# Tires as Fenders



## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

The way I need to tie my boat at the dock means that it is constantly hitting the boat fender. Dock is double wide with nothing between me and other boat, so no practical way to tie off boat to be completely free of the dock. And at times of big ground swell, boat actually does better when tied tight, with some slack on the lines to the dock (with fender profiding cusion). 

Fenders are expensive and if punctured, will deflate and offer no protection. Thinking about using tires as a fender. Maybe cover with carpet to reduce boat scuffing.

Comments?


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Well, you have to admit it would look a bit Beverly Hillbilly. 

Taylor Made fenders have lifetime warranty against bursting or splitting. As you point out, they are expensive, but they are the last you'll ever pay for.


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## klem (Oct 16, 2009)

On larger commercial vessels and tugs, tires are routinely used as fenders.

The good things about them are that they are nearly indestructible and cheap. They will be used for years in really harsh conditions without any problems. You can get them from the junkyard which is nice too.

There are many cons that you should be thinking about. The biggest one to me is that they will mark up your topsides unless you are really careful to isolate them. Due to the stiffness of even softer tires, you will find that the boat comes up much harder against the dock. Another issue is that they are very heavy and unwieldly. Everytime you pull them up over the rail, you will probably get soaked (drilling a drain hole will help some) and you are in for a workout. There are also the looks to think about.

Personally, I would buy a few high quality oversized fenders and go that route.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Another thought. I'm certain that our marina wouldn't allow them. 

Check with yours, unless you've seen others using them.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> Well, you have to admit it would look a bit Beverly Hillbilly.
> 
> Taylor Made fenders have lifetime warranty against bursting or splitting. As you point out, they are expensive, but they are the last you'll ever pay for.


Actually that is what I have- the Big B I think they are called. Paid about $90 a piece. They do have life warranty- but read the fine print- does not cover "wear" damage- only burst or split. I got some old tires from my last tire change that are free. I will still use the Taylor- but think of letting the brunt of the fending be done by an old tire. Don't really care what it looks like, I'm tied to a "working" dock, just want to protect the boat.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> Another thought. I'm certain that our marina wouldn't allow them.
> 
> Check with yours, unless you've seen others using them.


I'm not at a marina, it is called a boat harbor. Any thing goes as long as you do not drill holes in the dock, or use chains to the dock cleats. But a lot of boats have chains to the dock cleats, then go to an eye, then to dock line to the boat. The chain tears up the dock cleats, but the harbor master does not stop the practice. I do not use chain, but use anti chafe gear (old blue jeans and other materials). There are some boats using tires, whats the down side?


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I've seen tires painted white and permanently tied to the dock itself. Not sure if that reduces the scuffing or just makes them look better.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

klem said:


> Due to the stiffness of even softer tires, you will find that the boat comes up much harder against the dock. .


Good point. Having the boat slam harder would be harder on boat hull as well as standing rigging (shock loads), I would think.


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## Lake Superior Sailor (Aug 23, 2011)

If you want to use tires get them from the airport , no wire, not raidials & a better size....Dale


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

klem said:


> Everytime you pull them up over the rail, you will probably get soaked (drilling a drain hole will help some) and you are in for a workout. .


The plan was to leave them at the dock. I did a test a few weeks back to see how I could tie them off. You are right, they are very heavy and somthing you want to leave on the dock.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Lake Superior Sailor said:


> If you want to use tires get them from the airport , no wire, not raidials & a better size....Dale


Good point, I was thinking if the radial wires come out, they could do a nice wire brushing of your hull.


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

casey1999 said:


> The plan was to leave them at the dock. I did a test a few weeks back to see how I could tie them off. You are right, they are very heavy and something you want to leave on the dock.


Many years ago we used tires on our commercial salmon troller. Instead of tying them onto the boat we fastened then to the piling, no floats, via a line through a block which was fastened to the top of the piling, so the tire stayed with the boat as it went up & down with the tide. Yes, they will mark the boat but as we had "rub strakes" so it didn't mark the planking. They do a good job of buffering any impact.

