If your lifelines and stanchions are not strong enough to hold up a fender,
or to be leaned against, then how are they going to be strong enough to keep
you on the boat when you really need them?


Sven wrote:
They won't be strong enough after 100s or 1000s of cycles of 100s or
1000s of lbs being applied.

Why not? The mast & rigging go thru even more tension & cyclic loading.

As mentioned earlier, a stanchion base is
fine, a lifeline is not.

Perhaps you misconstrue my statement above. A lifeline is very handy for hanging a
fender but I am not advocating hanging one there for long term use. Often there is
not a stanchion base or other deck fitting at a place where a fender is needed in
the immediate future. Then after everything is settled, you can run a line between
stanchion bases or chainplates or whatever and hang the fender from that.

But if you are putting your fenders under 1,000# of stress 1,000s of times, then
you're doing something wrong anyway IMHO.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King