Fancy Leather Boat Hooks

[Simi 60]

It is good to learn a few basic knots and hitches. In an emergency isn’t the time to be teaching them.

No one comes on board for an actual trip without knowing how to at least tie a bowline or clove hitch - plus a list of other requirements.
But that's me (-;

 

[hmason]

To slow, to difficult, to limited and to tacky looking for me. That’s why there is no one product for everyone.

Are you sure you are looking at the same product? It takes about 2 seconds to put on the rail and if it’s your usual dock no adjustment is needed. If it’s a “foreign” dock you can adjust the height in a second or two as it’s simply a jam cleat. They look pretty neat to me.

 

[tiltrider1]

Are you sure you are looking at the same product? It takes about 2 seconds to put on the rail and if it’s your usual dock no adjustment is needed. If it’s a “foreign” dock you can adjust the height in a second or two as it’s simply a jam cleat. They look pretty neat to me.

The product works as claimed if you have 1.25” or less grab rail. Won’t work on a 4” cap rail. Is not as fast or as nice looking as a custom made Boatleather fender hook. Nothing wrong with the product and is certainly cheaper than a $100 Boatleather fender hook.

It’s ok if some one doesn’t want to spend the money for $100 fender hook. It’s also ok to spend $100 for convenience and looks.

 

[hmason]

When we had a GB we had the leather fender holders. They lasted forever and looked great. With our current boat the fast fenders fill the bill nicely.

 

[bowball]

Ok, definitely nit worth the money but …they look great on the varnished cap rails of my boat! Protects the varnish!

 

[mikehar]

Thank you to the people who recommended the guy on Bainbridge, I'll give him a call.

To the people who, every so helpfully, suggested a clove hitch, come on down and show me how. This is gonna be fun.

 

[mikehar]

Thank you to the people who recommended the guy on Bainbridge, I'll give him a call.

To the people who, every so helpfully, suggested a clove hitch, come on down and show me how. This is gonna be fun.

Sadly, it looks like the bainbridge guy only does rail hooks. I'm looking for something more like:

I was hoping to find someone other than megafend.

 

[OldDan1943]

Sadly, it looks like the bainbridge guy only does rail hooks. I'm looking for something more like:

I was hoping to find someone other than megafend.

Very nice. That is for the port railing. Do they make them for the starboard rails too?

 

[koliver]

To the people who, every so helpfully, suggested a clove hitch, come on down and show me how. This is gonna be fun.

Here you are:

The simple clove hitch in the first photo wont hold any better than any other properly tied knot, until you tie it at the bottom of your stanchion, as in the second photo. There the weight of the fender pulls across the first wrap, locking it in place. Removal is quick and easy, just lift the line to the fender and the pressure on the first wrap is removed, allowing a light pull to undo the hitch.

Edit: sorry about the orientation, dreaded iPhone photos, both need to be viewed by tilting your head to the left.

 

[tiltrider1]

Sadly, it looks like the bainbridge guy only does rail hooks. I'm looking for something more like:

I was hoping to find someone other than megafend.

That’s odd. He has made me exactly what’s in the picture in the past.

 

[LarryM]

Sadly, it looks like the bainbridge guy only does rail hooks. I'm looking for something more like:

I was hoping to find someone other than megafend.

Here's the link at Boat Leather for the style you are looking for. Just choose the color and size to see the ordering options.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Bought these for my wife. They work great and fasten low enough on the stanchion post so that they can't bend a rail. No need to go over the teak cap rail. Even if one can tie a hitch faster than using these fender grips, it's not likely that one could adjust the fender height faster. And quick and simple adjustment of fender height is where it's at.

If the leather ones attached low on the stanchion post, they would be a contender. Well, if they didn't get soaking wet with saltwater and have to be taken in. And if they were $11 each. And didn't have that fine Corinthian leather kitch.



https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Produ...lormade+fender+hangers&qid=1660704608&sr=8-13

 

[SteveK]

I have no problem tying a clove hitch.
I do it after every docking, after undoing whatever knot the crew used.

