Piling Bumpers

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kartracer

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Joined
Aug 5, 2014
Messages
529
Location
USA
Vessel Name
M/V LUNASEA
Vessel Make
45ft Bluewater Coastal
Want to make piling bumper, if that is what they are called, the bumpers that slide up and down on a piling when at a pier or other places where pilings are on the outside of a dock. Any idea as to what works and what made of will help
 
Years ago when I was cruising full time, I kept a 12' 2x6 on the deck to use for a piling fender. It was long enough to bridge two piles. I would tie if off to the side of the boat and then use two normal fenders to stand it off. The relatively smooth board let it slide up and down against the pile with the tide.

Another way is to use couple of 4' boards which would let you ride against a couple of piles and the length would keep it lined up on the pile as the tide rose and fell. But it would take two fenders per board.

If the tide is minimal, you can just use a long fender tied horizontally to ride against the pile.

David
 
Those would be called "fender boards". There are several articles on the Internet that show these and how to make them.
Taylor Made makes rubber parts that fit on the ends of 2X4" lumber to make fender boards that work without the need for separate fenders. Not as good as the real thing perhaps, but far easier to store and deploy. I made two and they work for me.
 
WesK said:
Those would be called "fender boards". There are several articles on the Internet that show these and how to make them.
Taylor Made makes rubber parts that fit on the ends of 2X4" lumber to make fender boards that work without the need for separate fenders. Not as good as the real thing perhaps, but far easier to store and deploy. I made two and they work for me.
Click to expand...

Thats it
 
WesK said:
Taylor Made makes rubber parts that fit on the ends of 2X4" lumber to make fender boards that work without the need for separate fenders.
Click to expand...

Note they don't float. Guess how I know..
 
I just make my own batter/gender boards.

You can make them very fancy out of varnished teak with SS rub strips on them.
Or very utilitarian out of treated lumber.
Either way works.

I like them long and lay the across 2 or 3 vertical hanging fenders. I usually suse two boards with 8-12" of space between the boards. That way they rest against the fenders nicely and spread the load.
 
WesK said:
But the 2X4s float don't they? I drilled holes for my lines through the rubber ends (and the wood) so they can't fall off.
Click to expand...

Sure, that's how I do it now.
 
kartracer said:
Any idea as to what works and what made of will help
Click to expand...

If you're expecting surges caused by wind, tide, wakes or someone rafting outside you, too many fenders is never enough.
 

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I just tie the fenders around the piling. Then I don't have to worry about the boat moving and the fender slipping away from the piling.
 
Does anyone have the part # for the Taylor Made parts.
 
The photo shows the best use of fender boards , to hold a bunch of fenders.

The mfg bumpers to fit a 2x4 or 2x6 for heavier boats and are great to hold the fenders behind the board as well as keep the hull from scratching should the fenders become displaced.

A pair of Oak 2x6 boards with 2 strips of bronze half round to take the wear , should be part of the gear for any inshore cruiser.
 
Somewhere I saw a fender board made with something like 4" PVC pipe.. can't remember details or where I saw it, but imagination from that hint might work :)

-Chris
 
Here's an example of a feder board I saw this weekend.
 

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fryedaze said:
I just tie the fenders around the piling. Then I don't have to worry about the boat moving and the fender slipping away from the piling.
Click to expand...

That hasn't worked for me on fixed docks in tidal areas. Once I allow for the tidal range, the boat is loose enough that it moves away from the fender.

The Taylor Made things don't hold the boat as far away from the piling as I would like, but they do work.
 

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We made ours out of 2" PVC, 6' long, with couplings glued at each end. I ran a 3/8" line inside the pipe with a half hitch @ each end so the pipe would not slip when in the fixed position.
Rope lets us hang the fender in almost any location and height. I install with 3 fenders and have on 1 occasion, had to use 4 fenders. If I had to make again, I would increase the pipe diameter to 3" and maybe use schedule 80 PVC. Other than that - easy to store and deploy.
 
Our theory. When you're putting fenders to protect against horizontal rails and docks, you use vertical fenders. No such thing as too many either.

So, then it's a vertical piling or post to protect against, we buy the fender board concept but accomplish it just by having some very large fenders and hanging them horizontally instead of vertically. There are some enormous sizes available but we don't go to the largest.
 
