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Fender hangers...too many choices!

23K views 85 replies 45 participants last post by  Livelyhood 
#1 ·
My fellow boat-owners (the admiral and my co-owner's admiral) want some way to hang fenders off the lifelines that does NOT require any type of knot. In addition, the device must withstand nasty weather (we seem to have the misfortune of only docking when bad weather arrives). Finally, it must be easily adjustable.

Does Anyone have any experience with the following devices, and have some feedback as to their efficacy?

So far I have seen many ideas:

Amazon.com: Taylor Made Products Hook and Loop Boat Fender Strap (Pair) (36 - Inch): Sports & Outdoors

HARDLINE PRODUCTS\ EZ-Adjuster Fender Hangers at West Marine

TAYLOR No-Knot Fender Hanger at West Marine

Loop Cleats

Tidy-Ups™ Fender Adjuster Kits - iboats.com
 
#43 ·
Folks, knotting to the life lines is fine but it should be around the stantion. Otherwise the normal movement of the boat can "walk" the fender out of place. Listen to Bjones, I use a brass snap clip attached to my toe rail at the dock. Perfect fit every time and the fenders don't move even when I have a sometimes "unseaman like" dock landing (it happens). When I raft I clip the same fender to the lower life line around the stantion, hull protected, no problem. I use cheap alumium caribiners for my spare fenders, $.99 at HD. In fact I have a bunch of them on board and use them for all sorts of things.

John
 
#44 ·
I can see the advantage of clipping on low to a stanchion, where the leverage is low or nil compared to tying off on the top lifeline. I do like the 'biner idea; that's almost worth a look to see if it'll work. (Although metal to metal doesn't seem such a great idea.) It hardly seemed worth a second thought. Just walk the fender to where it needs to go; toss it over; spin, spin, tuck, and tug it tight; done. I dunno. Maybe if I tripped and fell over a box full of 'biners someday.
 
#49 ·
Something you may want to bring up with the others on your boat is the potential for these devices to damage your boat. Hear me out. I used to use the white plastic clips that you thread the fender whip through. At the end of the sail, I'd just pull them out and hang them on the lifelines. Easy right?

The problem was that over time I noticed that they seemed to loosen my stanchions. A handful of times, I had dock lines either wear through or stolen and the boat ended up against the fenders and dock. The movement of the boat and water put quite a strain on the fenders, thus the lifelines and stanchion tops. Over time I noticed most of the stanchions near where I had been attaching my fender clips had become loose and leaked. Unfortunately my headliner had no access panels so I got to cut out parts of the head liner getting to the hardware so I could rebed the stanchions.

I don't know if others have had similar experiences, but I stopped using them a few years back. I tie to the base of the stanchions now and haven't had a problem since. Just food for thought.
 
#50 · (Edited)
The problem was that over time I noticed that they seemed to loosen my stanchions. A handful of times, I had dock lines either wear through or stolen and the boat ended up against the fenders and dock. The movement of the boat and water put quite a strain on the fenders, thus the lifelines and stanchion tops. Over time I noticed most of the stanchions near where I had been attaching my fender clips had become loose and leaked. Unfortunately my headliner had no access panels so I got to cut out parts of the head liner getting to the hardware so I could rebed the stanchions. I don't know if others have had similar experiences, but I stopped using them a few years back. I tie to the base of the stanchions now and haven't had a problem since. Just food for thought.
Amen!
BTW, I'm not "beating my chest" when I suggest people who don't want to tie off at ankle height might want to get a power boat. It's simply that given the list of challenging duties and conditions we face when sailing, kneeling down to tie a fender off while approaching a dock, is fairly far down the list (IMHO).
 
#51 ·
i love the fender clips used by those who enjoy spending wads of money on useless items--lol--is how i found my fenders as the boats,err, yotts, with them in use lost them in weather... i use a knot in a line tied to boat.....LOL remember to change line occasionally as they tend to chafe thru in time..... but, if yu are ddtermined to use the pretty and useless items presented on platters in wm stores,please lose your fenders etc within reach of my boat.....
 
#56 ·
How about both?

A couple of fenders for the wife to clip on when docking and then you go ahead and tidy up the lines and fenders after the boat is stopped.

I would propose a compromise;
She hangs a couple of fenders with some fancy schmancy clip on things
You guide the boat into the slip
She ties off a couple of lines
You make things ship shape while she makes the first round

Those of you who freak out over spending 20 bucks on plastic thingies must spend way too much time mulling over prices on the wine list :D or worse... how to split the check... eek!
 