 

[ranger58sb]

Here you are:

The simple clove hitch in the first photo wont hold any better than any other properly tied knot, until you tie it at the bottom of your stanchion, as in the second photo.

I have no problem tying a clove hitch.
I do it after every docking, after undoing whatever knot the crew used.

Cow hitch looks better.



-Chris

 

[mvweebles]

Clove hitches can (and do) work loose over time, especially on vertical rails. They are fine for temporary use but should not be relied upon.

Thr icicle hitch is much more secure and only slightly more difficult to tie. Also works well to attach a snubber to chain rode.

https://www.animatedknots.com/icicle-hitch-knot-end-method

One of the bewildering parts of boating to me is the ingenuity and expense people go through to avoid spending 15-30 minutes learning and mastering a few knots/hitches.

Peter.

 

[Bmarler]

I think the reason he can’t use a hitch to secure the fenders is because there’s no place to do it. If all you have is a cap rail mounted to the bulwarks, where do you put the knot?
Some builders or owners will mount cleats specifically for the fenders, but I like the over the cap solution better.

 

[ranger58sb]

Clove hitches can (and do) work loose over time, especially on vertical rails. They are fine for temporary use but should not be relied upon.

That's partly why we use a cow hitch instead... with an additional half hitch to lock it after the adjusting gets over and done with.

https://www.animatedknots.com/cow-hitch-knot-end-method

(Our fender whips are much longer than the line illustrated there.)

-Chris

 

[mvweebles]

Practical Sailor review of gripping hitches for a loaded line. Would be analogous to tying a fender whip on a stanchion vs a horizontal rail. Depending upon where you boat and familiarity, it's often easier to secure a fender to a stanchion so the vertical height can be easily changed.

https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/gripping-hitches-for-loaded-lines

Peter

 

[koliver]

Clove hitches can (and do) work loose over time, especially on vertical rails. They are fine for temporary use but should not be relied upon.

Then you are doing it wrong!
See my earlier post, especially the picture of the hitch at the bottom of the stanchion. If you do it wrong, you will experience loosening. If you do it correctly (see the picture) it locks the line in place and doesn't loosen as long as there is weight. Don't let your fenders float, for that and for other reasons.

As with most things we discuss to this depth on this forum, you need to understand your knots and with that understanding will go proficiency and dependability.

 

[mvweebles]

Then you are doing it wrong!

See my earlier post, especially the picture of the hitch at the bottom of the stanchion. If you do it wrong, you will experience loosening. If you do it correctly (see the picture) it locks the line in place and doesn't loosen as long as there is weight. Don't let your fenders float, for that and for other reasons.



As with most things we discuss to this depth on this forum, you need to understand your knots and with that understanding will go proficiency and dependability.

Fenders grab between the boat and the dock and naturally tension and de-tension the whip over time.

Clove hitch is simply not the best knot (hitch) for long term use. It may work for a while, but there are better hitches that are just slightly more difficult to tie. Even a rolling hitch is an improvement.

Peter

 

[Comodave]

I use a clove hitch with a slippery half hitch as a safety. Adds about a second when making it up and almost no time when unfastening it.

 

[SteveK]

That's partly why we use a cow hitch instead... with an additional half hitch to lock it after the adjusting gets over and done with.

https://www.animatedknots.com/cow-hitch-knot-end-method

(Our fender whips are much longer than the line illustrated there.)

-Chris

I have done the clove hitch with one more around the main to lock for so long I would have to think to do the cow hitch. The extra keeps it from working loose after a while.

 

[bill.kimbell]

Yeah, that's about as ridiculous as it gets

$80 to $1200 because some can't be bothered to tie a bowline or clovehitch
And enough people out there to make a business from it
While others are homeless and go hungry
Shakes head.

"...homeless and hungry..." Really? Could be a comment on every post on this yachting website.