Paul T


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## rgscpat (Aug 1, 2010)

No one has commented on whether fender boards combined with fenders might provide more protection? Also, maybe the municipal harbor would let you line the pier with running track surface, fire hose material, or something similar... or perhaps you could wrap the tires with something like fire hose fabric.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

rgscpat said:


> No one has commented on whether fender boards combined with fenders might provide more protection? Also, maybe the municipal harbor would let you line the pier with running track surface, fire hose material, or something similar... or perhaps you could wrap the tires with something like fire hose fabric.


I am on a floating dock, which makes things easier. I can fix the tire to the dock and it will always fend the boat at the same position no matter what the tide (same with the taylor fenders I am now using- the main fender is tied of horozontally to the cleat on the dock). The dock does have a fending rub strip the full length, which is nice for small bumps, but not when the harbor really starts rocking and rolling.

As far as fender boards, I think they are used to span one piling to another, since my dock is a continuous floating dock, we do not have exposed pilings and no need for a fender board.


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## Lou452 (Mar 2, 2012)

klem said:


> On larger commercial vessels and tugs, tires are routinely used as fenders.
> This is how tiger mosquitoes found rides to distant ports and came to like it in the new land.
> That said drill holes and do not trap water in old tires. It is hard to get an old tire not to hold rain water this and just the looks is why I think they came to be hated as a fender imho. It is good to find a use for a discarded item. Kind regards, Lou


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## benesailor (Dec 27, 2012)

You could stop by a golf course and get some golf cart tires. Link them together to get the appropriate size. They are softer and no wires. It may work.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Talk to your slip neighbour... To your mutual benefit you could set up a couple of heavy duty bungee cords between the two boats, holding them both off the dock except for the times that one of you is away. If the space is adequate you won't need fenders between the boats, each boat can be tied so as to be a foot off the dock, and the bungees maintaining tension and the gap between boats is limited by your own dock lines.

When your neighbour is away for a time run the same idea across to the other finger.. you just need his/her agreement and cooperation but it shouldn't be a hard sell. We did this before after a fresh paint job.. didn't want fender rub and it worked for us both.

Raw tires are just wicked nasty.. covered tires works well but most marinas won't allow such heavy add-ons.


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## klem (Oct 16, 2009)

casey,

If you decide to leave the tires at the dock, I would recommend retying them to the boat when you get back. If they are securely tied to the boat, it will scuff your topsides a lot less as there will be much less relative movement between them and your topsides. If you tie them to the dock, your boat will have a lot of relative movement and it will make the aesthetic issue much worse.

I have never seen the steel belting come out of a tire but I could certainly see it happening. The worst thing that I have seen was someone who used studded tires without realizing it on a wooden boat. We used to use fenders in the summer and tires for the winter so the scuffing wasn't a big deal for us as things would get painted as soon as spring rolled around.


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## jgeissinger (Feb 25, 2002)

If you are in a double wide slip with a floating dock, then you are tied on one side (let's say port) and your neighbor is tied on his starboard side. Tie the boats together! Run just one line from a cleat on your boat to a cleat on your neighbor's with just enough tension to keep you both off your respective docks. Ask first, of course. This was common practice in a marina I was in many years ago, and I have been doing it where I am presently for over a decade. It helps both boats and is pretty effective.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

jgeissinger said:


> If you are in a double wide slip with a floating dock, then you are tied on one side (let's say port) and your neighbor is tied on his starboard side. Tie the boats together! Run just one line from a cleat on your boat to a cleat on your neighbor's with just enough tension to keep you both off your respective docks. Ask first, of course. This was common practice in a marina I was in many years ago, and I have been doing it where I am presently for over a decade. It helps both boats and is pretty effective.


