Why fenders up when cruising?

[Keeping Up]

I wish more people would travel with their fenders down.

 

They get ripped off in the locks and I collect them after they've gone. I could do with a couple of new ones.

[RLWP]

I wish more people would travel with their fenders down.

 

They get ripped off in the locks and I collect them after they've gone. I could do with a couple of new ones.

 

Trouble is, those rubber tube ones that I like, sink. So you have to wait until they've been dredged up to collect them (that's how I got our last one).

 

Richard

[Tiny]

Make sure you lift them far enough

 

 

Glad to see shes got her fenders well up.

 

Having just spent a month cruising around the narrow midlands canals it amazed us how many did it with fenders down. Maybe its all the new marinas attracting new boats to the area but its such a shame to see a smart boat with nice fenders and then realising they are missing a few. We did warn some approaching Huleston - from top and bottom about the narrowness of those locks and wondered if these were their first locks having come out of marinas nearby. Elsewhere few boats in some areas did not have lowered fenders - maybe they collide with things or can't drop them when needed. Given this it's luck stick fenders are sold everywhere.

[Jason Wilson and Family]

I wouldn't worry so much about etiquette. A lot of the etiquette you will be quoted is seamans etiquette and canals aren't the sea. For example, there are very good safety and practical reasons for taking in fenders at sea and as such a sea-going vessel with fenders out would obviously appear very lubberly to salts and would speak to a lack of experience.

In the canals, there are far fewer safety hazards. Though I am of the opinion that they shouldn't be out until called for by a docking. If I had to go with out all the time or not out at all, I'd probably go for not out at all. You do, likely, have big steel rubbing strakes down the sides. The fenders are only there to save your paint and steel.

[alan_fincher]

They get ripped off in the locks and I collect them after they've gone. I could do with a couple of new ones.

You need to moor where I last tied up over-night.

 

I have a habit of leaving mooring equipment on the bank.

[Jamboat]

When we got our boat I was in the fenders 'only for mooring' camp, whereas HWTHMBO was in the' have as many as poss, all dangling' camp.

 

At that time we had only cruised the wide waterways of the north east, having now experienced narrow locks (& bridge holes ie on the Macc) & having lost a few he has finally agreed I was right (yes!!) & only uses a couple for mooring.

Just as well as we are going through the Hurleston locks on Monday

 

Went up Hurleston locks today, no fenders & no problems until coming out of top lock we lost steering, pulled over just past the services & found an old rope side fender jammed in the prop ! So a problem from someone else's fender a few yards further on & I spotted another one bobbing about in the water .There are signs 'remove fenders' every where - perhaps some can't read

[Keeping Up]

Went up Hurleston locks today, no fenders & no problems until coming out of top lock we lost steering, pulled over just past the services & found an old rope side fender jammed in the prop ! So a problem from someone else's fender a few yards further on & I spotted another one bobbing about in the water .There are signs 'remove fenders' every where - perhaps some can't read

 

On the contrary, they removed them by going into the lock with them dangling

[blackrose]

i leave mine down, and on a couple of occasions, have been glad i did

 

You can leave yours down because you'll never be in a canal lock with another boat and you're not likely to get jammed in a big river lock such as those on the Thames.

 

It seems to me that on the inland waterways the "no fenders" etiquette primarily rules in the narrow world of narrow boats and as such I ignore it. Many barges cruise with fenders down and it's viewed as perfectly acceptable.

 

Edited October 13, 2010 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

I wish more people would travel with their fenders down.

 

They get ripped off in the locks and I collect them after they've gone. I could do with a couple of new ones.

Same here, I sold a bag full for charity last year, picked up a rope one yesterday, I think someone lost it in Crick tunnel.

[Lewis 53]

Noticed that a number of hire fleets do not have fenders or even attachments for fenders when asked why told that first they loose them and second to stop them getting caught in locks, bridges and other canal sticky out bits.

[Pluto]

 

It seems to me that on the inland waterways the "no fenders" etiquette primarily rules in the narrow world of narrow boats and as such I ignore it. Many barges cruise with fenders down and it's viewed as perfectly acceptable.

 

Some of the old L&LC boatmen I knew regarded fenders as the sign of a bad steerer. Fenders, and then only white cotton, were for decoration when you were tied up.

[blackrose]

Some of the old L&LC boatmen I knew regarded fenders as the sign of a bad steerer. Fenders, and then only white cotton, were for decoration when you were tied up.

 

Some of the old people I knew thought that dark skin was a sign of stupidity & criminality. Just because people are "old" doesn't necessarily mean they're right.

