cleats,fenders and tying up

[Frogpawg]

Warren,
Yes, just on the upper end to keep it from sliding down. It is VERY difficult to slide the line, but for safety sake I do a loop. I have them in the cockpit mounted just on the inside of the gunnel "upside down". They have worked wonderful in both locations

Soapy Joe
22' Cruiser

[Doryman]

Soapy Joe -- so you don''t use the chrome "button with loop" provided to fit into the clip that is mounted on the boat? My question about the loop was in reference to the other type of clip that was mentioned, so now I am confused about whether you utilize both parts of the clip.

Thanks,
Warren

[Frogpawg]

Warren,
Yes, I use both parts. when I say "loop" I meant after I run the line thru the metal "loop" (I'll call that a ring) I then tie a loop in the line just above it in order to hold the line from slipping out of place. Go to my album and click on the pic showing it holding the bumper and it should be big enough to see. Sorry about the confusion. I will email you some close up pics in a minute. They really do work great.

Joe

Soapy Joe
22' Cruiser

[m4boots]

Soapy Joe,

I've recently purchased similar fender clips and rings and would like to mount them about where yours are. My question is did you use screws, bolts, how long, and did you use epoxy first or just a bedding compound?
I'm also curious if the whips are chafing at the corner.

[rogerbum]

I didn't see this thread until recently so I missed replying earlier. I've gone through a number of different fender configurations on my 22.

1) I started out with the fender clips that Soapy Joe is using. I had those on both corners at the stern (mounted outside). I would clip my fenders to them and for forward protection would tie off to the mid ship cleats. I put nylon D-rings on the bottom of the fenders and when they weren't in use I attached them forward to the bow rails. There was a little kit I bought for this at West Marine - a small solid nylon rod was attached to the bow rail using light stainless wire. This rod would get slipped into the D-ring and then when turned sideways would retain the fender. There were two problems with this approach. a) I had to go forward to put the fenders up so it wasn't fast and b) mounting fenders on the midships cleats requires a fairly large fender to be of any use since the bow starts to curve in there.

2) Same as above but without the D-ring retaining clips. I would reach out the window to tie and untie the fender and then haul the wet thing in through the cabin and toss it in the cockpit for stowage later. The big fenders on the midships cleats wouldn't stow under the gunnels so I usually had them in the motor wells. Never lost one but on more than one occasion they interfered with raising the engines when I forgot they were there and they could damage cabling to the engines. The stern fenders would be stored hanging the the aft corners of the cockpit. Also, with the stern mounted fender clips, one go broken off when we were waiting for the locks to open and were hit by a large wake. Overall I wasn't happy with this arrangement since the fender storage took up cockpit space and I didn't like dragging a fender in and out of the front windows.

3) At some point along the way I also added a 3rd fender that was attached to aft end of the handrail using Davis Fender Tenders



4) After awhile, I realized I could get by with just two fenders on a side if I had one mounted near the bulk head and another mounted a little aft of the midship cleat. So at present what I do is to use the Fender Tenders to mount two Taylor Hull Guard Fenders just forward of the cabin bulkhead (one on each side). I can reach out and just pull these back into the cockpit where they hang out of the way. I then tied two more Taylor Hull Guard Fenders to the handrail farther forward (one on each side) and they hang down at an appropriate height. On the bottom end of each of these I tied several feet of 1/8 nylon line. When the fenders are deployed, the tag end of nylon line is passes inside the outer rails of my radar arch and is tied off to the handholds in the cockpit (it forms a small loop from there to the bottom of the fender). To stow the forward fenders, I simply pull on the line that is attached to the bottom and flip them up onto the roof just inside of the radar arch. I then tie off the tag end to the hand rails again. This system allows me to quickly and easily deploy or stow the fenders and keeping 2 of the 4 on the roof frees up space in the cockpit.

