Cheap Fenders ... and I Knew Better

[Foswick]

Last year, I needed some new fenders. The cost has always bugged me - seems unusually high for what you are actually buying. Still, since the consequences of a failed fender can be pretty expensive, I've always just paid it. But, last year I decided to give these a try to see if expensive fenders are really worth it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z858MDQ

I will say that they haven't failed. So, there's that.

But, after a night of particularly stiff winds blowing us onto the dock, they left a very persistent sticky film on our hull. It kind of looks like the intense pressure and friction caused the surface to heat up and sort of melt onto the gel coat. (Not exactly that - but that's kind of what it looks like.) It will come off with some Goo Gone or acetone, but it's kind of a mess. (Should have taken pictures, but I wasn't thinking about it.)

In any case, I don't think I would trust these another winter. Might be good to keep around as extras, but not to count on where it matters.

Does anyone know of a source of good fenders at a good price? Or, is it just one of those things?

They are always on sale somewhere, but even the sale price seems high to me. (I mean, when you think about how long good fenders last, I guess it isn't that much. Just seems disproportionate.) Keep in mind, my wife has to buy shoes for me because I can't fathom paying more than $35 for a pair of shoes ... so, there's that.

 

[dLj]

The most durable long lasting fenders on the cheap are old tires.

dj

 

[Foswick]

... or the best of both worlds ...

 

[JoeWhite]

I made covers for them using sunbrella. The material was breaking down and leaving sticky mess on the hull. Not anymore for the last 8 years. Try that before getting new ones.

 

[dLj]

I made covers for them using sunbrella. The material was breaking down and leaving sticky mess on the hull. Not anymore for the last 8 years. Try that before getting new ones.

I wonder if old sail fabric would make a good cover.

dj

 

[JoeWhite]

Sure. It is worth a try.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I wonder if old sail fabric would make a good cover.

dj

I have one fender with a fleece cover that I found floating around after a storm. It's held up very well so I think the sail fabric might work

 

[Foswick]

I made covers for them using sunbrella. The material was breaking down and leaving sticky mess on the hull. Not anymore for the last 8 years. Try that before getting new ones.

I've always kind of wondered about covers. Lots of people have them, around here. I have a ton of Sunbrella sitting around, so I give that a go. I kind of worry that fabric might be too abrasive.

I've been kind of surprised at how much of a beating we have been taking. We just moved into this slip, which exists just inside the breakwater. I kind of thought the close proximity to the jetty would block the wind. It does, when the tide is low and the wind is blowing the right way. But, unfortunately, the wind tends to come from just the right angle to funnel around the jetty right past my boat. Blows us onto the dock all the time and usually pretty hard.

I might like to transfer but it is pretty nice to have no boats behind me - lots of room to maneuver.

 

[colemj]

Even the more expensive fenders get sticky and dirty. A $5 pair of sweatpants at Walmart gives you two fender covers.

Mark

 

[DaveJ]

A pair of hockey socks are perfect. You can either match your boat colour or show off your favourite team.
Cheers

 

[JBP-PA]

I like the crazy colors those cheap fenders come in. Too bad a cover would hide them.
You might be able to get used, softer, sunbrella from a canvas shop. They probably throw away the old stuff they are replacing.

 

[Foswick]

Even the more expensive fenders get sticky and dirty.

We've never had this problem, though. I'll try to remember to get pictures. We're running out today.

 

[Daveinet]

No fender is a match for a pesky squirrel looking for a place to winter.

 

[capta]

I've had that sticky stuff develop, over time, on the round orange fenders with the blue top, the expensive white Taylor Made fenders and cheap ones. I don't know what it is, but it's the devil to get off, and it does come back. As mentioned above, covers help keep the stuff from getting out, but they should probably be cleaned once in a while.

 

[Terry Cox]

Last year, I needed some new fenders.

