Best Knot to attach fender to rail???

[armentb]

What is the best knot to tie fender to rail on 28 foot sundancer....Clove hitch??

 

[Alex F]

That's what I use all the time. Love that knot, super easy and functional.

 

[dwna1a]

Clove hitch with a safety is all I use

 

[gerryb]

I would bet most people use the Clove Hitch but it is NOT the best knot to use. The experts will tell you that it has two downsides - it gets loose/slips rather easily and (ironically) also binds easily. Round turn and two half hitches is the better knot to use but it does take more time (3 seconds?) and has more movements to it (two additional turns).

 

[BillK2632]

I use a clove hitch and cross it over a stanchion - keeps the fender from sliding down the rail.

 

[JimG]

It's best NOT to tie your fenders to the bow rails...

Use your cleats whenever possible.

 

[Gofirstclass]

+1 to the clove hitch but I add a slip-knot to it so it's easy to undo.

 

[Polaris]

I agree with JimG. Have seen rails pulled up at the stanchion and bent by pressure on fenders when boat moves. Either use cleats or tie at the base of a stanchion.

 

[Bob & Sue]

I use Fender Tenders on the rails as stated you want the fender to break off not the rail. A couple weeks ago a gust of wind hit us just going into the boat house the fender caught on the starboard side snapping the fender tender & fender off, if it were attached with a knot who knows what would have given away first.

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Fender-Tender-II-pair&i=34014&r=view

 

[Alex F]

It's best NOT to tie your fenders to the bow rails...

Use your cleats whenever possible.

I agree that it's BEST to use cleats. However, There are very few boat brands (forget the models) that make it realistically possible. On most SRs you have stern (2 there), midship and bow cleat. Only one that's practical, which is stern cleat (only the top one). All other cleats are useless when it comes to fenders. You might think that midship cleat is "perfect candidate", it's not. The problem is that when using decent size fenders, the distance between the cleat and the rubrail is just too short. This doesn't allow the fender stay properly in place, and povide maximum protection.

So, in practical world, I'd say that there's just no way not using rails to tie fenders on vessels like SR and similar style.

As for hearing stories on bent rails, I can't argue here, anything is possibly. All I can tell you that what my fenders have been through, cudos to SR for using good quality rails. Last eventful raft resulted in 5/8" brand new line snap, but all fenders (and we had a lot) attached to the rails did an amazing job. No bent rails.

 

[Havana Shamrock]

Actually Alex it was a 3/4" line. Ask me jow i know?


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[Alex F]

Actually Alex it was a 3/4" line. Ask me jow i know?


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Oh boy, 3/4"...:wow:...i stand corrected. What forces of nature can do is amazing. I'd love to see a look on the face of customer service rep, when you broguht that line and asked for a refund....:smt043

 

[Xplicitlnck]

Actually Alex it was a 3/4" line. Ask me jow i know?


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U guys need smaller boats this way u won't snap lines like that

 

[Gofirstclass]

I guess part of the answer of whether or not you should tie fenders to the bow rails depends on what size the rails are.

Mine are 1.5". I can stand on them and not bend them.

 

[Alex F]

I guess part of the answer of whether or not you should tie fenders to the bow rails depends on what size the rails are.

Mine are 1.5". I can stand on them and not bend them.

I guess there's a connection there...:grin:...Even though, I stand on my rails without a concern having them bent, I never hasitated to tie fenders on my previously owned 320DA.

I wanted to mention about the slipage, someone brought it up earlier. From my experience, it might happen on new double-braid fender lines. Older 3-strand lines grab really well and hold without an issue.

Few points about the knot. Whether you just make one quick clove hitch and forget about it, may not be the best approach. The reason I chose this knot to tie my fenders, is for ease of use and effectiveness. But, I usually do the following:

- I gauge the hight the fenders should be at and tie a single clove hitch knot on all the fenders that go on the rails.
- As I'm appraoching a dock or stationed vessel (a raft), as I slowly get up to couple feet away, either myself or my crew, do a quick scan and see if we need to make necessary hight adjustments to any of the fenders.
- As we tie to a dock or a station vessel, I do a quick scan ensuring that all fenders are in the right position (with consideration of potential wake being thrown by clueless boaters running on plane close by).
- Once I'm satisfied with the position of every fender, I add another loop on the knot and finish it off with a "safety knot". This is just taking a loose end and making a loop, tie it off with a single clove hitch knot. It does two things, gets rid of hanging line (tripping hazard) and provides extra safety to secure the fender, in case if for whatever reason the fender starts to slide.