Eliminating Bumpers While Exiting & Entering Home Berth

[sail sfbay]

Attached are photos of my berth fender installation. I secured one Plastimo fender on the upwind starboard side finger with one soft 10" x 26" Taylor-made fender at the berth entrance and 3 on the downwind port side finger with one 10" x 26" Taylor-made fender at the berth entrance. I no longer need to exit and enter my two finger slip with fenders secured to the boat.

Plastimo just improved their fender dock mounting hardware by making them longer with tapered edges to "lock in place" and changed the nuts to nylon nuts to keep the nuts from unscrewing. The first hardware set I purchased early this year worked its way loose and I lost one bolt to the water.

I also stow fenders in the aft lazarette for docking at other marina berths.

 

[Tally Ho]

That looks great. Very functional.

Greg

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

The ones I’ve seen around here are solid foam and not as flexible as inflatables. And if you dock elsewhere, ....

 

[danstanford]

Funny the timing, I just saw these and asked the marina if they minded me installing them in my berth. I had the same concern as Don with respect to the hardness of them but it is worth a try as I hate having fenders laying on the deck.
I plan to keep the regular fenders in a locker for use if I go somewhere.
I think I am going to hang one fender from the dock right at the point of the widest beam as well.
Dan

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

..... upwind starboard side....

The wind never changes direction ?

 

[sail sfbay]

"The wind never changes direction ?"

The majority of the dock fenders (4 out of 6) are currently on the downwind side where the wind is from the west for 9.3 months, from February 9 to November 17. The remaining time of the year I can relocate the fenders, if necessary, to the other side where the wind is mostly from the north for 2.7 months.

But oddly today (October 27th) the wind is unseasonably out of the north north east at 25 knots gusting to 65 knots.

By the way the Plastimo dock fenders are relatively soft.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

But oddly today (October 27th) the wind is unseasonably out of the north north east at 25 knots gusting to 65 knots.

Hence the reason for my question. IMHO, invest in a few extra fenders and don't count of predictions (or fortune tellers). Prevailing winds are not a rule. Storms and unusul weather patterns happen, and you can't always be there in advance to move fenders or lines.
If I leave my boat for more than a day, I secure it as if I'm leaving for a month. Things come up and I might not be able to get back to it as planned.

 

[sail sfbay]

Captain Larry-DH,

Totally agree with your point!! When I leave the boat I keep it floated in the middle of the berth with additional fenders on both sides. However, when exiting and entering my home berth I no longer need to put fenders down with this new dock fender arrangement when the wind is out of the west.

 

[Tim22]

The problem with fenders on the dock is that as the boat rocks up and down the fenders rub on the boat and eventually wear on the gel coat. On the other hand, fenders on the boat rub up and down on the dock and are gentler on the gel coat.

Tim

 

[sail sfbay]

Tim22,

Agree with your point. That is why I have fenders off each side of the boat while berthed. The dock fenders are only for existing and entering the berth.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Tim22,

Agree with your point. That is why I have fenders off each side of the boat while berthed. The dock fenders are only for existing and entering the berth.

Then why not simply put the inflatable fenders over the side before entering? I don’t get the benefit.

 

[Dr. D]

Next time at the marina (in a couple of days) I am going to take a look at setting up a similar configuration. My slip is on a floating peir, so the motion against these fixed fenders would be minimal.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I'm with Tally Ho … it looks great! Nice job. It takes the stress out of docking and eliminates the need to secure fenders on board. If my boat were rubbing on fenders while docked, it would mean that I did a lousy job securing my dock lines.

 

[thinwater]

Then why not simply put the inflatable fenders over the side before entering? I don’t get the benefit.

Because hung fenders can be pushed out of position. Also one less thing to do. Don't knock it until you have tried it. It's easy. Every ferry dock is padded.

I have always lashed a few position, with every boat I have owned. Also handy for loading and unloading (pull the boat over tight). the fenders never bear while away from the boat--no rubbing.

 

[Terry Cox]

Never. Fenders always stay with the boat and in use during docking and when in the slip. Normally use only two for docking and stow them ( total of four) in mesh pouches that hang from the stern pulpit rail while underway. Boat has two spares that we stow in the stern locker for a total of six.

The following article has an image of the blue mesh fender pouch the we mount on the stern pulpit rail. Holds four total. https://hunter.sailboatowners.com/images/kb/med/m_1194.jpg

The image below shows the two fenders in use while the boat is in its slip. Sometimes we might need three or four depending on the visiting dock and the prevailing wind/current.

 

[SoSound]

@sail sfbay I love it! I was wondering, on our way to the boat today, if my marina would allow us install something like your set up! I love reducing the number of required tasks before docking. Clear decks? Fewer fenders to fight with? Fine! Add another fender or two, at my leisure, after I'm tied up? Even I can do that!

 

[Mr Fox]

@sail sfbay I love it! I was wondering, on our way to the boat today, if my marina would allow us install something like your set up!

Our marina does not allow hardware to be bolted into the finger slips; the simple solution told to me by the manager (and used by almost everyone here) is fenders with a center tube strung along a line attached at the cleats on the dock (think Christmas lights). I use a bowline around the base of the cleat and it doesn't get in the way of your dock lines. The other benefit of this approach is that the fenders can move and roll so they won't scuff up the gelcoat like the non rolling permanently affixed ones.

They won't get pushed out of position if you simply use a stopper knot at either end of each fender (with a little room for movement). If you are at all concerned about them somehow lifting on to the dock (which has never happened to me), you can secure the horizontal run with a small loop of line. My boat has sat happily through plenty a nor'easter with this setup.

I never have to put out a fender at my home slip, and the finger is so padded if I screw up a bit theres zero damage, its really nice. Now I only have to carry one big and two small fenders for visiting other marinas, but I have 5 real big ones out all the time when I come back. Makes it all so simple.

Drawback is you will own a lot of fenders.