Taylor Made brand fenders, in my mind, hold up the best. Used them for years. They come with a lifetime warranty, no questions asked. Applied for warranty replacement twice now and those fenders were years (maybe even decades) old. On some, the valves will leak after years of marine life. The company sent me some new air valves free of charge, which are easy to replace. You get what you pay for, so-to speak. Same goes for most any product, including tools; especially hard-use tools. Made In China, no thanks.

 

[twodzusfittings]

Old T shirts work well and are not abrasive.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Want cheap fenders? Most marinas have a collection of fenders that were lost or abandoned. Just ask the yard manager. If they have what you want a tip is usually appreciated.
PS - want them to match? Sorry

edit - a little story: A few years ago we were docked in Hampton Virginia and there was a big fender holding us off a piling that was there when we arrived. When we left to head out of the Chesapeake the crew cast off and we stowed lines and fenders, and once out in the Bay one of the crew asked “what should we do with this? I turned to look: It wasn’t mine and it was huge, big enough to fill the entire 11’ dinghy forward of the aft mounted seat! I told him to drop it in the dinghy (for now) which hangs in davits on our cruising cat, and we were still in cell range so I called the marina and got the dockmaster on the phone. He said no worries, they have a huge collection of fenders people forget, and “have a nice trip”. LOL. Turns out having an odd oversized fender aboard is a good thing when the wind and current want to push you into the dock. It saved us some scrapes since then.

 

[colemj]

Taylor Made brand fenders, in my mind, hold up the best. Used them for years. They come with a lifetime warranty, no questions asked.

Kind of. The lifetime warranty is true, but not the no questions asked. I had one split and they required my proof of purchase to get a replacement. Of course, I had no proof of purchase because it bought it many years in the past and didn't keep the receipt through those years (or at least didn't keep it anywhere I could find it). I don't blame them - the forums are full of people bragging about finding ruined Taylor fenders in the trash and getting new ones in return. I'm sure that caught up with Taylor.

Premium priced fenders are better, but if one uses them in the tropics, particularly in various working marinas and yards, the sun and oil and other chemicals from old docks turn the plasticizers in them sticky and gooey. There just isn't getting around that, and some cheap covers help tremendously.

Expensive covers are even nicer. We have 3 large 12"x34" Polyform fenders as our main ones, and they are like I described above. A few years ago, a large expensive motor yacht was in the marina, and it had just been sold to new owners. All of the fender covers on that boat were relatively new expensive fluffy custom personalized ones with the old boat's name on them. The boat was being renamed, and despite all the things that really needed to be fixed on it, the wife determined that the #1 job was to replace those almost new fender covers with ones that had the new boat name on them. So even before getting the new covers, they marched the old covers up to the trash can at the top of the dock, and I marched them right back down to our boat.

When we are in a marina now, everyone thinks our boat is named "Ivanhoe" and calls us by that because that's what the fenders say. We just smile and wave, even though our real boat's name is in 3 foot high letters on the bows that the fenders are hanging on.

Around the large fancy covered fenders are smaller ones wearing sweatpant legs. We're not proud.

Mark

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Premium priced fenders are better, but if one uses them in the tropics, particularly in various working marinas and yards, the sun and oil and other chemicals from old docks turn the plasticizers in them sticky and gooey. There just isn't getting around that, and some cheap covers help tremendously.

Black fenders hold up better to UV (compare the black end-caps to the white bodies on UV-degraded fenders). The pigment helps block the UV rays from penetrating. Same with tie-wraps and dock lines, anchor rodes and sails.. Get darker colors if you want them to last longer. Tie wraps sold and labeled "UV resistant" are always black. In multicolored spinnakers it is always the white panels that blow out before the others. Black lines or a dark color are best for dock lines and multihull bridles.

 

[Terry Cox]

I had one split and they required my proof of purchase to get a replacement.

The company may have since tightened their warranty policy. Last year when I submitted my claim they only asked for a photo of the damage. They may have felt me an honest broker.