[Chertsey]

Some of the old people I knew thought that dark skin was a sign of stupidity & criminality. Just because people are "old" doesn't necessarily mean they're right.

That's a rather aggressive way to respond to an interesting observation.

[Nine of Hearts]

That's a rather aggressive way to respond to an interesting observation.

 

The thing is, why would you want to cruise with them down? Other than you're too lazy to pull them in? They're no earthly use when moving, if you hit anything they'll just rip off. (Perhaps the old L&LC boatmen would have been more correct in observing that boaters with no fenders but a set of dangling tatty ropes were bad steerers. But as they were quite probably racist, who wants their opinion? )

[rubblequeen]

Some of the old people I knew thought that dark skin was a sign of stupidity & criminality. Just because people are "old" doesn't necessarily mean they're right.

 

I like to collect old books and have a medical science book from late Victorian times which proved with all sorts of measurements etc that people from African countries did in fact have smaller brains and therefore much less intelligent than white people and all the things that go with being little more than an animal.

 

Fortunately science has moved on - unfortunately bigotry and racism has taken its place.

 

Ps not suggesting that the quote I use is anything of the sort.

It also goes on to say how good smoking is for you.

[blodger]

Some of the old people I knew thought that dark skin was a sign of stupidity & criminality. Just because people are "old" doesn't necessarily mean they're right.

 

I like to collect old books and have a medical science book from late Victorian times which proved with all sorts of measurements etc that people from African countries did in fact have smaller brains and therefore much less intelligent than white people and all the things that go with being little more than an animal.

 

Fortunately science has moved on - unfortunately bigotry and racism has taken its place.

 

Ps not suggesting that the quote I use is anything of the sort.

It also goes on to say how good smoking is for you.

Just shows they did not get everything wrong!

[Liam]

Fenders are over rated.

 

I can't remember when I last used fenders. I only use them when I'm tied alongside another boat to be courteous.

 

Personal choice as always though.

[ditchcrawler]

Fenders are over rated.

 

I can't remember when I last used fenders. I only use them when I'm tied alongside another boat to be courteous.

 

Personal choice as always though.

I use them against hard edging with the mooring ropes as tight as possible

[saltysplash]

You can leave yours down because you'll never be in a canal lock with another boat and you're not likely to get jammed in a big river lock such as those on the Thames.

 

It seems to me that on the inland waterways the "no fenders" etiquette primarily rules in the narrow world of narrow boats and as such I ignore it. Many barges cruise with fenders down and it's viewed as perfectly acceptable.

 

 

 

Ah but Elessina was approaching her mooring at medway bridge which is why she had fenders down, At other times on that river there is enough chop to the waves to throw those fenders back onto the deck....whcih is why, at sea....you stow fenders

[David Mack]

Why is it good etiquette to cruise with your fenders up? Mine don't dangle in the water or anything like that and when coming into moor neither of us could walk along the side to let them down. But would like to get it right as seems a lot of people like to shout at each other, hasn't happened to us yet but then we have hardly been any where.

 

Wrong question!

 

Why do you cruise with fenders down (or fitted at all)? Assuming you are on a typical narrowboat, the hull is made of a tough robust material and is fitted with guards (rubbing strips) at the places where it is likely to contact banks, locksides, or other boats (when sharing wide locks for example).

 

On the cut fenders are only needed when you are moored up for more than an hour or two where the noise of banging against the bank might be disturbing, or when you are moored against something particularly uneven (such as piling with projecting bolts) or fragile (GPR or wooden boat).

 

David

[OptedOut]

A simple risk assessment gives the answer to the question of cruising with side fenders down.

[blodger]

A simple risk assessment gives the answer to the question of cruising with side fenders down.

However, depends on the experience if not views of the assessor.

[OptedOut]

However, depends on the experience if not views of the assessor.

 

Yep, I could not agree more. I am however surprised that the dangers of "dangly bits" are not apparent to some.

Edited November 2, 2010 by OptedOut

[rubblequeen]

Yep, I could not agree more. I am however surprised that the dangers of "dangly bits" are not apparent to some.

 

Being totally inexperienced and trying to learn fast and having only been through one set of locks - alone but wide enough for two. I left the fenders down - being so wide no probs. I guess other newbies like me have left the fenders down worried more about scraping someone else's boat than there own (I expect to scrape mine at some or several points )- so sorry it wasn't obvious about the dangers of "dangly bits"

Thanks to all the helpful replies on here as I have learnt a lot from this post thanks.

[jenlyn]

Yep, I could not agree more. I am however surprised that the dangers of "dangly bits" are not apparent to some.

 

wear a cover on your dangly bits, practice safe cruising