"Mitchell Gossman" wrote in message
om...



1) How variable, with different piers, is the required fender height?

A "pier" usually describes a fixed object, which generally means that the
height of the pier changes with water level. This can make for interesting
problems when trying to tie up to them.

A "dock" is usually used to refer to a floating platform that you would tie
a boat to. It is common for a dock to have its top surface about 16 inches
above the water line, but this can vary a lot.


When I tie up to something I generally have to adjust the fender height for
the situation. If I am tying up to a dock I need to have the fenders close
to the water line so that the center of the fender is approximately in the
center of the dock.

If I tie up to another large boat then I usually have to put the fenders at
rub rail height. Sometimes I need to put them at the rub rail height of the
other boat.

When I bring the ski boat along side I need to put the fenders at its rub
rail height.

Exactly where the fenders go will vary depending on the size and style of
boat I am tied up to. If you tie up to a boat bigger than you then you may
need fenders farther forward. A smaller boat will need fenders farther
back. If you tie up to a sail boat you need all the fenders right in the
middle.

The bottom line is that it would probably be a mistake to tailor a fender
line to a specific situation. I have used "fender adjusters", which snapped
around a railing and allowed for easy adjustment of the fender length. They
were okay, but I prefer to just use a simple knot to tie the fender to the
rail.

The biggest issue is having anchor points to tie fenders in all the right
spots!


Rod