Fender covers? Use em? No? Thoughts?

[Eastside3]

On my last boat I had cloth west marine fender covers. The type where the draw string at the bottom was great for having mussels grow on them. Over time they would get mucky and I’d end up ditching them. Whatever benefit the fabric may have had when rubbing against the gelcoat I’m sure was no longer beneficial when the cloth got grimy and gritty.
I’m curious what others have preferred, what have you opted for, disliked and tossed, and do they actually prevent abrasion on the gelcoat.
Thanks everyone

 

[baz]

IMO - the fender covers are a waste of money. Their only benefit AFAIK is cosmetic/beauty-looking. Unless washed frequently and boat is in salt water they will harbor salt crystals and act as sandpaper on the hull surface when the rub up against the hull.

Save your money..... as you've already probably decided.

 

[SummerSteve]

Sounds like you use your fender covers for prolonged periods - I have a navy blue hull and have been using the fender covers this year while tied up at floating docks for dinner, drinks, occasional overnight, etc. - So far, have less fender rash than last year.

 

[Red Raven]

We use them. We wash them often. Just toss them into the washer. We also rinse them after every trip when rinsing the boat. We take care to make sure the fenders hang just above the water. Even without covers you will grow stuff on the fenders if they sit in the water. In addition to being easier on the gelcoat (if kept clean) they reduce squeaks at the dock when sleeping.

Curt

 

[Brian B]

We made our own. Heck of a lot cheaper.

 

[Kimberly Dawn]

Typically dock bow-in starboard tie... I noticed a slight fender rash on hull at mid-ship cleat, so I bought fender covers (Fenda-Sox) I will be using for the first time this next week. I fully expect to throw them in the wash after our trip, with the same attention to detail I will give the rest of the boat.

 

[pete s]

We use them on our Dark blue R31... Love 'em... It takes but a minute to make sure they are adjusted up out of the water.. and the little "mussel strings" we make sure are tucked up inside.... we are in salt water, but never had the "crystal" problem, rain seems to rinse them well.. we wash them as needed (really only once / season) in the washing machine...
We bought ours from Marine Outfitters ( cheaper than you know who..).. they are also very easy to make (think mens XL
sweatpants legs, cut off, only need simple sew job on one end for a drawstring ! Any color you want !!
Pete S.

 

[BB marine]

If your not going for a look and use the covers just to protect the hull and plan on washing them from time to time. Buy cheap colored tee shirts to match fender color or hull. I don't recommend white ! Sized according to the fender used. Smaller fenders use children size shirts. They can be washed easily many times.

 

[baz]

Most of the time my boat is at my home port slip I always position the boat with suitable lines to be away from the dockside such that the fenders hang free without touching the dockside nor the hull side. Of course this is not always possible at other marina slips, but for me this situation is rare compared to the amount of time my boat is at its home port. Thus, fender covers offers me no benefit, and if you trailer the boat fenders/covers aren't being used any rate.

On my past R25 Classic with a blue hull I was unaware of fender rash and the blue hull did get scuffed by the fenders. I adopted covers thinking that was the solution but found that was of no benefit. So I now adopt the above technique and for my R25 Classic with blue hull I avoided the fender rash problem. I'm hoping for the same today with my R29 CB with Hero Red hull..... and so far after close to 5 months of ownership see no fender rash at all. 😀

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

The Admiral made fender covers out of Walmart sweat pants. 2 covers a pair. They fade quickly bur are easy to made every couple of years.

 

[Bigsky]

Barry, we deploy our fenders when we trailer Miss J in case we side swipe a semi. 😉

 

[baz]

Barry, we deploy our fenders when we trailer Miss J in case we side swipe a semi. 😉

OMG... horrors indeed. :lol:

 

[Cutwater28GG]

i use them and they are better than the raw fenders. I soak them with fresh water every time I wash the boat and this helps keep the salt down

 

[baz]

IMO... The best benefit I've read here for the fender covers is that they can/will eliminate/reduce fender-dockside squeaking during sleeping times.

 

[Barry Cohen]

YOLO has fleece covers made by Maine Coast Marine Products. Yes, a little money, but they have made a huge difference on our midnight blue hull.