Looking to add a gunwale guard to a wooden dinghy we are getting. Any recommendations of any guard that is any better or worse than any other?
Gunwale guards
- Thread starter Captain W
- Start date
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,304
This is a bit of an esthetic decision. Do you have a picture of the boat? Some designs have used rope, (i.e. manila rope) attached to the gunwale. Looks old school nautical. I have seen it both in natural and white painted.
There are plastic or vinyl material that is flanged to be attached using small screws.
Here is a link with some ideas that include canvas. Gunwale Guard Basics | Dennis Allen's "Boating Basics"
There are plastic or vinyl material that is flanged to be attached using small screws.
Here is a link with some ideas that include canvas. Gunwale Guard Basics | Dennis Allen's "Boating Basics"
Good question. I have no answers but will be watching closely for my Dyer Dhow project. I was wondering the same thing.
Dyer sells a rubber fender that can be screwed into the gunwale, but it’s not inexpensive and I’d rather not cover up the wood. I’m also not sure if padding the gunwale would actually prevent contact with my sloped transom, or if they would still hit lower down. I need to make some cardboard templates of the dinghy hull profile and hold them up to the transom to see where they’ll actually hit.
Dyer sells a rubber fender that can be screwed into the gunwale, but it’s not inexpensive and I’d rather not cover up the wood. I’m also not sure if padding the gunwale would actually prevent contact with my sloped transom, or if they would still hit lower down. I need to make some cardboard templates of the dinghy hull profile and hold them up to the transom to see where they’ll actually hit.
This is the most expensive, tricky to install, and to my knowledge, the best gunwale fender you can apply to a dinghy used as a tender.
We get at least 10 years out of the material on a dinghy that's used hard and spends all season in the water, the off-season outdoors under a tarp.
Completely agree on this one. It's the same as on my hard dingy. But, I don't know what it is or where you get it... @TomY do you have links or some reference to what this is?
dj
Gunnel Guards. Buy them at Taylor Made Products.
Shown on our Trinka dinghy, Moondance.
Lay the gunnel guard inside out on the top of the gunnel. Staple from the inside of the product so the staples do not show. Then pull the gunnel guard around the gunnel snuggly. Flip the dinghy over and staple to the underside of the gunnel from the outside of the product (only the fish will see the staples). Be sure to hammer down any staples that are stubborn so they are smooth to the touch. Cut a piece of leather and hand stitch it with a sail needle and sail thread. This picture does not show it, however I just added leather to the area where the oars were rubbing the gunnel guard.
Shown on our Trinka dinghy, Moondance.
Lay the gunnel guard inside out on the top of the gunnel. Staple from the inside of the product so the staples do not show. Then pull the gunnel guard around the gunnel snuggly. Flip the dinghy over and staple to the underside of the gunnel from the outside of the product (only the fish will see the staples). Be sure to hammer down any staples that are stubborn so they are smooth to the touch. Cut a piece of leather and hand stitch it with a sail needle and sail thread. This picture does not show it, however I just added leather to the area where the oars were rubbing the gunnel guard.
Attachments
Gunnel guards are available at Defender Marine and Jamestown: Gunnel Guard is best installed by driving self-tapping (or self-drilling for fiberglass) 1/2", stainless steel #6 Phillips screws with stainless finishing washers through each tab, spaced every 3 to 4 inches.
I get it from local Hamilton Marine.
The biggest mistake is not fastening it securely to your gunwales. I've seen it coming loose on some installations. Once it comes loose on the upper flap where the fasteners are hidden, it all has to be removed. I use copper boat nails that have annular rings. Some use screws and washers, also a good method.
Realize this is an old thread, but someone else may benefit. Concur with Hamilton Marine being the go-to source with excellent customer service, but their HM-1518 QR 1 1/4" may be a more suitable installation for some boats. I'm currently doing a Dyer 12 1/2 Daysailer restoration, and am using it. It is what The Anchorage uses on all Dyer Dhows. It is a harder, less resilient foam. The other two choices, 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" with cloth lining uses a soft foam, similar to pipe foam.
Best practice is SS #6 1/2" screws with washers. Takes about 240 of each for our 12 1/2 footer. Use a fine point soldering iron to penetrate the fabric before installing the screws.
Best practice is SS #6 1/2" screws with washers. Takes about 240 of each for our 12 1/2 footer. Use a fine point soldering iron to penetrate the fabric before installing the screws.
+1 on this product. We used it on our fiberglass/plywood dinghy and it made docking with the mother ship much softer. I through-bolted them to the gunwale--the guards aren't going anywhere. Hamilton also sent me a sample piece so I could determine beforhand if the produce would fit our dinghy. Expensive, but worth for us.