Use Of Fenders In Locks

[Neil2]

If you are yachting there's a very obvious reason for removing fenders when making way, similarly when heading out to sea you don't want the things banging against the hull for several hours.

 

But I've never understood this obsession with removing fenders for inland cruising, and if you were doing something like the Huddersfield Narrow, well... Even the Thames, the locks come up pretty quickly I couldn't be bothered lifting them each time.

 

Hire boats tend not to have them on safety grounds, but it's possible to get hung up in a lock just on a rubbing strake, you just have to be vigilant. I do tend to use them in double locks as I think it is considerate to other boats but it's no big deal.

 

Incidentally, if you want to know how to fender your boat...

 

[Naughty Cal]

And they still won't be in the right place when the impact comes....

[Higgs]

 

 

Incidentally, if you want to know how to fender your boat...

 

 

 

Fender Bling.

Edited August 4, 2013 by Higgs

[Naughty Cal]

Fendering for all eventualities?

 

[adam1uk]

The often repeated mantra about narrowboats not using fenders in canal locks is right and it's repeated for good reason. Apart from that situation the choice of whether to have fenders deployed or not is simply personal preference. There is no wrong or right.

 

Why would you bother to deploy them, if you agreed you needed to lift them at each lock? Might just as well use fenders just for mooring. That way has the added advantage on only ever having to deploy or lift them from the land.

[howardang]

 

Why would you bother to deploy them, if you agreed you needed to lift them at each lock? Might just as well use fenders just for mooring. That way has the added advantage on only ever having to deploy or lift them from the land.

Exactly, and if many boaters agree that they shouldn't be used in locks, what is the case for having pipe fenders rigged when under way, which gives no protection whatsoever. It begs the question, therefore, why go to the trouble of lifting them before entering locks and then re-rigging them after leaving. In my mind they have only one use and that is to protect the boat once it is moored alongside, or when a boat is moored against you. Given that the average pipe fender is around 4 inches or so wide, three along the side of a 50-60 narrow boat give no protection whatsoever and just look untidy.

 

Howard

Edited August 4, 2013 by howardang

[Naughty Cal]

 

Why would you bother to deploy them, if you agreed you needed to lift them at each lock? Might just as well use fenders just for mooring. That way has the added advantage on only ever having to deploy or lift them from the land.

Is there not a byelaw regarding fendering?

[howardang]

Is there not a byelaw regarding fendering?

 

 

"Vessels to have fenders ready for use

 

6. Every vessel navigated on any canal shall have ready for immediate use proper fenders of suitable material and in good condition and the master of such vessel shall use such fenders whenever there is a risk of the vessel striking against any other vessel or against any wall, lockgate, bridge or other thing."

[Athy]

So how do some hire companies get away with failing to provide fenders?

[magpie patrick]

So how do some hire companies get away with failing to provide fenders?

 

Most if not all hire boats do have a front and a rear fender, and given the consensus is that side fenders on narrow boats should be up when cruising, and that they get torn off...

 

With one at each end, the biggest risk of impact is covered surely

[RLWP]

So how do some hire companies get away with failing to provide fenders?

 

They provide bow and stern fenders.

 

It's hard to provide any other fenders that would protect against "the vessel striking against any other vessel or against any wall, lockgate, bridge or other thing"

 

I learned a new word the other day - allision. Like collision, but you bounce off

 

Richard

[Guest]

So how do some hire companies get away with failing to provide fenders?

 

All the hire boats we have had have front and back certainly, though often big rubber 'bumper' type on the stern.

 

I'm sure one of the hire co's told me they don't fit them because they can't keep up with needing to replace them because so many get ripped off.

[Captain Fizz]

I only fender when mooring to keep it quiet at night.

[dmr]

There are a few locks on the K&A where boats will get jammed if either has fenders own. If this happens as you enter the lock its a bit embarrassing and can be quite consuming to rectify. It can be really difficult when boats have their fenders fixed at the gunnel....why do boat builders do that????

