Scuff marks on hull

[The lyons den]

Don’t get me wrong, I love our navy blue hull but after spending many hours trying to remove a summer’s worth of fender scuff marks, I need to come up with a solution before next season. I usually dock on a floating wood slip but two nights on a concrete wall turned my fenders into fine sand paper as they picked up sand particles during heavy rain.
Has anyone had any good luck with a specific fender covers or 3M clear film?

 

[baz]

I've thought about fender covers, but after a bit of research found that they really aren't the answer to your question, The covers themselves can harbor fine grit particles and eventually act as sandpaper on the hull. My advice... don't use fender covers unless you want to wash them out every week.

 

[GypsyMoth]

Kevin ceramic coated my boat and placed film on the hull where the 4 factory supplied fenders are mounted on my R27OB.

I have other scuffs (well, only one right now), but not from fenders.

Cheers,

 

[knotflying]

Perhaps fender boards will help. You can let the board rub against the pilings or concrete wall with the fenders between the board and hull. I have used PVC pipe to make the "Board". Much lighter and easier to handle.

 

[Chimo]

We’re in a boathouse and the bow is always rubbing on the padding around the deck. Four years ago I put a piece of 3M film on each side with excellent results. I wax the hull every year. Only takes me an hour. There’s a photo in our album that shows the film if you look very closely. It’s an easy fix for fender rash.

 

[RJM1953]

When I bought my 2021 R31 CB from Winter Island Yacht Yard in Salem MA, the owner, Peter Haywood, suggested using fender covers made by Maine Point (mainepoint.com). These fender covers are made from a very soft fleece material and can be ordered with the boat name embroidered on them. I ordered a set of four and after one season I absolutely love them. My hull is Claret Red and like other dark colors is prone to show every scuff. Every time I head down to my tug I give them a good spray of water from my dockside hose whether I am washing the boat or not, just to clean them off of any debris they might pick up from the dock. I also apply a nice coat of Collonite wax to the hull and superstructure by hand rather than by machine. Collonite is recommended by the factory. After much use during my first season I have been very pleased with the results of both products,

 

[The lyons den]

Thanks very much for all the great advice. Looks to me like good quality fender covers and clear film might be in store for next season. I will also be sure to check out collonite wax as I have never heard of it.
I appreciate all your comments.

 

[baz]

I must admit, the clear 3M film does sound like a good solution. 🙂

 

[georgesilverman]

FYI, the web address for the shop that makes the fleece fender covers is:
mainepointfendercovers.com

 

[Chimo]

FYI, the web address for the shop that makes the fleece fender covers is:
mainepointfendercovers.com

I'm not disagreeing about the potential benefit of using fleece fender covers. Everyone's experience is different. I did try using fleece to protect the hull, including fender covers but I found that they still picked up salt and that acted as a grinding medium and the hull was still marked. I also tried using 303 protectant on the fenders and on the hull but unless one is meticulous about polishing off any excess the same issue occurs, it picks up salt and creates a paste. In the end, the film seems incredibly tough providing you buy the really high quality stuff. My patches are essentially 1' x 2' and cost me around $45 US each. Based on their current condition after four years I can't predict an end of life at present.