On the lines of what Faster recommended. I like Faster's idea of using a bungee, it may be the solution of what I was concerned about. Neighbors boat is a Nordic 44 and weighs probably 3 or 4 times what mine weighs. We get a raelly bad ground swell that at times can make its way into the harbor (waves can be breaking with 50 foot faces just outside the harbor). When that happens, boats are moving as well as the docks (since they are floating). If I tie to neighbors boat, that boat could be moving opposite direction as mine, and when a common line were to go tight, would rip the cleat off my boat (the Nordic 44 cleats are much stonger than mine). The bungee might work, but then again when things really start to move, best is to just be tied up somewhat close to the dock (with fenders) and ride it out that way. If I have too much slack in the dock lines, then the boat moves around too much, building a lot of momentum, before reaching the limit of the dock line. I do have line snubbers in all my dock lines to try to relieve some of the stress on lines and cleats.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

As far as tires, I saw how smack lost his boat. Was wondering how the boats would have fared if the dock had tires tied to where the boats bows made contact. I am thinking of doing this in case I break a dock line and the bow starts contacting the pier (I go bow in). Might buy some time before the bow is heavily damaged. Would also help me on my not so perfect docking manuvers.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

casey1999 said:


> As far as tires, I saw how smack lost his boat. Was wondering how the boats would have fared if the dock had tires tied to where the boats bows made contact. I am thinking of doing this in case I break a dock line and the bow starts contacting the pier (I go bow in). Might buy some time before the bow is heavily damaged. Would also help me on my not so perfect docking manuvers.


I have seen the surge in the harnors in Niwilliwilli and also in Lahina and how they can really big dramatic. What about a large fender board with fenders on both sides. It would cushion the shock doubly. They work well on fixed docks. In your case you may want to attach the fender board to the edge of the floating dock with cleats. Having fenders of both side of the board amkes it like the Nascar safer barrier in theat it gives and the soick compresses on both sdes at contact.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

chef2sail said:


> I have seen the surge in the harnors in Niwilliwilli and also in Lahina and how they can really big dramatic. What about a large fender board with fenders on both sides. It would cushion the shock doubly. They work well on fixed docks. In your case you may want to attach the fender board to the edge of the floating dock with cleats. Having fenders of both side of the board amkes it like the Nascar safer barrier in theat it gives and the soick compresses on both sdes at contact.


Chef may be on to something here. While fender boards are typically used to bridge pilings that a fender would slip past, they also distribute the load across more than one fender. If you're have unusual pinning against your floating dock, there may be something to spreading it out. Often, one or two fenders take the brunt.

I put out six fenders, when only two take most of the pressure under normal conditions. I rotate which two are in that position, so they don't wear more quickly.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> Chef may be on to something here. While fender boards are typically used to bridge pilings that a fender would slip past, they also distribute the load across more than one fender. If you're have unusual pinning against your floating dock, there may be something to spreading it out. Often, one or two fenders take the brunt.
> 
> I put out six fenders, when only two take most of the pressure under normal conditions. I rotate which two are in that position, so they don't wear more quickly.


They way I do it now, I have use three of the Big B (10 " X 30"). One is horozontal tied off at pier and I have two vertical tied off at the base of a stanchion post on the boat. The one horozontal at pier would handle all impacts on its own, but I have two verticals just to help, and to take over in case the horozontal deflates.

This all works well, but as with any dock, there are eges that wear away at the fenders. I do rotate the fenders and change height, but after three years one has developed a leak- I think it is a defect (looks like an internal split) and will try to return for exchange. If you read the Taylor warranty, they do not cover wear damage- which you might get by rubbing, nor would they cover a puncture damage. Using a fender board could help by distributing the pressure points. The thought on the tires is they are cheap, would not deflate during a storm when you need protection most, and if they wear, they are cheap to replace. I see the down side however.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I wonder if West Marine's no question asked return policy works for a worn out fender? Probably not.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> I wonder if West Marine's no question asked return policy works for a worn out fender? Probably not.


