Value of fender covers?

A very good friend gave us a set of dark blue, almost black fender covers for Christmas. They are not the mesh type but are of fairly heavy fabric with an almost wool-like texture. He even had the boat's name embroidered on them.

It's not the sort of thing we ever would have gotten for the boat ourselves but since we have them I'm curious about the pros and cons of using them. While our boat is held off our finger by the prevailing winds, when the wind comes from the north it gets pushed up against the finger. So the main thing I'm curious about is which is harder on the gelcoat, a bare fender or a fender with a cover on it?

Sounds obvious so no insult...but whichever is cleaner...

Covers can get crappy pretty quick in certain situations and need a good washing before they get stored and inadvertently redeployed with the gritty side against the hull...but plain fenders suffer the same to some degree.

Based on your thoroughness and attention to detail...I would used them to dress up older fenders or whenever you want things to look a certain way....but I can't imagine you using dirty covers OR fenders against your hull.

I also think it is somewhat how the fenders are secured...more so than bare/covered....

If a fender can roll and transfer dirt/grit from dock/piling to hull...doesn't matter what your using...your hull can get scratched.

Fender covers main use is to protect the hull from chafing. A painted, dark colored or highly polished hull is vulnerable to chafing. If you don't need them for that, just put them out for special occasions such as dressing ship on Sundays. You do that. Don't you?

Nice gift by the way.

It sounds like the material is similar to "polarfleece".... The Admiral made covers for our fenders with the stuff in black... I think they are less harmful to the hull with the covers on....as the uncovered fenders have more grab when the boat moves... The cover has some give in it....and less tendency to mar the hull.

Thanks Don and psneeld. While the hull on our GB is one of the batch that are arguably the best fiberglass hulls American Marine ever made for a GB because of the man who supervised the hull layups that first year, the gelcoat technology of 1973 was not anything to write home about.

That plus the 25 years of use in the California sun before we bought the boat have taken their toll on the gelcoat from a cosmetic point of view. So while we do not want to deliberately do anything to damage the gelcoat that is still there, it's not like we are trying to protect a showroom finish here.

We keep our fenders (and groundpower cable) as clean as we can using the GoJo tip Keith wrote up a few years ago. And it works very well. Our old wood dock is gone now, replaced by a concrete dock with doubled 2 X 12s down the side and a vinyl (I assume) guard on the outside of them. So our fenders should not be picking up stains from the old wood dock and bullrails as they did in the past.

We wax the hull when the boat is out of the water but you know the old saying, "You can only polish a turd so much."

So we're mainly concerned with not thinning the gelcoat out any more than it is. Someday, if we keep the boat, we will have the hull completely prepped and painted but you know how "somedays" can be.

The advice to use the fender covers for "dress up" occasions make sense, but we never have "dress up" occasions with our boat.

So we'll have to give this one some more thought......

PS--- Saw your post JAT after I'd sent this in. You make a good point, too, and is sort of what I was wondering about when I asked the original question. We had some gelcoat thinning last winter from one of the ball fenders we bought to help protect the boat in it's temporary slip where the storm winds pushed the boat hard onto the dock. I've been wondering if this might not have happened had the ball fender had a cover on it.

It "pays" to have fenders the same color as one's hull. Might be hard to notice except for them covering the yellow waterline stripe, but there are three fenders hanging here.



Here going at 6.3 knots at 1800 RPM, generating 68 horsepower (out of a maximum of 80), burning about 1.7 gallons of diesel fuel an hour.

Don't know what difference the fender color would make to whether or not the fender damages the gelcoat (or paint in your case) if the boat is pushed hard up against the dock for long periods of time by the wind.

Neither do I, but other contributors blame blemishes on their fenders. Nevertheless, having fenders the same color as the hull should minimize the problem.

Damage to a hull's finish is going to occur because of pressure and the friction of the fender against the hull. What color the fender happens to be isn't going to matter I think.

Our only concern is minimizing wear on the hull's gelcoat.

Marin we have friends with covers that sound like what you describe. I think they've had them two years now. The covers look great and their hull looks great. So no issues due to the fender covers. I guess. . Why not use them as long as they look nice? Unless you don't like them? I'd agree that's a nice gift.

No, they're quite nice and seem well made. The manufacturer (in Portland, OR) left the accent mark off the first "e" in Perouse so my wife is going to add them if we decide to use them and are convinced that they won't damage the gelcoat any more than it already is.