 

[Alisske]

Ha! I had no idea what anyone was talking about until i googled it.

Sure, looks nice, must work for that price.

In regards to the clove hitch rhetoric, screw it, he has the dough, let him “do him”. He is spending his own money

Good luck on the search.

 

[Harry47]

Fender hooks

I prefer not to tie fender lines to the top of rails as it tends to increase the leverage. I much prefer to tie fender lines to base of the stanchion.

 

[mikehar]

Here you are:

The simple clove hitch in the first photo wont hold any better than any other properly tied knot, until you tie it at the bottom of your stanchion, as in the second photo. There the weight of the fender pulls across the first wrap, locking it in place. Removal is quick and easy, just lift the line to the fender and the pressure on the first wrap is removed, allowing a light pull to undo the hitch.

Edit: sorry about the orientation, dreaded iPhone photos, both need to be viewed by tilting your head to the left.

Cool, now do one on a cap rail. (look at my boat...)

 

[Marco Flamingo]

I prefer not to tie fender lines to the top of rails as it tends to increase the leverage. I much prefer to tie fender lines to base of the stanchion.

Exactly. I see a lot of boats that have scalloped railings from attaching fenders. The railing is designed to hold the lateral force of a deck person, not the righting moment of the vessel. Base of a stanchion is a better choice.

 

[Maryboo]

If you can sew…

I know you said you didn’t want to make them but really they are so simple and cheap, and they protect the wood railings varnish from rope scrape. I made each one from 2 stainless rings, not open ones, about 3” or so. And an industrial lambs wool pad for waxing floors. I got these online from a janitorial supply company. Get the pads long enough to go over the railings and hang down. Turn the ends over the rings and sew across. You now have a flat pad with 2 rings sewn in on each end. Lay over the rail, fuzzy side down, and tie fender lines through both rings with whatever knot you want. When you release the fenders, hold onto the pad or you will lose it overboard. I made a bunch in an afternoon. They hold up well, even in a hurricane and wash nicely when they get filthy. We had them on a DeFever 44, and before that on sailboats. I have a Sailrite machine and used regular V46 thread. Email me if you want to try these and need a drawing.

 

[cks]

A few tears back I noticed that the cap rail finish was being abrainded by our fender lines . I knew we were planning to strip the brightwork and re-apply 12 coats, which we did.
in 2020 and wanted to avoid this situation. After making some proof of concept mock ups I contacted Mike Cushing of Snap-it, manufacturer of rail cup holders. He liked the idea and worked with me to create the rail mounted fender cleats needed to keep the fender line off the cap rail.
Pictured is the version in white installed on the boat. He can also make them in black which is as its twice the strong vs. the white one in the photo.


The material tightly snaps on the horizontal rail and vertical stanchion for support.

I have no financial interest in this. I just wanted to get something that worked, looked good and wanted to share the idea to my fellow boat owners who want their varnished cap rails to remain pristine. Mike was excellent to work with and provided a variety of samples for me to evaluate at no charge until we got it right. Feel free to contact them if you want this for your boat.

http://snapitproducts.com/marine

 

[Flatswing]

Boat leather make very nice custom hangars for the profile of rails that don’t work with off the shelf hangars. They have top quality cam cleats and solid hardware. They protect my brightwork perfectly.
Contrary to some of the options above, not all boats have circumferential rails/ stanchions to tie to. Most of my lower rails have no place to easily tie a fender. My admiral gets flustered tying clove hitches or better - rolling hitches quickly as we approach other docks, especially if the height is unknown or last minute Port-STBD switches are needed. The boat leathers are very pricey but: my admiral can easily set the fenders, move them side to side in seconds and can height adjust them quickly & safely. A small price to pay if she’s happy and we can keep cruising with minimal stress.

I know several other DeFevers that have installed the tracks. They work well also, but for us, fender hangars have been a really good solution. Happy wife…..