BandB makes a good suggestion. Taylormade even makes a fender that is designed to stay centered on a piling. They call it the Freedom fender.
You can see it here Taylor Made Products 2015 Catalog
 
Has anyone tried using a piece of 1x6 (or double for 2x6) PVC deck board for fender board verses wood? Not the composite deck board with a mixture of wood filler and resin but the 100% PVC stuff.
Steve
 
The idea of a fender board is to put maximum space between the hull and a piling.

Stiff material like Oak with some big fenders captured behind ,should do a better job of not flexing than plastic.

We all are aware of "hull speed" where the boat digs a big hole in the water.

When a home bound tug shrouded in darkness goes home at FLANK, leaving a 5 ft wake , extra strong is a big plus.
 
FF said:
The idea of a fender board is to put maximum space between the hull and a piling.

Stiff material like Oak with some big fenders captured behind ,should do a better job of not flexing than plastic.

We all are aware of "hull speed" where the boat digs a big hole in the water.

When a home bound tug shrouded in darkness goes home at FLANK, leaving a 5 ft wake , extra strong is a big plus.
Click to expand...

The distance and strength doesn't have to be any more than what will do the job in your circumstances. Away from home, the ability to carry and deploy the fender boards is important so it's going to be a compromise.

If you have a large boat, you'll have room for larger and longer boards and larger fenders. On a small boat, you'll have to compromise.

As for the oak vs. PVC, PVC is "prettier" and oak is heavier and not easy to find in structural sizes. Some flexibility in the "board" is fine because it puts less stress on the fenders. Each has a cushioning effect.

Common 2X4 construction lumber works pretty well for smaller boats. 2X6 might work better for larger boats. Both are easy to find.
 
WesK said:
The distance and strength doesn't have to be any more than what will do the job in your circumstances. Away from home, the ability to carry and deploy the fender boards is important so it's going to be a compromise.

If you have a large boat, you'll have room for larger and longer boards and larger fenders. On a small boat, you'll have to compromise.

As for the oak vs. PVC, PVC is "prettier" and oak is heavier and not easy to find in structural sizes. Some flexibility in the "board" is fine because it puts less stress on the fenders. Each has a cushioning effect.

Common 2X4 construction lumber works pretty well for smaller boats. 2X6 might work better for larger boats. Both are easy to find.
Click to expand...

Why boards though or PVC or any such material? You don't use boards in conjunction with regular fenders. I think the concept of horizontal protection is the key to protection and that's the origin of fender boards, but I suggest rather than fenders and boards, simply some very large fenders turned horizontally. You ask how large, well they are made up to 4' x 20'.

Now, there is one benefit I see in the board itself. It serves as a sacrificial anode protecting the fender itself. While doing so it might damage the piling though. I know keeping fenders looking like new is important to some but I see them as utilitarian in nature and I know they're going to show wear. That's why they use tires for the Panama Canal and commercial boats use them regularly.
 
kartracer said:
Want to make piling bumper, if that is what they are called, the bumpers that slide up and down on a piling when at a pier or other places where pilings are on the outside of a dock. Any idea as to what works and what made of will help
Click to expand...

I have both fender boars and the 10 inch cylinder type fenders. If in a situation where I can't spring tight enough to ride one fender or a fender board isn't working or I just need another setup....

You can string 2 of the cylindrical fenders next to one another with figure 8 knots to keep them together on a longer line and generally it works well.

Sometimes I don't bother to string them together, I just tie 2 up tight and it works fine too.
 
BandB said:
Why boards though or PVC or any such material? You don't use boards in conjunction with regular fenders. I think the concept of horizontal protection is the key to protection and that's the origin of fender boards, but I suggest rather than fenders and boards, simply some very large fenders turned horizontally. You ask how large, well they are made up to 4' x 20'.

Now, there is one benefit I see in the board itself. It serves as a sacrificial anode protecting the fender itself. While doing so it might damage the piling though. I know keeping fenders looking like new is important to some but I see them as utilitarian in nature and I know they're going to show wear. That's why they use tires for the Panama Canal and commercial boats use them regularly.
Click to expand...

I believe I posted this above, but with fixed docks and outside pilings in areas with a tidal or wind driven variation in water level, the dock lines have to be loose enough to accommodate the lowest water level expected. When the water level rises, the lines are then slack enough that the boat moves forward or back and the fenders are no longer contacting the pilings.

I suppose five foot long fenders might solve this problem, but the 2X4 lumber or whatever slides easily along the piling. The fender probably will not.

There are different ways to protect a boat in this situation and anything that works for our individual situations is fine.

In the ideal world, all docks would be floating docks and conventional fenders would be fine.
 
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