Hanging fenders at the right height
Line handling · easy · also called Rigging fenders
Used for
- Protecting the hull when docking, lying alongside, rafting up or waiting in a lock
How to tie it
- Before you come in, work out where the hull will touch the dock, piling or other boat; usually that is the widest part of the hull.
- Tie each fender line to the base of a stanchion or to a deck cleat, not high up on a lifeline or rail.
- Use a clove hitch on a rail or stanchion so you can slide it to adjust the height; on a cleat, use a cleat hitch.
- At a floating dock, hang the fenders so they sit just above the waterline.
- At a fixed dock, set them against the dock face, expecting to reset them as the tide rises and falls.
- Against a lone piling, hang a fender sideways, tied at both ends, or hang a fender board in front of two fenders.
- Once alongside, check each fender and fine-tune the height, then lock the clove hitches with a couple of half hitches.
- Bring the fenders aboard once you are under way.
Check it: With the boat lying against the dock, every place the hull meets the dock, a piling or another boat has a fender in between, and no fender has ridden up onto the dock or dropped below its edge.
Cautions
- Never use a hand, arm or foot to stop the boat hitting something; keep a loose roving fender ready instead.
- Clove hitches on rails can work loose as the hull works the fender; lock them once set.
- When rafting to a boat of a different height, one boat's fenders go lower and the other's higher.
- Advice on how many fenders and what size varies between makers and organizations; check the sizing chart for your fenders.
Sources (5)
discoverboating.com · taylormadeproducts.com · fenderboards.com · boatingwithdawsons.com · boatingcompass.org
General guidance for recreational boaters, researched from the sources listed and written in our own words. Your equipment manuals, local knowledge, the Navigation Rules and a qualified instructor come first.