a wide lock as well.

While cruising, they swing at the end of their ropes eventually rubbing off thje paintwork.

While cruising, they don't give any anti collision protection from other boats.

If they do hang up and the boat is moving the force generated can cause accidents to onlookers; I saw one recently which flew around 8-10ft into the air after fouling a boltheat on some loose piling.

 

Apart from the above, it just looks untidy.

 

HTH

 

Howard

[nb Innisfree]

We used to cruise with them down (fenders that is ...mmm ) but got fed up with them catching on lock gates, so we go naked now! much easier let rubbing strakes do their job + we now use small wheels instead when mooring

[WJM]

Dangling over the side but not in the water is fine. And even the thinnest fender can be enough to jam a boat in a narrow lock

Edited September 21, 2009 by WJM

[RLWP]

Having spent time on the southern Oxford canal I'm beginning to realise that I know nothing about fenders .

 

Our 70' boat has three which live on the roof most of the time. The centre one swaps sides when needed and the other two get tied to the appropriate side when we moor up.

 

But all of the other boats moving on the Oxford had at least six attached to the gunnels trailing in the water at all times. One 40' boat had sixteen. SIXTEEN!!! four on the gunnels and four in the water down each side. Clearly I need more fenders.

 

Richard

 

Actually, I got myself a new one on the Oxford. It was in a pile of dredgings by a bridgehole below a lock with a broken rope. Half an hour of splicing and I now have a spare.

[FadeToScarlet]

I seriously recommend that you institute the Testicle Award for the most ridiculous uses of fenders. Generally won by tupperwares, but narrowboats do occasionally win.

 

It brightens up your cruising, awarding this dubious honour!

[Keeping Up]

I always advise people to use rope fenders hung from the side while they are travelling. Then they get torn off and I can collect them, attach a new bit of rope, and put them in my locker ready to be hung at the side after I've moored up.

[Naughty Cal]

I seriously recommend that you institute the Testicle Award for the most ridiculous uses of fenders. Generally won by tupperwares, but narrowboats do occasionally win.

 

We thought we were quite high in the rankings for this award, however a small bayliner cuddy has just arrived on our pontoon and it beats us hands down. Never have i seen as many fenders on one small boat.

[mark99]

Thanks ----- I'm almost educated.......... question ..... where is best to attach? roof handrail or gunwhale or some-where else?

 

One hireboat we had had no facility apart from centre to tie them to when moored (we ended up using the poles on the roof to hang some from).

 

Rgds

 

Mark

[alan_fincher]

We thought we were quite high in the rankings for this award, however a small bayliner cuddy has just arrived on our pontoon and it beats us hands down. Never have i seen as many fenders on one small boat.

Ah! But did it need so many before it started mooring near you?

[Naughty Cal]

Depends on your boat and where is best to hang them

 

Ah! But did it need so many before it started mooring near you?

 

Whatever do you mean

[NB Alnwick]

The Police boats on the Thames seem to carry a lot of bright orange fenders - Jane thought they were putting down 'bollards' like the orange cones you see on roads . . .

[Guest User]

Thanks ----- I'm almost educated.......... question ..... where is best to attach? roof handrail or gunwhale or some-where else?

 

One hireboat we had had no facility apart from centre to tie them to when moored (we ended up using the poles on the roof to hang some from).

 

Rgds

 

Mark

 

.... handrail hangers are more easily deployed/removed than fenders tied on by gunwale rings

 

Mind you, I think you're supposed to mount fenders in specially designed racks that are angled skywards, reminiscent of WW2 depth-charge launch racks ... not sure if they have release mechanisms for catapulting them over the side but in which case roof hangers might not "hang on" and you'd then be left with the prospect of seeing the fenders disappearing over the fields and far away

[Nine of Hearts]

.... handrail hangers are more easily deployed/removed than fenders tied on by gunwale rings

 

This is a very true story. Usually pootle about with mine a-dangle, but then the general opprobrium started getting to me, so now I kick them up onto the gunwale. But... they have a tendency to fall back in again, and getting them back up when they're on the offside is no mean feat (perhaps my arms are too short?). In hindsight, hanging them from the roof rails is probably the way to go.

