In a week or two I will need to inflate a bunch of fenders. One of them is very large. Would I better off using a high volume pump such as one for a dinghy/air mattress/etc or one that's high pressure for bicycles/balls/etc?
Pumpin up those fenders!
- Thread starter Project_Mayhem
- Start date
Most of them are probably 12"x24-30". The big one is like 36-40"x16". If I go to the yard tomorrow I can grab a pic
A high volume pump would be preferable as you only want to inflate to a very low pressure. This is a quote from the Polyform US website:
“Our buoys and boat fenders should be inflated to 2.1 lbs/0,15 bar of pressure. When inflating without a pressure gauge, fill the buoy or fender until the walls are fully expanded, but make certain you can depress the wall at least 1/4 inch with light hand pressure, or measure the circumference and compare it with the inflation chart for proper pressure. Over inflation will reduce the performance of the product and may cause premature failure.”
Polyform US Fender Inflation
It looks like @Hello Below got it right according to the internet. I'll be deflating these, tying them to my slip and then re-inflating them to help take up the slack. I used turnbuckles last year and it still wasn't quite enough
Our boat has two types of hand pumps to keep our fenders up to snuff. One fender requires a bicycle type pump with a needle to inflate. https://www.amazon.com/SPORTBIT-Needles-Nozzle-Extension-Pouch/dp/B0B973G4K8/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?adgrpid=1338106214605783&hvadid=83631709315512&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=67764&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83631979734213:loc-190&hydadcr=24661_10680528&keywords=hand+air+pumps&qid=1681955802&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzREkzVVhKRVFBTEoxJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDQxMjk0MVRZREVUQ0RRT0EwJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA2MzQ2MzMyN1owQVBEOFVIRzYxJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
The other fender requires a different style pump without a needle. These style have a valve more like a joker valve allowing air in but none out. https://www.amazon.com/Sturdy-Ballo...aWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1
The other fender requires a different style pump without a needle. These style have a valve more like a joker valve allowing air in but none out. https://www.amazon.com/Sturdy-Ballo...aWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1
These fenders live on the dock. They were drooping into the water. More tension is needed to hold them upI have the same question. Exactly how tight are you trying to tie up your boat @Project_Mayhem ?
No, I mean the deflating then installing then pumping them back up, and the turnbuckles - def not standard.....
It's difficult to get all of the slack out of them by simply pulling on the line and attempting to tie them off while maintaining tension. They end up a few inches lower than where I want them. Since they're at an angle they are prone to one end dipping into the water. If they were parallel with the deck of the dock they run the risk of rolling up on top. The dock will cause damage if something isn't done. I've seen 3ft rollers in this end of the marina. They were quite fun in a motorized dinghy
My boat is constantly being pushed into the dock from incoming waves. The docks feature some lovely heavy rubber bumpers that you'd expect to see at a truck dock. They took off about 5ft of the deck/hull joint of an abandoned boat left in the water over the winter. Even with all of these fenders in place, we still get marks on the boat from the bumpers once or twice a season. These docks suck and the next best option is double the price