#58 ·
My wife struggles to tie knots due to an injury in her hand. We bought fastfenders from the Minneapolis Boat show. This is probably the best fender hanger investment we did. She can preset the fender length and it takes less than a second to put fenders in place. Very happy with the quality of the product. You can check out Youtube videos on fastfenders. There are quite a few of those. Some of the websites where you can check videos and see if it will help your fender hanging issues.



 
#60 ·
Toggle and becket:
the line at bottom of 1st photo, with loop(becket) to left & wooden pin(toggle) to right:

Toggles and Ditty Bags « Full Chisel Blog

No knots, no moving parts, no cost. (Everyone has old line lying around, right?)

Learn how to make them and lots other useful boat gear here:
 
#61 ·
i love it when folks use plastic fender holders on their lovely new fenders then leave em up in a good storm..... that is how i got all my fenders---no names on em and no id---lost at sea--all for me..thankyou so much --it is appreciated greatly.
i use rope and knots and i am not able to use my thumbs--there are many knots monkeys like me can use that securely hold fenders to boat ...lol thankyou all so much .

dont expect to find fenders lost from my boat, as i already know how it is done. i have to affix mine securely and with lines..not flimsy plastic holders--so if you use fender holders, make sure they do not have any potential of falling apart in a storm or in sun. also please checkto make sure i am down wind and down current from ye...

have a great day . happy sails!!
 
#62 ·
Fenders on lifelines....Not for me.....

IMHO lifelines are there to save your life not be to hang fenders off and abuse your lifelines & stanchions year round. I have watched lifeline hung fenders is storms too many times to ever even think of it..

I much prefer mine down low at the base of a stanchion, toe rail, genny track or on dedicated pad eyes... It is easy to create a cheap system where the same fender goes in the same spot each time. Simple carbiners can even work..
 
#68 ·
Fenders on lifelines....Not for me.....

IMHO lifelines are there to save your life not be to hang fenders off and abuse your lifelines & stanchions year round. I have watched lifeline hung fenders is storms too many times to ever even think of it..

I much prefer mine down low at the base of a stanchion, toe rail, genny track or on dedicated pad eyes... It is easy to create a cheap system where the same fender goes in the same spot each time. Simple carbiners can even work..
Yup, never ceases to amaze, how commonplace the practice of hanging fenders from lifelines is...

I think it would probably be easier to bring about an end to radio checks on 16, than to convince sailors to quit hanging fenders from lifelines :)

"Hanging your fenders from the same spot each time", however, you Maineiacs are way too accustomed to floating docks... Fixed docks with pilings are one of the primary reasons god created the perforated aluminum toerail, after all :)
 
#64 ·
Considering they saved my butt a couple of times over the years, stopped me and kept me from having to use my tether, I do consider them lifelines... Also seen many slam into them racing and each and every time they did what they were supposed to do stop the bow guy or person on deck from going in the drink......
 
#67 ·
Two options that I like:
1) A rolling hitch around the stanchion gives you a height adjustable fender. Great if you don't know if you'll be tying up to a dock or rafting up with another boat. Works best on single lifeline stanchions.
2) A caribinier-type device at the end of a fender line that is already set to the correct height for your boat and dock. Clip this to the lifeline stanchion bases. Any crew person can figure out "clip one of these to each stanchion" without having to know any knots.

When I first got into sailing I liked those plastic clips that Davis sells. Then I found out what happens in rough water: the plastic clip breaks and your fender ends up floating away. If you are unlikely they put a high load on your lifelines in the process.
 
#70 ·
a. Mainsail hit it on the head. I've seen many lifelines damaged when a fender got caught under a dock, and I'm sure many more are loosened. Your funeral. When I see fenders hung from lifelines it screams "unseaman like" to me. Tie them to the toe rail or equivalent.

b. Zeehag, your understanding of fall control systems is limited. They will absolutely catch folks that are smart enough to get low when it gets rough and they have saved many. More importantly, many sailors (landsmen) make poor use of lifelines, pressing down on them the way you would a railing; you PULL UP on them and to one side, to keep your feet on the deck. While you are welcome to practice what you like, spreading a gospel that is unsound could hurt someone. Instead, preach that standing tall in rough conditions is unseaman like.
 
#72 ·
Sometimes circumstances dictate otherwise.

Perforated aluminum toe rails are convenient for all kinds of reasons. They're great for mounting snatch blocks just about anywhere. I do worry about tying anything directly to them on some boats as the hole edges are not always rounded over so chafe can be a problem.

