Larry wrote:
"Chuck Gould" wrote in
oups.com:

Now that you're safely at the dock

I always wondered why, if they're going to continue to make it out of this
cheap plastic crap that's as easy to destroy as an eggshell....why can't
they put a big, WIDE rubber bumper, built right into the hull like the cars
have, that you can bang against the nails sticking out of the
dock...without destroying a $900,000 boat....or even a $32,000 boat....or
even a $20,000 boat! The strip should be easily replaceable, built into
its groove it slides right out of after taking off the end cap.


Some of the more traditional boats have a "rub rail". Mine is 3-4" wide
and made out of teak.
And, in 20-some years it has acquired a few "scars" here and there.
Even so, I always use fenders as would almost anybody using a boat with
a large rubber strip like you describe above.

Docks and floats are at different heights, and there are applications
such as rafting off another vessel or "fending off" a lock wall ( and
that's where the term "fenders" orginated- not on something built in
Detroit) where the contact points will be at a variety of locations.

The problem with using a rubber surface is that it would need to cover
most of the side of the boat to be effective in every conceivable
situation.