[Chertsey]

If you save them for when you're tied up you only need two, and I'd go for something a bit more substantial than a pipe for that. After all, the purpose is to stop you being kept awake by banging and grinding on the side (no I'm not going to rephrase that; I tried but I can't) so something that keeps you out from the concrete/piling a bit and absorbs a bit of impact (rather than just stopping your blacking getting scratched) is good.

If there's no convenient bit of boat to attach them to, sometimes they can be attached to the bank (albeit this is another good way of leaving them behind).

Also I have been known to hang one off a mudweight on the foredeck to get it in the right place for an awkward bit of bank.

 

This is a very true story. Usually pootle about with mine a-dangle, but then the general opprobrium started getting to me, so now I kick them up onto the gunwale. But... they have a tendency to fall back in again, and getting them back up when they're on the offside is no mean feat (perhaps my arms are too short?). In hindsight, hanging them from the roof rails is probably the way to go.

Take 'em right off when you untie in the morning - chances are you'll need them differently positioned when you next tie up anyway.

[alan_fincher]

.... handrail hangers are more easily deployed/removed than fenders tied on by gunwale rings

But if you have welded on eyes near gunwale height, these are a very easy way of snapping on the fenders you need to moor....

 

 

If you do it only once against the bank, or when leaving it, the biggest risks normally faced are tell nettles or (worse) kneeling in dog pooh!

[churchward]

Thanks ----- I'm almost educated.......... question ..... where is best to attach? roof handrail or gunwhale or some-where else?

 

One hireboat we had had no facility apart from centre to tie them to when moored (we ended up using the poles on the roof to hang some from).

 

Rgds

 

Mark

Hooking them over or tying them to handrails is probably a more flexible way of using the fenders as this will allow you to position them where you need them when you moor. Not all walls, pilling or banking is nice and straight!

[DHutch]

I have a few of the pipe/tube type (used to be three per side but now more like two) which stay tied on but at basally never deployed.

- Certainly you wouldnt want to cruse with them down as they geting the way, cause problems, get jamed in lock, and look stupid to boot.

- What they are usful for however when tied to the handrails is as a short lenght of rope to use to pull the boat around when its abouta foot out from the side, say in a wide lock, or through a partially small or crooked tunnel or bridge with a towpath.

 

 

Daniel

[churchward]

But if you have welded on eyes near gunwale height, these are a very easy way of snapping on the fenders you need to moor....

 

 

If you do it only once against the bank, or when leaving it, the biggest risks normally faced are tell nettles or (worse) kneeling in dog pooh!

We use a similar hook arrangement for our rubber pipe fenders on the gunwales and then a couple of ones to hook over the top rail to places strategically depending on the uneven surface we are mooring against. All are removed when underway.

[MoominPapa]

But if you have welded on eyes near gunwale height, these are a very easy way of snapping on the fenders you need to moor....

 

 

If you do it only once against the bank, or when leaving it, the biggest risks normally faced are tell nettles or (worse) kneeling in dog pooh!

We have eyes welded on to the outside corner of gunwales. We used to have six, three on each side, but now we have five because one got caught somewhere in a Nene lock and ripped off. I figure that if one can catch and generate enough force to break the weld, then it can also create enough force to hang up the boat, so they are going to be removed, and we'll use handrail clips to suspend the fenders instead. (only when moored, of course.)

 

MP.

[alan_fincher]

We have eyes welded on to the outside corner of gunwales. We used to have six, three on each side, but now we have five because one got caught somewhere in a Nene lock and ripped off. I figure that if one can catch and generate enough force to break the weld, then it can also create enough force to hang up the boat, so they are going to be removed, and we'll use handrail clips to suspend the fenders instead. (only when moored, of course.)

 

MP.

Yes,

 

If any kind of eye is welded to the gunwale, there is clearly some kind of potentially unsatisfactory compromise between ones that angle out in some way, but don't obstruct the gunwale, and those that definitely don't protrude, but slightly obstruct use of gunwales as a walkway.

 

Ours are of the second type, and when we had them put there, I did wonder if they might be a "trip hazard". In practice they cause no problems at all, so I would definitely vote for pointing upwards, not outwards.

 

Yours is not the only story on here of projecting ones causing problems in locks.

[sueb]

Use thick fenders when moored but at no other times unless you like being laughed at by other boaters.

Sue