The price you need to invest in buying a ship is definitely a big price, so of course you want to protect it. Although you have been very cautious when docking or anchoring your ship, bad conditions and other ships may still damage your hull. Sometimes you may also need to moor your boat in the water for a long time. The big waves in the sea will make your boat keep hitting the pier. Using a boat fender can give you peace of mind, and your boat will not be damaged by heartache.
Many people don't know how big a fender should be, and they start to worry about the many sizes of boat fenders. In the end, the size that they bought may be too small for their own boat to provide any protection. This article hopes to help you choose the correct fender size and learn the correct installation method. Let us continue to look !
What is a boat fender?
The boat fender acts as a buffer to protect the ship from damage to the dock and other ships moored nearby. The fender is made of a variety of materials. The most common ones are made of PVC or marine vinyl. They are inflatable. This kind of boat fender has low cost, good durability and easy storage. It is the most popular yacht/boat fender.
There are many different shapes of yacht fenders, including spherical, double-hole cylindrical shape, and single-hole cylindrical shape. The most popular boat fender is a double-hole cylindrical type. You can install it on the side of the boat with a rope through the holes at both ends, or install it vertically with a rope at one end. The ribs on some fenders provide reinforcement and minimize the rolling of the fender.
Choose the right fender size&type
Many captains ask us "what size fender for boat should I choose?" In fact, the size of each brand of yacht fenders is slightly different. Because the mold design of the yacht fender is protected by copyright. The factors to consider when choosing the right fender and number are the length of your boat, the weight of the boat and the mooring conditions. Cylindrical fenders should have a diameter of 1 inch for every 4 to 5 feet of ship length. If it is a round fender buoy, it should have a diameter of 2 inches. There should be one fender every 10 feet, and there should be at least three fenders on each side of the ship, installed in the center of the bow, stern, and hull. If your boat is longer or the mooring conditions are poor, please use more fenders than recommended.
The diameter and length of cylindrical boat fenders increase with the size of the vessel they protect. Sunhelm's F series yacht fenders are available in various sizes and can be customized in a variety of colors to meet all your mooring needs.
How to tie a boat fender?
There is a hole at one or both ends of the boat fender or buoy. You can connect the fender to the side of the ship with a nylon mooring rope. It must be tied to a position flush with the deck and passed through a half-hitch or figure eight stopper knot. The stop knot secures the tether to a firm place. Although the top of the guardrail on the side of the yacht can also fix the fender, it will produce a large swing and cannot protect the boat better. Therefore, do not choose to refer to the diameter of the fender hole when choosing the rope. The thickness of the rope is just right. It is advisable to go through the hole. A rope that is too thin will continue to rub against the upper part of the hole during use, and over time will cause damage to the connecting part of the fender. In severe cases, it will break the upper part of the hole and the fender will fall into the sea.
If three boat fenders are needed on the side of the hull, they are placed in the bow and stern and the center of the hull, respectively. If two ships traveling on the sea need ship-to-ship, more fenders are needed. Because both ships are moving, unlike a fixed dock. It is recommended to use round fenders at the front and rear to protect the bow and stern.
The height of the fender installation is also very important. If the fender is not placed at the correct height, it may not provide any protection for your boat. The bottom of the cylindrical boat fender should be slightly higher than the water surface, or make sure that the height of the pier you often dock is level with the middle of the fender, so that the pier cannot push the fender so high that it loses its protection.
What is the function of the buoy?
Buoys will also be used as fenders, but they are round rather than cylindrical. It is usually called the A series of marine fenders. They are used for motor boats and commercial fishing boats with flared bows. These fishing boats are far away from the dock and cannot be covered by fenders. Buoys are ideal for rafting because they provide more protection than cylindrical type boat fenders to protect the hull from damage. You can also use buoys as net buoys and marking buoys in the water.
There are many sizes of round fender buoys, but most recreational boats will choose buoys with a diameter between 9 and 19 inches. The buoy is made of PVC and is integrally formed without seams and will not leak air. If round buoys are to be used as fenders, two fenders with a larger diameter should be placed on the bow and stern, and a smaller diameter should be placed in the center of the hull.
Sailboats, ski boats, and commercial ships are more likely to use round buoys than cylindrical type boat fenders because their hulls are better protected by the round shape.
Sunhelm's round buoy fenders are made of high-quality PVC materials, available in 11 different sizes, and can be customized in colors according to your needs. If you are interested, you can use Whatsapp: +8618560122692 or send us an email.
Fender storage
It is a dangerous behavior to leave the fender on the side of the ship when driving or fishing at sea. Take two minutes to put the fenders in place so you don't have to rush to find them when you need to dock.
When not in use, it is best to have a dry place to store them, such as under the boat seat, storage compartment or fender
racks. You can install the fender racks in a horizontal, vertical or any available position. If you need to carry a lot of fenders, you can use clips to fix multiple racks together.
finally
Choosing the right boat fender is not difficult, right? To protect the safety of the ship and avoid the need to spend more money on repairs, this simple and easy-to-use marine fender brings great convenience to our sea trips, and you will realize how much it plays! If you have any questions about fenders or buoys suitable for your boat, please send us an email: info@sunhelmmarine.com or leave us a message on WhatsApp:+8618560122692.