Fenders

[mikekomm]

I need to purchase some new fenders for my 42 Trawler. Any suggestions on best place to get a good deal on the internet.

[JPA Cate]

There's Fishermen's Supplies in Seattle.

Or, old tires last just about forever, can effectively be used as fenders, and can have sewn canvas (not acrylic, use polyester blend) covers to protect the paint on the hull. I have also seen them painted.

Sewn canvas covers are softer than pvc, and generally last about 5 yrs. in our usage. We bought the long cylindrical style fenders here in Australia. Where you buy fenders depends on where you live, and also if you need to be able to disinflate them for stowage. We keep about 4 inflated, and have a couple of deflated spares.

Possibly our best fender is an inflatable escapee net float from (probably) an Alaskan trawler. It came with the boat, and is more tricky to make covers for.

Ann

[jeremiason]

I always purchase Taylors from West Marine...

The price sucks, but they have a LIFETIME guarantee! I have returned two fenders in the last 15 years. Both blew when the boats were forced against the dock in very high winds.

West Marine is a distributor and takes them back no questions asked as long as there are no obvious nail holes.

Welcome to Taylor Made Products

[RainDog]

+1 on Taylor Made.

We just called Taylor Made because our 5 year old fenders were were showing significant UV damage. They replaced them and paid for the shipping.

[letsgetsailing3]

I got some pretty high-quality fenders on ebay.

I was actually surprised at how good they were, and they were about half the price of Taylor made.

Look at the photos and descriptions carefully, make sure they're comparable to the kind you want, and make sure they have a good return policy.

[mikekomm]

What are the benefits of the "foam" type fenders vs. inflatable ones, if any?

[NewMoon]

Originally Posted by jeremiason

I always purchase Taylors from West Marine...

The price sucks, but they have a LIFETIME guarantee! I have returned two fenders in the last 15 years. Both blew when the boats were forced against the dock in very high winds.

West Marine is a distributor and takes them back no questions asked as long as there are no obvious nail holes.

I too use Taylor Made from West Marine. They've replaced three of them over the last 16 years at no cost to me.

[JPA Cate]

We have a foam type fender that spends most of its time in sun exposure, aft of the helm, helping me up so I can see better. It is also used as a stern fender when we back into marinas.

We've seen lots of foam fenders used here and there. Personally, I prefer a fender that will hold me further off the hard stuff, but it just may be an idea, not a real danger......

Ann

[nhschneider]

The lifetime guarantee notwithstanding, Taylor fenders are not very durable in my opinion and do fail when exposed to rough conditions. This isn't too bad if you're near a West Marine store but you can be out of luck if you're cruising in a remote area.

I use Polyform fenders and whereas they're significantly more expensive than Taylor fenders, they give many years of good service even in harsh conditions.

A good value does not always equate to a low purchase price.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[natew]

Another + for the Taylor fenders, usually find the best deal is westmarine when they have them on sale (like now).

Like others I had a Big-B fender of unknown age leak due to cracking at the top. Shipped it back to them and within a week they sent me a brand new one. Now if only they would warranty lost fenders as the admril promptly lost the fender almost the next day.

If anyone finds a Big-B fender floating around San Diego harbor it's probably mine. Thanks!

[Blue Stocking]

My 4, 12 x 28 Taylors take up a lot of room in my scarce cockpit locker space. Any ideas on a portable electric pump I could use to inflate/ deflate then using the needle valve.

[RainDog]

I agree the Polyform are more heavy duty. Just got them, so cannot compare durability. I use oversized Taylor Made Big-B fenders in my slip, but for fenders I carry with my I wanted something smaller. Since they are slightly undersized for my boat, I think the more durable Polyforms are worth the extra cash.

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

My 4, 12 x 28 Taylors take up a lot of room in my scarce cockpit locker space. Any ideas on a portable electric pump I could use to inflate/ deflate then using the needle valve.

I bought a $30 brandname pump at home depot. It was terrible: amazingly loud, slow, and with a very short duty cycle.

I gave it away and bought one of these: Amazon.com: Viair 00073 70P Heavy Duty Portable Compressor: Automotive

After 4 years I am still thrilled with it.

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

My 4, 12 x 28 Taylors take up a lot of room in my scarce cockpit locker space. Any ideas on a portable electric pump I could use to inflate/ deflate then using the needle valve.

I use an old bicycle pump with a needle valve to re-inflate mine, but I'm one of those athletic kind of guys.

Jacques

[peterwilliam]

Anybody know where I can get the special inflator for plastimo fenders (or how otherwise to inflate them). Adapter is available in England for 2 pound + 52 pound to post to Australia.