Side Fenders

[Kipper 2]

I normally cruise with my fenders up. There attached to built in loops on the side of the gunnels, just hanging down when moored and laying on top of the gunnel when cruising.

My question is, is there a way to keep them safely laying on the gunnel without them rolling off?

[Tony Brooks]

Yes, but not by using the eyes, use longer ropes and fender hooks on the handrail. They can then be lifted off and stowed away. This also allows you to place them to suit any bank projections. Otherwise, you can get flat plastic fenders that would not roll off, but may be brushed off by vegetation because they are likely to be wider than the gunnels.

[Rob-M]

I use soft shackles on the loops on the gunnels so they can quickly be removed and placed on the roof when leaving a mooring.

[blackrose]

Lifting fenders before leaving a mooring isn't an issue. I want to know how to deploy side fenders when single-handed and coming into a mooring; into a big lock with other boats or mooring up against another boat?

 

I sometimes leave the tiller when the boat is almost at a standstill and a couple of feet away from a concrete bank, other boat, etc, and get up on the roof to deploy fenders,  before going back to the helm and bringing the boat in, but that's a tricky skill single- handed and if there's significant wind or current forget it, I won't leave the tiller. So for me moving with fenders down is often a better option. Having said that I wouldn't do that on a narrow boat. I'm on a widebeam so I'm not going to get stuck in narrow locks because side fenders are down.

Edited February 1 by blackrose

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

Lifting fenders before leaving a mooring isn't an issue. I want to know how to deploy side fenders when single-handed and coming into a mooring; into a big lock with other boats or mooring up against another boat?

 

I sometimes leave the tiller when the boat is almost at a standstill and a couple of feet away from a concrete bank, other boat, etc, and get up on the roof to deploy fenders,  before going back to the helm and bringing the boat in, but that's a tricky skill single- handed and if there's significant wind or current forget it, I won't leave the tiller. So for me moving with fenders down is often a better option. Having said that I wouldn't do that on a narrow boat. I'm on a widebeam so I'm not going to get stuck in narrow locks because side fenders are down.

 I never berth up to another boat and hit that hard to need fenders. I find most boaters are understanding when a situation like this occurs. In locks or the rare mooring situation side by side I never worry, after all there’s rubbing strakes to protect and if you have stopped It wouldn’t be an issue.

 I also travel singe handed on a Trad-stern narrow. The only fenders I have down are at the back as the rear curves, one each side and use these to bounce the rear and just step off with the centre line, they never get caught as they are not on the straight side line. Obviously you can’t do this if you have a straight sides square back end.

 I have put fender eyes near the handrail and just clip/un clip the fenders off where and when needed. You could do the same leaving your fenders on the roof, then just throw them over when needed, this way with the clip system you don’t need loads of fenders both sides, just the side moored.

[LadyG]

5 hours ago, Kipper 2 said:

I normally cruise with my fenders up. There attached to built in loops on the side of the gunnels, just hanging down when moored and laying on top of the gunnel when cruising.

My question is, is there a way to keep them safely laying on the gunnel without them rolling off?

I dont think so

 

Edited February 1 by LadyG

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

9 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Yes, with fender loops welden on the gunnels.

Do you mean on top? As I find these can be trip hazards, even though they are on your boat, you tend to forget about them when moving along the gunnel as you’re often focused ahead on something else.

Edited February 1 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Tony Brooks]

24 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

I have put fender eyes near the handrail and just clip/un clip the fenders off where and when needed. You could do the same leaving your fenders on the roof, then just throw them over when needed, this way with the clip system you don’t need loads of fenders both sides, just the side moored.

 

Fine if you are moored on a straight bit of canal side, or on the inside of a sight curve, but as soon as you get lumps of stuff sticking out of the bank or uneven pilling then the ability to fit more than two fenders is convenient, as is the ability to move each fender forwards or backwards to suit the shape of the bank. 

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Fine if you are moored on a straight bit of canal side, or on the inside of a sight curve, but as soon as you get lumps of stuff sticking out of the bank or uneven pilling then the ability to fit more than two fenders is convenient, as is the ability to move each fender forwards or backwards to suit the shape of the bank. 

That's what I do too, the fenders are attached to plastic hooks which can go anywhere along the handrail as needed. Quite often with uneven bank/piling you need to get them in just the right places where the bank protrudes the most -- and this is rarely opposite fixed eye points.

 

(which my hull has and had fenders attached to these when I bought it, but I found they were sometimes in the wrong place)

[Tonka]

1 hour ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 I never berth up to another boat and hit that hard to need fenders. I find most boaters are understanding when a situation like this occurs. In locks or the rare mooring situation side by side I never worry, after all there’s rubbing strakes to protect and if you have stopped It wouldn’t be an issue.

 I also travel singe handed on a Trad-stern narrow. The only fenders I have down are at the back as the rear curves, one each side and use these to bounce the rear and just step off with the centre line, they never get caught as they are not on the straight side line. Obviously you can’t do this if you have a straight sides square back end.

