Inflatable boat fenders

[hollywood8118]

It seems a lot of big yachts ( 80' + ) are often using inflatable fenders. We have been fans if the big B and round fenders but I thought I would ask the group on their thoughts for these for locking and using the long ones with pile moorings. I watched a super yacht in Monaco using them last summer and was absolutely amazed at how tough they appeared as the 200'+ yacht really put them to the test. It looks strange watching crew not struggle with the weight of a 3'D x 6'L fender as a convendional " hard" fender that size would be wicked heavy.
Hollywood

 

[tiltrider1]

It’s the cost that has stopped me from switching.

 

[fgarriso]

We started using the 24" round balls several years ago when locking, and they are great.

 

[hollywood8118]

What I was thinking was something like these...

18x48x8

Amazon.com

18x40

Amazon.com

Hollywood

 

[tiltrider1]

I hadn’t seen those. I really liked the second option.

I will say the price has me reconsidering all my negative thoughts. Normally I would not be interested in a PVC inflated fender, to short of a life, having to inflate fenders is a hassle, etc.

I could see picking up two of them and keeping them deflated for those few raft up times when I need an unusually large fender.

 

[hmason]

The Elite cylindrical fenders, according to Amazon are frequently returned. Don't know about the flat ones but I wouldn't take a chance. Most of the large yachts that I have seen use these:

Inflatable Fenders For Boats | Large Boat Fender | Marine | Custom Fender Covers | Boat Bumper | Buoy Fenders Yacht | Jet Ski Docks | Yacht Supplies Online

AERÉ Docking Solutions is the leading name in the marine industry. Browse our inflatable boat fenders, yacht fenders, boat bumpers, fender covers, and more.

www.google.com

 

[hmason]

I should add that they cost more than my first boat

 

[mvweebles]

What I was thinking was something like these...

18x48x8

Amazon.com

18x40

Amazon.com

Hollywood

I wonder if PVC would hold up to abuse? I ordered these used from a TF person who was selling them lightly used. I was amazed at how beefy they are - super heavy. $200/ea new - $50 more than the PVC counterpart. But I haven't used them yet.

https://www.easystowfenders.com/product/heavy-duty-fenders/

Peter

 

[DDW]

I have a few of them and really like them for some things. The ones I have are Aere, not the bargain basement ones, don't know if they are much different.

They are remarkably durable, we bounced off of one for 36 hours in a gale in Ramea Newfoundland, dock was barnacle and nail encrusted, didn't think it would last an hour. Have locked with them in the nasty lock walls in the Welland, again no damage. The only one I have been able to damage was leaving the slip in Nassau with a lot of "help", one was underinflated, caught on some sharp lumber corner on the dock and with the "help", tore it from end to end. Had it been fully inflated I think it would have slid by.

For pilings or unusual situations, rafting, etc. they are great. I've got some 72" x 18", hang from both ends, a couple or three and you are invulnerable to the worst sort of rafter. Also have a few 18 x 24 for when you need a BIG conventional fender.

To inflate, I use the Milwaukee M18 vacuum I carry for other reasons, big one blows up in about 15 or 20 seconds. To deflate, use the same vacuum, a little less time, then roll up. No need for any other pump if you are quick on the valve - vacuum produces enough pressure.

I would not use them for routine docking, for example home berth. Like any PVC, they are going to suffer long term in the sun. But for those other situations, they are really the ideal solution. I've also thought if I went aground on a falling tide, I'd put some under the chine to cushion against rocks or whatever. One or two will easily hold the weight of the boat.

 

[O C Diver]

I prefer balls for locking (Polyform A-5). For docking or keeping off pilings, my choice was Polyform F-8 with cloth covers. While the F-8s are expensive, I found a dealer that bought the seconds. They have the same warranty but the neck and tube colors didn't have clean separation. Didn't matter as I covered them with Polartec covers.

Ted

 

[tiltrider1]

The reviews cast doubt on these PVC fenders holding up to full time use. No surprise as PVC does not stand up well to UV. Still for occasional use they have decent reviews. Several complaints about not getting the size ordered.

 

[cafesport]

We got 4 year out of our aeres and we rolled them up and stored them most of the time. Taylor’s and poly forms seem to last 8 years if they are black and 5 if any other color when stored in the sun.

 

[hollywood8118]

What I liked was the sizes available, I haven't had bad luck with conventional fenders , but these shapes have me thinking it could work for unusable situations. Not thinking of daily use I. Normal docking.
Hollywood

 

[cfr]

ProStock Marine

ProStock Marine

prostockmarine.com

i just read an article about Dirona arround the world Nordhavn and he recommended these ones after several he tried before allways get cracked in the welds, quite expensive but the storage is nice. i do have polyform approx 25 years old and they are good but need a lot space.

 

[ranger58sb]

What I was thinking was something like these...

18x48x8

Amazon.com

18x40

Amazon.com

Hollywood

I began thinking about inflatable fenders after our Jan 2024 storm experience in Charleston. Our TaylorMade and Polyform fenders did OK, but we saw larger boats using larger fenders -- that survived -- and that made me think the whole inflatable part might not be so flimsy after all.

Of all the brands I checked afterwards, Aere was the only one I specifically remember seeing in service, and surviving, during the Charleston storm.... but if it helps, I found others in the marketplace:
Aere
Megafend.com
Lewmar Heavy Duty (made by Taylor Made)
Taylor Made Super Duty
Fendertex
Prostock Marine
Fend-air.com
North Atlantic Inflatables
Bris
Elite (on Amazon)

I didn't run right out and buy stuff, though. It eventually happened I found one of the Elite inflatables could replicate the size/shape of a new water heater I was considering.... so I got one to use for testing access to the mounting location... without having to dismantle engine or strainer bits and pieces. (It worked for that.)