I had bought the fenders from wm mail order. Few weeks ago I called them and they said they would send me a replacement. Then, a few minutes later they called back and said I needed to go directly through Taylor. I called Taylor and asked if I could return it to my local wm store for exchange. Taylor said I could. I will attempt to do that. WM is getting harder to deal with (as most stores are tightening there return and warraty policy- not just wm, to save on the bottom line). I have not had a chance to get to the WM, but I will try. Hope they exchange without a problem. If I need to mail to Taylor for exchange, shipping will be the cost of a new fender- probably about $90 as everthing into and out of Hawaii goes air freight. Shipping cost to Hawaii generally runs the cost of the item. I try to buy local because of that. WM did have a flat rate of $20 for shipping for all your items to Hawaii- I think even that has now changed.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

If the fender is not punctured, it can only be leaking from the stem. I would press on that being warranty. It's a minor burst.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> If the fender is not punctured, it can only be leaking from the stem. I would press on that being warranty. It's a minor burst.


The leak is through a crack. By feel I can tell the crack started from within the fender and moved out to the outside of the fender where it broke through. At that point it made a pin hole leak. Hope this is considered splitting and hope it will be covered under warranty. Warranty only covers splitting and bursting.


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## Brent Swain (Jan 16, 2012)

I've been using tyres as fenders for decades. I wouldn't consider buying a fender. I cut them into three sections and stuff them each inside of the next to a total of three sections. I cut out the wire around the centre and put a hole in the bottom and tie a rope thru the hole. Three sections give you far more cushioning than one. and they sink when you tie alongside a log boom ,making them far more effective than floating fenders. And they last forever. Painting them the colour of your hull eliminates scuff marks, altho scuff marks can be easily cleaned off with gasoline or diesel fuel.
I wouldn't want to be seen in a marina so childishly snobby as to ban tyres for fenders. That would be embarrassing.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

If that's not splitting, what is.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Brent Swain said:


> ....I wouldn't want to be seen in a marina so snobby as to ban tyres for fenders. That would be embarrassing.


Which is why they do it. They don't want people with tires for fenders to be seen there, so everyone is apparently happy.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> If that's not splitting, what is.


The split was in an area where so rub wear occured. I hope WM/Taylor agree with you, but if they deny, not much you can do.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> Which is why they do it. They don't want people with tires for fenders to be seen there, so everyone is apparently happy.


Brent is saying he does not want moor his boat in a marina unless tires are allowed. I agree. I do not want marina to tell me how to protect my boat. Anything should go as long as it does not hurt their docks or the environment.

Funny thing, there is a 50 foot fishing boat that uses old boogy boards to fend his boat. He even uses the old leash still attached to the boogy board to tie it off. Well they do not work well, only about two inches of hard foam to protect his boat. I do not really care what he uses, but what bothers me is when the boogy board starts to break up and drop into the water adding foam and plastic to our already polluted ocean. I pick up what I can from the water.


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## kellysails (Nov 1, 2008)

Minnewaska said:


> Well, you have to admit it would look a bit Beverly Hillbilly.
> 
> Taylor Made fenders have lifetime warranty against bursting or splitting. As you point out, they are expensive, but they are the last you'll ever pay for.


Great info, I didn't know they had a lifetime warranty. I have two flats ones that won't hold air for more than a day. I should have known about the warranty (dumb), thanks for posting.


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## Hudsonian (Apr 3, 2008)

The acrylan slip covers friends made for the tires that they were using as fenders were presentable and seemed to work fine.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

casey, if the boat is small enough, there are things called "dock whips" or something like that. They are fiberglass rods that you bolt vertically onto the dock. Then you bend them down, over the boat, and tie the end to the far side of the boat.

The rod tries to straighten out, which in turn pushes the boat away from the dock.

Not perfect, but they can help if sized properly and at least in moderate conditions.