 I have put fender eyes near the handrail and just clip/un clip the fenders off where and when needed. You could do the same leaving your fenders on the roof, then just throw them over when needed, this way with the clip system you don’t need loads of fenders both sides, just the side moored.

I don't think the fenders are working 

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

40 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Fine if you are moored on a straight bit of canal side, or on the inside of a sight curve, but as soon as you get lumps of stuff sticking out of the bank or uneven pilling then the ability to fit more than two fenders is convenient, as is the ability to move each fender forwards or backwards to suit the shape of the bank. 

But I have the ability to fit more than 2 fenders. I have 4 of these eyes fitted each side and 4 cut in fender eyes on the gunnels each side as in the photo, so I have more than enough places to put fenders and the ability to move them to whichever side I need to. I have about 6 fenders on board used when the mooring dictates.

1 minute ago, Tonka said:

I don't think the fenders are working 

Why because of scrapes? Something that comes with cruising. A bit of one coat black satin will sort it😂

[Tonka]

4 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

But I have the ability to fit more than 2 fenders. I have 4 of these eyes fitted each side and 4 cut in fender eyes on the gunnels each side as in the photo, so I have more than enough places to put fenders and the ability to move them to whichever side I need to. I have about 6 fenders on board used when the mooring dictates.

Why because of scrapes? Something that comes with cruising. A bit of one coat black satin will sort it😂

On the red and the grey. A coat of black. Style

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

34 minutes ago, Tonka said:

On the red and the grey. A coat of black. Style

Obviously not talking red or grey, talking about the black rubbing strakes, which the clue is in the name “rubbing strakes”

 The back fenders in the way they are attached do what they’re positioned for, they rise up out of the way if dragged along a concrete mooring or pilling, if your back end gets stuck when pulling off a landing. As I say I don’t worry about rubbing strakes getting scrapped. Far better than the round with bar fender eyes fixed below the gunnels, what causes fenders to be ripped off or the complete eye.

 

Edited February 1 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Chris John]

Bin off fenders and just deploy from roof when moored. Fenders for me are to fender off when moored not to protect my boat or others when traveling. Chances are they’ll either miss or get ripped off and end up around someone else’s prop anyway. 

[blackrose]

3 hours ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 I never berth up to another boat and hit that hard to need fenders. I find most boaters are understanding when a situation like this occurs. In locks or the rare mooring situation side by side I never worry, after all there’s rubbing strakes to protect and if you have stopped It wouldn’t be an issue.

 

I never hit other boats hard either but when I have moored up against other boats they generally prefer if fenders are used and if they don't happen to have them deployed then it's up to me to deploy them. Rubbing strakes will rub off paint on another boat even if the boat has stopped moving, in wind etc, which might not be appreciated and they're not always at the right height for concrete banks.

Edited February 1 by blackrose

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

I never hit other boats hard either but when I have moored up against other boats they generally prefer if fenders are used and if they don't happen to have them deployed then it's up to me to deploy them. Rubbing strakes will rub off paint on another boat which might not be appreciated and they're not always at the right height for concrete banks.

 

And the plastic jobs don't like your blacking rubbed off onto their hulls, some even put socks on their fenders so they can take them home and wash them.

 

When on the Thames on the limited EA public moorings, I would always invite a later arriving boat to moor alongside and fond hat of not well fenders a NB's rubbing band could damage the other boat's gel coat.

Edited February 1 by Tony Brooks

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, Chris John said:

Bin off fenders and just deploy from roof when moored. Fenders for me are to fender off when moored not to protect my boat or others when traveling. 

 

For me they are for both.

 

There doesn't necessarily have to be a right or wrong way of doing these things. Different people just have different approaches.

 

Edited February 1 by blackrose

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

 

I never hit other boats hard either but when I have moored up against other boats they generally prefer if fenders are used and if they don't happen to have them deployed then it's up to me to deploy them. Rubbing strakes will rub off paint on another boat even if the boat has stopped moving, in wind etc, which might not be appreciated and they're not always at the right height for concrete banks.

Yes but I wouldn’t do what you said earlier  and leave the tiller to deploy the fenders when the boat is not at a standstill and approaching a mooring or boat. I would deploy the fenders once the boat is secured and re jig the the lines to secure with the deployed fenders.

[David Mack]

12 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

Yes but I wouldn’t do what you said earlier  and leave the tiller to deploy the fenders when the boat is not at a standstill and approaching a mooring or boat. I would deploy the fenders

once the boat is secured and re jig the the lines to secure with the deployed fenders.

Exactly. Come alongside the bank/lockside/other boat, tie up loosely, deploy fenders in the positions where they will do the most good (easiest if they hook onto the handrail), then tie up properly.

[cowpie]

On 01/02/2026 at 17:36, Tony Brooks said:

 

And the plastic jobs don't like your blacking rubbed off onto their hulls, some even put socks on their fenders so they can take them home and wash them.

 

When on the Thames on the limited EA public moorings, I would always invite a later arriving boat to moor alongside and fond hat of not well fenders a NB's rubbing band could damage the other boat's gel coat.

They could even use colour coded socks for each side.☺️