I haven't yet actually used the Elite inflatable as intended, though. It looks and feels decent, if that's useful to know. The storage bag is decent.

We got 4 year out of our aeres and we rolled them up and stored them most of the time. Taylor’s and poly forms seem to last 8 years if they are black and 5 if any other color when stored in the sun.

No sign of deterioration on our current Taylor or Polyform fenders. And the Taylors we inherited on our previous boat were 18 years old when we sold, still fine for fendering... although they looked a bit groady by then...

Our current 4-year-old "new" mixture pretty much maxes out the sizes we can stow. 6x Tayler 10.5x30 black tubes. 1x each of the black Polyform A3, A4, and A5 buoys... but the A5 is just too big to keep on board, too heavy to shift around, so it stays at our slip. We inherited a smaller Polyform, approx an 8" dark blue tube, no clue how old, still fine.

-Chris

 

[slowgoesit]

We recently purchased some of these fenders, in varying sizes:

Amazon.com

You can buy them with or without the protective covers. I would recommend buying them WITH the covers, as they provide better protection to the air bladder. The longer, cylindrical ones have eye pads glued to either end, which allows you to use either vertically, or horizontally. We bought one that was 12" x 10' long for a friends boat at our dock. Really works nice!
I can't speak to their longevity, but they appear to be well made. They on-line Amazon "Store" for this particular brand is Seipel Marine. No affiliation, just have their product:

Seipel Marine

Seipel Marine

www.amazon.com

I would judge that these are "middle of the road" in quality and price.

Best of luck!

 

[Figment]

I use Fendertex and I'm completely happy with them.

Wife and daughter had some difficulty handling the weight of the 10" Big-B fenders, the inflatables are featherweights and everyone comments on how nice and easy they are to set just right.

Last weekend the whole boat was borne against a single piling in 25kt wind abeam and a fair bit of bouncy chop. Two fendertex stacked between the rubrail and the caprail managed just fine.

I keep a pair of the old Big-B in the laz just in case, but the only time I've used one is when I need to moor stern-to the float and I hang one off the swim platform where the lightweight inflatable would get washed-out of position.

 

[Mac2]

Just a side note. I wouldn’t use inflatable fenders for long term unattended use. Ironic that their main advantage is weight and their main weakness is weight. On windy/wavy conditions they are known to blow around and end up on top of the dock. Im on a fresh water canal and Ive returned home to find two out of three Polyform HTM4s on the dock. It was a calm day, so it had to be a massive boat wake to move my 90 ton boat up and down enough to kick the fenders out.

 

[DDW]

It is true that the inflatables will blow around in the wind. The long ones you tie at both ends. If you don't tie them down in windy conditions they will blow right off the deck.

 

[mvweebles]

Last year someone on TF sold four EasyStow 12"x42" fenders. I was shocked the shipping was over $60......until I got them. They were almost 50-lbs!!!

I forget which brand of regular fenders I have but they were not cheap - slightly oversized for a 36' boat. I'm pretty sure these EasyStow fenders can take 5x the abuse. I wanted at least two long fenders that I could hang horizontally to lay up against piles in locations with surge where the boat is moving fore and aft quite a bit. These are very heavy impregnated fabric that appear to be happy in an abusive relationship with a barnacle encrusted wharf.

I cannot imagine PVC is a good fabric for an inflatable fender, but maybe my impression of PVC is from too long ago when I was on a friend's PVC dinghy that tapped a nail and exploded dumping both of us into the water.

Peter

 

[DDW]

I sure wouldn't buy a 50 lb fender as an "Easy Stow". Even if that was 4 of them. That seems like a very hard stow to me. The Aere are pretty light weight, and seem to take a lot of abuse for the use intended.

 

[cafesport]

To combat fender flight in windy conditions we used to add water when filling them.

 

[twistedtree]

Just a side note. I wouldn’t use inflatable fenders for long term unattended use. Ironic that their main advantage is weight and their main weakness is weight. On windy/wavy conditions they are known to blow around and end up on top of the dock. Im on a fresh water canal and Ive returned home to find two out of three Polyform HTM4s on the dock. It was a calm day, so it had to be a massive boat wake to move my 90 ton boat up and down enough to kick the fenders out.

Ditto this. If it’s going to be windy you need to ballast them. You can partially fill with water, or make up sand bags and clip them to the bottom loop or line.

 

[jimdavi]

Fendertex- will never go back to the leaking Taylor made.

 

[stevencharles]

You might like to check out a company down here in NZ. Hauraki fenders.co.nz
I have been using them on my 27ton Trawler for the last 8 years and have had no issues.
They are permanently set up on my boat, as I live on board., however when I do go cruising, they are easy as to deflate and inflate.
I have been pushed against the Marina finger in 50 plus knot gust and they have worked well. To prevent the wind from blowing them up and onto the dock, I attach a 3kg weight to the bottom ring and that takes care of that.

 

[Flatswing]

I used the 16” X 50” size inflatables from North Atlantic Inflatables. Very reasonably priced. We used small (due to weight restrictions) regular fenders at home dock and alongside floating docks when traveling. But these big inflatables are much better against a piling cus if you don’t fully inflate them, they will confirm slightly to the piling and don’t move around. Also perfect for rafting. Like others suggested, big Taylormade/polyform fenders were expensive & way too heavy for my crew. These are light, well made and durable (we didn’t use covers). Best part is they have the same valve as inflatable dinghies. I carried a Milwaukee small 18v leaf blower/ inflator. Inflates fully in 10 seconds. Collapse for storage easily. My only regret is not buying them sooner.