Tires that are in the water or soaked with tidal changes, will grow barnacles and those of course will chew up the hull. So like any other fender the tires should be kept high enough to be dry. 

Of course, you could try something industrial along the lines of shock absorbers, pinned into the dock on one end, pinned into the boat on the other. Or light truck springs from the junkyard, holding off a padded fender board. I have no idea how much "brute force" you'll need to gentle down that dock but sometimes a clever machine shop can suggest something, if you're allowed to install things.


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## dacap06 (Feb 2, 2008)

Minnewaska said:


> Well, you have to admit it would look a bit Beverly Hillbilly.
> 
> Taylor Made fenders have lifetime warranty against bursting or splitting. As you point out, they are expensive, but they are the last you'll ever pay for.


Hear, hear! I got a free replacement of a Taylormade fender last Autumn when one only a year old developed a leak in the fenderwhip eye, of all places. West Marine traded it for me.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

hellosailor said:


> casey, if the boat is small enough, there are things called "dock whips" or something like that. They are fiberglass rods that you bolt vertically onto the dock. Then you bend them down, over the boat, and tie the end to the far side of the boat.
> 
> The rod tries to straighten out, which in turn pushes the boat away from the dock.
> 
> ...


I looked into the dock whips a couple years ago and could not find one big enough. I will try to find some golf cart tires. Seems those would be flexible enough and small enough diameter to stay dry above water line. They probably do not have steel belts. I will keep with the Taylor fenders (try to get replacement for leaking one) but tires would be a good back up. Thing I like about tires is they cannot fail. Taylor may honor their life warranty, but that does little good if your boat is damaged. At my harbor, I have seen numerous boats damaged after the fender deflated. Problem is the fender is most likely to fail during a big surge event, the time when you need that fender the most.

Curious as to why no maker fills the fender with a light weight foam to make them "run flat" fenders.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

I'm going to guess that lightweight foam means open cell, which gets real nasty real fast when warm and damp. And closed cell foam is expensive. And you can't blow mold a vinyl envelope around either one of them, so now you need a whole different manufacutring process. Closed cell will also tend to rupture cells every time it goes squish, although foamed neoprene is strong enough it is damned expensive.

So...it all comes down to money.

Can't you put down some helix anchors outboard of the hull, attach float lines to them, and then pull the boat away from the wall when you secure it?


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## Brent Swain (Jan 16, 2012)

Yes ,stick a knife in the tire to make sure its not steel belted. Several along your dock not only protect you more if a line breaks, but they also make it much easier for anyone who falls off the dock to get back aboard.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

hellosailor said:


> Can't you put down some helix anchors outboard of the hull, attach float lines to them, and then pull the boat away from the wall when you secure it?


That would not be allowed. I am in a state owned harbor and the only thing you can do is tie your boat to the existing dock cleats. On big surge events some boats set an anchor to try to keep off the dock. I have not tried this as I do not think it is worth the effort. The scope would be less than 1:1 and the harbor bottom is mostly silt- not much holding power. Additionally, if there is a boat next to me (we are in double wide slips) the line to the anchor could interfere with their mooring or the entering and exiting dock.


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

My old dock has a couple of tires mounted on it as fenders. I hatde them, they left black marks on the gelcoat that was annoying to remove. I was always docking in a way that made sure that the boat never touched the tire, kind of defeating it's purpose.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Alex W said:


> I was always docking in a way that made sure that the boat never touched the tire, kind of defeating it's purpose.


Sounds as if they actually worked well.


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

They worked about as well as putting nails with the sharp end sticking out of the side of the dock. That isn't normally what I ask for from my fenders.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

Bare tires are only fit for workboats at a working dock. They are simply not "yacht" (sniff )

20 years ago my wife came home with an armful of 3 1/2" X 5' solid pool noodles (no hole down the center). As soon as I saw them I realized she had bought them to use as dock edging. They are closed cell foam and cost next to nothing - especially at the end of summer at dollar stores.