My boat has short bulwarks (about 3") capped with teak. They are great for wedging a foot against but there is nowhere except stanchions and lifelines to tie finders. Tying to a stanchion abrades the teak toe rail. Accordingly on my boat I use a clove hitch on a lifeline at the stanchion to hang fenders.

Instead, preach that standing tall in rough conditions is unseaman like.
Never be too proud to crawl.

However, its a compromise I need to live with.
We all have to do the best we can. Ultimately, good decisions in the face of reality IS good seamanship.
 
#71 ·
As we enter port, my wife usually deploys the fenders. Often, I will put them out on deck and get a loose round turn started, but she drops them over the side and adjusts the height.

Recently, I've had to compromise on where they would be tied. They were always at the base of the stanchions and I refuse to allow them to be tied to the lifeline, other than an emergency or extremely short term. (btw, our marina only ties them to the lifelines when they launch her in the spring. Drives me nuts). However, we use 12"x36" fenders and they are quite awkward to hold in position while bending over or kneeling on deck to tie them off. We just started tying them to the stanchion, but right above the first life line.

It doesn't pull down on the lifeline, but it is a little more leverage that I would like on the stanchion. However, its a compromise I need to live with.
 
#73 · (Edited)
I'm curious: though they have been mentioned, nowhere has anyone said anything about *adding* deck fittings to support fenders. Could you add a few cleats, properly located, bedded, back-plated & through-bolted?

Making Cleats

Cleat Specs Drawing

Or even better, perforated toe-rail between lifeline stanchions:

Handrails and grab rails and toe rails.

Crest Aluminum Products Co, Inc

Cleats and toerails are not terribly difficult to make, and could be good projects for winter or foul-weather days. Toerails would also increase the safety of working near the edge of the deck, not to mention dressing up your ship.
 
#76 ·
Of course, this practice is not the end of the world, by any means... On the other hand, I wouldn't characterize it as "nothing", either...

Many of us here sail Good Old Boats, or might be in the market for one... One of the most common problems with such boats, is penetration/saturation of the deck core... And, I would guess, that one of the most common contributors to that issue, is the abuse of lifelines, and the working of stanchion bases against the deck that is created by stress from fenders, or pulling one's body weight against stanchions when boarding from a dock, or dinghy, and so on...
 
#78 ·
Without disagreeing with anything that had already been said, and all of it is sound advice, I still want to point out that the worst case is trapping the fender under the dock. The forces are greatest then, obviously. And yet, the stanchion anchorage hardly seems to be such a great issue then. Or, rather, the much greater problem is the lack of fender-age when that happens.

At the same time, the bit of give in the lifeline is arguably preferable to the solid metal to metal attachment of clipping to the stanchion base. I only meant to say earlier that it isn't as dire as all that. You're simply trading one set of problems for the other, and I don't see that one is clearly preferable. Pick one, keeping in mind that a tidal range of 3 ft or so is going to be trouble anyway.
 
#79 ·
I don't think that anybody is active here anymore, but the best option for hanging fenders is Fastfender in my opinion. They are very easy to use and once your fenders are hanging, the hight can be adjusted as well. At first I was a bit sceptical, but once I tried it is just much quicker than knotting
 
#86 ·
I can understand that you went back to brass snap hooks after using those. They look very devious. The fender hanger I'm using looks to be a lot quicker in use and easier adjustable in hight.

If you have got a normal railing on your boat, that fender hanger I told you about could be a great replacement, it worked for me at least. I just wanted to tell you guys about it here, maybe it can make someone happy.
 
#82 ·
Ahh! Another spirited debate resurrected! :D

I'm lucky in that my boat has LL stanchions exactly where it needs fenders. I've been tying them at the base with a clove hitch (or some sort of multi-hitch barf) but just bought brass clips to allow 'anyone' to simply wrap the whip around the LL post and clip it to itself. Both fenders hang within a fraction of an inch of each other, so there is no 'wrong way' to hang the two.

The above is fact; below is opinion. ;)

The Navy taught me that life-lines are for just that; not for leaning against or hanging drinks from. I still do it, but at least I feel bad. I do agree that fenders shouldn't be hung from them. I think it is too much stress and it goes on 24/7 when the boat's tied up.

My brother slipped on deck years ago, broke a rib (or two, who X-rays anymore? It's so eighties. :cool: ) and would have rolled into the Bay if the life-lines weren't there for him to grab. It's only an anecdote, but still Thanksgiving is more fun with him there.

I would like to close by saying I would only clip my fender whips to the life-lines if I were going down the ICW without an engine.

Ken
 
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