Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Fenders Are Meant to Be Squashed
Chapter 6: The Art and Science of Docking
Fenders in boats are not quite the same thing as fenders in cars. If your teenager squashes
the fender of your BMW, you’ll be exceedingly unhappy. If he squashes the fenders of the
boat, you’ll note that he’s learning to be a competent skipper.
Boat fenders are meant to be squashed, squeezed, and crushed. They’re made of tough
but pliable vinyl or other materials that absorb shock, and they’re designed to fit between
a boat and a dock, pier, or other solid structure, or sometimes between two boats.
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Heavy vinyl fenders inflated
with air act as cushions or
bumpers to keep the gunnels
and sides of your boat from
being damaged by docks and
other boats.
(Photo credit: Polyform Fenders)
Fenders can be anything from a piece of Styrofoam to a boat cushion, but the best fenders
are the commercial models, usually inflatable, and made of thick vinyl. Cylindrical fenders
are most common, although spheres are also sometimes used. They range in size from a
foot to three feet long, with diameters from six inches to a foot or more.
The bigger your boat, the bigger the fenders you need, because a 20-ton yacht can generate
enormous crushing force when rocked by a wave. And a boat docked in an open area
subject to wave action will require bigger fenders than one docked in a well-protected
harbor.
The fenders have to be fitted to the boat, hung over the side where contact with the fixed
object is most likely. This may not be where there’s a convenient cleat or rail stanchion—
if not, run a stout line between two cleats and hang the fender from that.
The usual arrangement is to put one fender in the center of the boat and one on each
end, so that however the boat works back and forth on the dock lines, it will be protected.