It'll be a bit pretentious looking, though. Like putting whitwall tires or a chrome exhaust pipe on a garbage truck.

So we'll see......

Marin said:

Damage to a hull's finish is going to occur because of pressure and the friction of the fender against the hull. What color the fender happens to be isn't going to matter I think.
Our only concern is minimizing wear on the hull's gelcoat.

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Marin, just stop dithering and put the b***dy things on, and thank your lucky stars and the people who thoughtfully gave them to you. For mine, and I've been putting them on my fenders for yonks, (and they're not cheap, and I'm on my 3rd set), they are the best thing since sliced bread, fenderwise - especially once we did go for broke and get the hull 2 pack re-sprayed. But seriously, they do prevent marks and scratches, and they don't catch and hold abrasive material. A good wash in gentle detergent occasionally is all they ever ask of you, and besides, they look great, with all the fenders the same colour, and even name embroided on them - wow..! Waddaryehwaidingfor...?

Peter B said:

Waddaryehwaidingfor...?

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Mainly that I think they'll look pretty silly on our boat. We are currently leaning toward not using them but I wanted to find out if they would be beneficial enough to warrant putting up with the pretentious look. It sounds like they won't really make any difference one way or the other in our case so I'm thinking they'll stay in the box.

I appreciate everyone's input.

Marin said:

Mainly that I think they'll look pretty silly on our boat. We are currently leaning toward not using them but I wanted to find out if they would be beneficial enough to warrant putting up with the pretentious look. It sounds like they won't really make any difference one way or the other in our case so I'm thinking they'll stay in the box.
I appreciate everyone's input.

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Pretentious...? No way Marin, the only thing here pretentious, is you worrying about it being pretentious, not to mention the indirect insult to the friends who presented them to you, and the diappointment they will feel when you don't use them - and show them pics of them on...which is what the rest of us want to see. Does my poor humble Lotus look pretentious with them on...? Just get over it and put'em on - what say the rest of you...? Do we need a poll..?

Best to have a "single-stall" berth so that one's boat is held with dock lines from rubbing any surface. Nevertheless, my neighbor's boat continually rubs against its starboard-stern fender although I haven't seen marks on the hull despite a dark-colored fender and a white hull.

Peter B said:

.... not to mention the indirect insult to the friends who presented them to you, and the diappointment they will feel when you don't use them....

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I don't think this will be an issue in this case. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have the boat's name on them. That's what makes it look so corny.

Anyway, from the comments it sounds like there is no really significant benefit to using covers or not using them so I think we'll just leave things as they are. Thanks.

Marin:

I agree completely. Those fender covers will look silly on your boat. Don't use them. In fact, next time you are in the gulf Islands, I'll do you a favor and take them from you so you wont have to agonize over them. Just let me know.
and no thanks are necessary.

ps
the boat name embroidery will not bother me.

Ok, as for me, I hadn't thought of it until now, but next time we buy us some new ones, (and sun and rain do take their toll eventually) I'm gonna ask my wife to embroider the name on them. I reckon it's a great idea, and not pretentious at all. I have fished out several fenders floating about in our marina after a major blow with chafed through ties over the years, and never known for sure which boat to return them to. This small thing would solve that, would it not...?
PS, anticipating Marin's next comment, of course I make sure my fender ties are sound, and positioned to they should not chafe, but rot is not always obvious, and a heaving boat can exert considerable tension on a fender pinned against the finger...and it has happened to others...so....

koliver said:

Marin:

I'll do you a favor and take them from you so you wont have to agonize over them.....the boat name embroidery will not bother me.

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Wrong name for your boat although there is a pretty little commercial salmon troller in Ucluelet (or there used to be) with the same name as our boat. Perhaps he could get some use from them.

But actually my wife has just informed me that she has "A Plan." Unfortunately it will negate your generous offer. Her plan is to cut them up for drawer liners for which she feels the fabric is eminently suited.

So look at that. We went from initial query through valuable information to ultimate answer in just 19 posts. Too bad we couldn't have done that with the Twins vs Singles thread, eh?

Marin said:

Anyway, from the comments it sounds like there is no really significant benefit to using covers or not using them so I think we'll just leave things as they are. Thanks.

