Do any of you Great Lakes/East coast boaters use fender boards?  I was
planning on making some for our upcoming cruise.  For use during those
times when we are in a slip with pilings (we never see any pilings on the
West coast).

Today I bought some 2x6 boards.  How long would you cut them for a 40 foot
LOA boat?  I was thinking of 2, 6 foot long sections, or 4, 4 foot long
sections.  I don't think I can get 8 foot long sections into my lazerette.

How often do you use fender boards?  How do you deploy them?  I was
thinking of hanging them outboard of two of my regular fenders.

Are they worth the trouble it is going to be to store something that large
when our space is so limited?

-JimB
Jim Baumgart
Join the virtual Cruise 2000 at  http://www.indiscipline.org

"Do any of you Great Lakes/East coast boaters use fender boards? <snip> How
long would you cut them for a 40 foot LOA boat? I was thinking of 2, 6 foot
long sections, or 4, 4 foot long sections. <snip> How often do you use
fender boards?  How do you deploy them? I was thinking of hanging them
outboard of two of my regular fenders. Are they worth the trouble it is
going to be to store something that large when our space is so limited?"

Well I'm an East coast (of Australia) yachtsman, and I'd say that fender
boards are indispensable for mooring alongside pilings or roughly built
wharves, and damn useful for rafting up with other boats too.

I usually make them 1.25 - 1.5 metres long (say 4-5 feet) to use with two
fenders per board, but you can make them longer and use three fenders. I
normally use knot-free lengths of ordinary 4x2" construction timber well
treated with good oily preservative. You can use teak or something, but
fender boards have a hard life so I don't think the extra expense is worth
it. Round off the ends, and make sure there are no sharp edges or metal
fittings to scratch your topsides (or hands).

Obviously hang the boards outside your fenders. There are commercially
produced rubber buffers made for fender boards which are intended to be
permanently attached to the inside of the board in place of fenders. This
simplifies things a bit because you don't have to adjust the board and the
fenders separately, and the bumpers can't "roll off" the board as fenders
can if they're not tied in place, but obviously it adds to the expense and
makes the boards bulkier.

Make sure your pennants are long enough to allow you to hang the boards
almost to the waterline, by the way.

Regards, Robert Bryett
Sydney, Australia.
mailto:rbryett@ibm.net

My experience is that they are invaluable for the New York Canals, the St.
Lawrence Seaway and the Rideau. We used two 2 x 6 that were about 6 feet
long. Bought a long drill bit and drilled through each end and threaded a
3/8 line through the hole with a knot in the bottom. Two long fenders
between each board and the hull. I cannot imagine doing that trip without
fender boards. The sides of the lock walls can be very rough in the older
locks and there can be channels that your fenders will fit into, leaving
your boat with no protection.

In the Chesapeake and from the Chesapeake to the Bahamas there was no need
for them.  We also used big circular balloon type fenders from the
Chesapeake to Florida and they work great for floating docks but since
there are not many floating docks in the Chesapeake and most marinas are
well protected we leave the big balloon fenders home except for traveling.

The canals are no big deal with the right stuff. One more thought, locking
through is boring after the first couple and because everybody occasionally
quits paying attention, things happen. Every crew member should carry work
a sharp knife and be instructed that when you tell them to cut the line,
then cut the line and don't worry what they cost or who owns the line.  A
Spyderco Rescue type knife is ideal for this kind of stuff since it does
not have a point and nobody is going to get stabbed.

Work gloves are also a must.

Frank Burrows  79' 43' Viking MY  Piney Narrows Marina  Chesapeake Bay