FLEECE FENDER COVERS ALTERNATIVE FOR HULL RASH

[Paulth]

You can save some cash, and have some fun by sewing your own Fender Covers

Fleece is soft, durable and does not cause fender rash. I sewed up a set of dock fender covers and boat fender covers last year to try them out. They worked very well and did not mar the sides of the boat. The key is to spray them off whenever you are washing off your boat to wash out the salt and dirt that accumulates in the fleece. I tie my permanent fleece dock fenders horizontal to the dock to lessen the surface area rub on the hull.
Fleece fender covers are also available commercially.

Department stores like Walmart have cheap usable fleece fabric. Parachute cord or heavy duty nylon cord is available in hardware stores. Stretchy 100 percent polyester thread is available at most fabric stores

Cut the fabric to size, sew one inch casings on either end and run the nylon parachute cord through the casings. Leave about 7 inches of cord on either side of the casing as a pull cord and tie off area. Sew the side seam. I do two seams on each line of stitching for extra strength. Turn the fender cover right side out and pull it over the fender. Tighten up the nylon cords so it pulls over the top and bottom of the fender. Knot the cord with an over hand knot and tuck the ends under the cover. Make sure you have enough fabric to cover the ends of the fender so it does not ride up on the fender during use.

Good luck with your fender covers
PUFFIN R-29 PORT TOWNSEND WA

 

[Red Raven]

Yes. Awesome job! A friend of ours made the same for our boat. Works great! Also, we remove them a couple times a season and throw them in the wash. We also rinse them off every trip. Besides eliminating the fender rash they stop the squeaking in the middle of the night at the dock if the wind comes up! We sleep much better.

 

[baz]

Good suggestion for sure. However, if you have a slip to yourself the boat can be positioned to always be proud of the dock side with 4 lines; two on the bow and two on the stern. This is the way I used for past 18 months.

Now that I share a slip I will have to employ the fender covers.... 🙁

 

[Brian B]

A few years ago my wife made 2 sets of similar covers and they do work nicely. When they get dirty throw them in the wash and they are like new. After 3 years of use one set started to wear out and were discarded. The only thing I found was that if any material is in the water it will accumulate sea growth so they can't be sagging at all.