[Capital Sea]

Well, most of you drilled holes and though I have drilled some, I chose to work with available mounting points. We deploy three fenders when docking. Two go at the cleats and these are one size larger than the midships fender. The rear fender line must be secured starting with a pass under the forward end of the cleat or you risk that it will work around the aft corner of the hull and expose the hull to damage. This center finder ties to the door latch arm on one side and the handle at the side of the rear window on the other side. It is true that only two touch the dock at a given time but that third fender has prevented contact upon arriving and departing in conditions with wind or current. For longer periods in less protected or rough conditions we swap the forward fender with the midships fender keeping the cockpit parallel to the dock and we add a third line from the bow in order to reduce stress on the forward side cleat and the aft fender.
On departing the bow line is run back into the cockpit and secured, the line from the forward side cleat is removed or tossed into the window (dry) while still attached in the cleat. Once away, the forward fender is removed and taken in via the window and tossed out the door (very minimal water gets in the cabin). The rear line is always removed but the rear fender can be flipped into the motor well with the ling tucked under the forward end of the cleat, which keeps it there. The midships fender can just be flipped inside or removed. We tie all of the removed fenders to our transom bar while they hang in the front of the motor well, which avoids conflict with steering and tilt.

[thataway]

Rather than using plastic cleats, or clips, rings and things, just use a long enough line, and a clove hitch around the available railings. The plastic will cause far more damage to the gel coat than a soft line. A clove hitch can be tied in a few seconds, and secured with a half hitch around the stranding part to the fender.

[m4boots]

Lots of food for thought, however, I am currently using the amidships cleat for the forward fender, and the one aft is tied to the camperback rail where it pivots on the gunnel. Our finger on our slip is too short to allow me to use the aft cleat. The problem is with the foreward bumper taking up space on the cleat that is the one which I use to tie up first by leaning out the window and grabbing the line laid on the dock. Most of the time I am by myself and when the wind is blowing the slip becomes tighter and things happen a lot faster with the bow wandering much more than the stern. Prevailing winds come straight off the bow and don't cause much grief, however, the last couple of dockings were done (done being a very non-descriptive word to describe the process) with a stiff breeze off the port side. I dock on the starboard side of the slip and the wind in this state tends to swirl around the 28' Bayliner next to me and suck me off the dock when I finally arrive. This usually brings out lots of language familiar to farriers as I try and push off of the other boat. So, I was thinking of mounting a clip just out of the way of the amidships cleat to free it up and my question is what length of screws to use and should the holes be epoxied and drilled or is bedding compound(4200) enough?

Just finished reading the thread on docking again and it never fails to make me smile, as does most of this site, ya gotta love it.

[Capital Sea]

OK so your slip has a bow line why not issue it a fender??
Then you will be set and will have one less thing to do on the way in and out

[m4boots]

Capital Sea,

Sorry, I'm just a dumb horse shoer and new to this, don't quite follow you. It sounds like an easy fix but you have me stumped. I do have two short bow lines which clip in with carabiners. The dock here uses rings instead of cleats which the lines are tied to and left .

If you ever get up this way I'd be glad to trade a day of fishing for a day of lessons.

[Wayne McCown]

Like others, I did not see this thread earlier...so please allow me to add my four cents worth now.

1. As regards the height of fender placement, I find it varies, depending on the height of the dock. Sometimes, I need to raise them as high as possible on the cleats, even though they don't hang as prettily. Once we had to tie them on the grab rails, as the dock was mid-window height!

2. I find that the rear cleat on the CD-22 is too far back, allowing the fender to swing to the rear of the boat (where it does little good). On our boat, there is a downrigger base near the back...and that is what I use for the rear fender. I also added cleats "mid-ship" (see photos), and while these are used more occasionally, they have served us well at times.

3. I created a "system" for leaving the fenders in place, but pulling them up to hang horizontally (above the waterline). This is better explained by viewing the photos. I also made fender boards for use when locking through on canals. I have not really used the former...yet; the latter is reguarly used...and provides real protection when and where needed.

4. I have lines attached (and "at the ready") on all four corners. The front lines are long enough that I can walk all the way to my pickup, step onto the back bumper and sit on the tailgate, before pulling the boat back onto the trailer. One is 35' (regularly used) and the other 50' (available when needed). Using a longer line has made this task both easier and safer.



[/code]

[thataway]

M4boots, You can use thin line for the fender. We put the a loop of the dock line on the cleat first, then cleat on the fender, and there is still plenty of room on the "horns" of the cleat (no relation to cows)--to criss cross and lock the dock line.

If you put any screws into the deck--you need to drill out, slightly undercut, put in epoxy, redrill and then use sealants.

[m4boots]

Thataway,

Thanks for that. You got me thinking as I already have 1/4"line on the fender, I should be able to put a loop in the line, slip that over the cleat and have plenty of room for the dock line. Till now I've been half hitching the fender three times on the cleat and clogging everything up for the dock line. Learnin as I go. Appreciate the help.

Mark and Sue Cherewick
C-Saddle