If its happens as the boats are descending the lock its potentially very serious. We will ask a boat with fenders to lift them, if they refuse then would not share the lock...my boat is my home.

 

.............Dave

[ditchcrawler]

I have posted this before but here it is again on the Napton flight, apparently he also got stuck going up.

 

[Gazboatman]

 

 

"Vessels to have fenders ready for use

 

6. Every vessel navigated on any canal shall have ready for immediate use proper fenders of suitable material and in good condition and the master of such vessel shall use such fenders whenever there is a risk of the vessel striking against any other vessel or against any wall, lockgate, bridge or other thing."

And if you don't comply with this does that make you a fender offender?

 

[mayalld]

 

Perhaps you could explain why. What dangers or mishaps could result from this?

 

Cruising with fenders down is simply illogical.

 

A fender when the boat is stationary makes sense, and will stop noise and potential loss of paint.

 

Fenders on a moving boat don't actually protect it, and leave ugly marks

[DeanS]

I left our marina in April with 3 fenders either side. (widebeam).

They've mostly all been ripped off, leaving me with one.

I do think that if I had fenders the boat wouldnt have caught on a lock side wall recently.

I'm too lazy to lift them in locks...but not sure how they were all ripped off. ...I just know I had them, and now I dont

 

 

eta - and at a cost of £5 a fender....I'm going to carve up an old tyre and make my own ones now

Edited August 5, 2013 by DeanS

[billS]

 

Cruising with fenders down is simply illogical.

But as it is neither a sin, criminal offence, nor even a contravention of any CRT published advice, I wouldn't waste your time worrying about it.

[rubblequeen]

Thanks for this thread as I have just texted my brother who is using my boat this week to remind him to keep the fenders up. Bet he hadn't remembered or even thought about it. Other than that he is quite capable.

[bizzard]

Well I'm glad I had my fenders down a week or so ago. I was approaching a blind left hand bend in the river here, a wide bit of the river though when I spied through the bankside foliage the trip boat approaching from the opposite direction and gave a long hoot on my loud Klaxon horn which the trip boat replied to ''late''. I thought nice wide bend no trouble as the trip boat should have been set up to take the bend which was of course a right hand bend to them with the bow end well over to starboard which would have left ample room for any boat to pass it port to port, but no it came around the bend quite fast in the middle of the river, I'd move right over to starboard and gone full astern, the trip boat which is enormous 12' wide with a wide square stern of course tail wagged right over and struck my boat where I was now stationary almost buried in the banks foliage. Luckily it was one of my fenders which the square stern corner of the trip boat struck and shoved me further into the foliage. They made no apology just grinned at me and I had to reverse out. It was definitely a case of I'm bigger than you bullying. I shall be having a word with its Captain Pugwash next time I see him.

[NickF]

And if you don't comply with this does that make you a fender offender?

 

As someone that doesn't think you have to carry fenders does that make me a defender of fender offenders?

[mayalld]

 

 

But as it is neither a sin, criminal offence, nor even a contravention of any CRT published advice, I wouldn't waste your time worrying about it.

 

You will be pleased to know that I have wasted very little time on it, and have not been worried.

 

I do seem to recall a fairly recent case of a boat on the T&M managing to lift a head gate off its mounting due to a fender being down, so it may not break any rules, but it is good advice.

[Proper Charlie]

We only ever use fenders when mooring, not only because we thought we'd be frowned on if we deployed them when cruising but also because ours are attached to wooden fender hooks which frequently get flipped off the boat by passing vegetation.

[billS]

 

You will be pleased to know that I have wasted very little time on it, and have not been worried.

 

I do seem to recall a fairly recent case of a boat on the T&M managing to lift a head gate off its mounting due to a fender being down, so it may not break any rules, but it is good advice.

Presumably that would have been due to a bow fender? Which I think is a requirement?