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Just as a sort of point of order Marin, on what do you base that statement..?
Those who don't use them..what do they know...? And of those who do use them, who of those advised against, or knocked them in any way.
I put it to you, You just did the thing you accuse others of, that is seeking and grabbing the answer you wanted to hear.
If you cut them up, I tHink you will later regret it, but what do I know...? Better to give them to koliver, surely...draw liners...ughhh

The guy who compounded and waxed my boat suggested that I get fender covers to minimize damage to the gelcoat when the fenders are wedged between the dock and the boat. I did and they made a difference, much less scuffing.

Since you already have them, I would use them.

Fender covers definately help to save our paint when at the dock. They also extend the fender life by blocking the UV plus the covers are cheaper than the fenders. Lena makes them out of stuff called Boat Blanket from Sailrite. Sailrite stocks boat blanket

I have used covered fenders for over 30 years and have not seen any adverse effects on my hulls (different boats) but during the last hurricane that came through here I had to put 5 fenders down the starboard side due to the intense wind and the boat was bouncing wildly. The only damage done was to the fender covers, the wooden warf ripped them up big time. I would use them if they won't be rubbing much on wood.

LaBomba said:

........ The only damage done was to the fender covers, the wooden warf ripped them up big time. I would use them if they won't be rubbing much on wood.

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Rubber or vinyl dock edging will take care of that problem.

Actually psneeld made the comment that made the decision for us.

It rains year round here. And dirt and soot collects on everything year round. With bare fenders the rain keeps the fenders clean. If we put the covers on, particularly the ones we were given with the wool-like texture, they will capture and retain every bit of dirt and soot that falls on them. And it will take very little time for them to become an "orchard" for growing all manner of algae and other stuff. We see it everywhere on everything from dock boxes to dinghies to canvas covers in our marina, wherever dirt collects and remains damp. Even standing pools of water on a boat's side decks if it can't drain off become green pools of scum in a few weeks.

We have enough to do as it is to keep up with the boat's exterior maintenance in the time we have to do it. The last thing we need is to add another job that has to be done frequently like washing fender covers to the list.

So while we did not think from the outset that the covers were appropriate from a visual aspect for our boat, if there had been a convincing case to be made for their benefit with regards to protecting the gelcoat we would have used them. What I learned is that while they can help in some circumstances, the dirt collection and potential abrasion forces the need for frequent cleaning and that combined with what happens to dirty, wet fabric in this climate negates many times over the minimal benefit to our hull. Very few boats in our marina have fender covers, probably for this reason. The ones that do tend to be big, " yachty," and have people (charter staff, etc.) who maintain their exteriors year round.

So it was an easy decision yesterday and I appreciate psneeld's steering us in the right direction. The fabric will be put to good use in another application at home.

To me the "best" fender material would be a sunbrella or vinyl with the tighter the weave the better (so dirt, etc fall/rinses off easily).

For UV protection great...but unless you are sure it hasn't accumulated grit from somewhere...it's just like an old gummy fender that has picked grit also and become worse than sandpaper.

I know, I know lot's of you have never had any problem with covers...but as Marin says about anchors...they never drag till they do (or something like that...)

I bought a set of Sunbrella fender covers for my best friend. He used them and they did fine, until a storm hit and they got thrashed and split.

I have stretchy polyester covers that work well at protecting the hull, but they wear easily. I only get a couple of years out of them. Raft-ups are hard on 'em.

I use one to cover my propane tank.

Why not give them a try before Mrs M turns them into draw liners? The embroidered boat name is not that pretentious.
People we know of with a GB 52 (really about 60ft OA) have the boat name on towels, bed covers, T -shirts, cutlery, crockery, glassware.....I`m not saying that`s pretentious, not much, but names on fender covers is pretty mild, and you will id them in case they are lost/borrowed etc, unless of course the miscreant removes the covers.

Save your breath Bruce, he's made his mind up. I've tried to reassure him several times, and I've used them for years, but what do I know? He's ceased on psneeld's post (who I suspect has never used them), raising the spectre of trapping dirt and grime, something I have never had happen, so much so I even gave up washing them in the end, I got so little out of them, in spite of cane farmers often sooting our boats with burn-offs, etc, and algae grows readily elsewhere, but not on the fender covers. I think the rain must wash them a bit as well. Sadly, they are probably already gracing some drawers somewhere. I just wonder what those "very good friends" might think about that, but that's Marin's problem. But I know how I'd feel, if I had given them.
No, no, no...I can't let this go. I was just at the boat a hour ago, and thinking how good they look. So much nicer than blobs of blue/black and white plastic. And they really are no trouble, please change your mind Marin...for your friendship's sake if nothing else...just try them... how can that hurt?