I lashed them in place using lengths of old sail ties screwed to the float with stainless screws and fender washers. They worked exceptionally well - if a fender flips up you are still completely protected. If you misjudge and rub the dock - nada.

They will deteriorate from UV - lasted three years here before they started shedding. You have two choices about that - spend $20 every couple of years for new ones or spend a bunch more and make up covers like those sold for fenders. If I could use a sewing machine I'd make covers colour coordinated to the boat but as it was I simply used noodles that were colour coordinated to the boat. 

After I implemented her idea we started noticing other people using them in the same way - should have patented the idea.


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## Lou452 (Mar 2, 2012)

Lots of good points pro and con. Please if you do use a tire be sure it will not be a breeding ground for mosquitos. Fix it so water can not stand in it. Good Day, Lou


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## Cawarra Bill (Jun 19, 2012)

Dont be so cheap....Use the nice big fenders......replace when worn out....cheapest part of owning a boat if you ask me. Cant afford to but a fender? How are you going to afford to fix anything else that wears out? Tires.....cmon man Sail.net ...... not tug.net


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Cawarra Bill said:


> Dont be so cheap....Use the nice big fenders......replace when worn out....cheapest part of owning a boat if you ask me. Cant afford to but a fender? How are you going to afford to fix anything else that wears out? Tires.....cmon man Sail.net ...... not tug.net


I look for ways to save money and resources. That is how I CAN afford to fix anything else that wears out and keep my safety equipment up to date. And I will stay "cheap". I drive 20 year old (or more) cars but have managed to pay my house off, boat off, and all cars paid for. I owe no one nothing- but hey, you can call me cheap if you like....


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

I'm also often frugal, but this isn't the right place to be frugal. 

I spent 5 minutes buffing tire marks off of my friends boat yesterday after we hit a dock-mounted tire while docking in high winds. If you don't mind your boat being covered in black skid marks then they work fine, but if nothing else you'll be paying for it later in buffing compound and wax.

Used fenders are about the same price as used tires. I was offered two free ones on Sunday by one of my dock mates. Even at local used sailing stores you can get them for about $10/ea.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

casey1999 said:


> I look for ways to save money and resources. That is how I CAN afford to fix anything else that wears out and keep my safety equipment up to date. And I will stay "cheap". I drive 20 year old (or more) cars but have managed to pay my house off, boat off, and all cars paid for. I owe no one nothing- but hey, you can call me cheap if you like....


Don't sweat it Casey - many people (if not most, these days) fail to understand the difference between being cheap and being frugal.

P.S. Using exposed tires as fenders is *cheap*. There are alternatives, as noted here, that work as well and don't look so trashy and scuff boats.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Alex W said:


> I'm also often frugal, but this isn't the right place to be frugal.
> 
> I spent 5 minutes buffing tire marks off of my friends boat yesterday after we hit a dock-mounted tire while docking in high winds. If you don't mind your boat being covered in black skid marks then they work fine, but if nothing else you'll be paying for it later in buffing compound and wax.
> 
> Used fenders are about the same price as used tires. I was offered two free ones on Sunday by one of my dock mates. Even at local used sailing stores you can get them for about $10/ea.


Well you should be glad the tires were there, otherwise you would be spending more than 5 minutes for the repair. As others have mentioned, cover the tires (I have seen old carpet used) to prevent scuff marks. I have 6 used tires sitting in garage- they were free, saved from last tire change- I can get more free from local tire store if needed. Used fenders here in Hawaii are rare, fenders here do not last long and people keep them until they are completely deflated and torn. I saw some used ones (complete with gashes on them) on the local craigs list and they were nearly the cost of new with no warranty- they sold in two days. There are no used boat equipment swap meets here. There are really not many boaters and very few active sailors.


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## Cawarra Bill (Jun 19, 2012)

casey1999 said:


> I look for ways to save money and resources. That is how I CAN afford to fix anything else that wears out and keep my safety equipment up to date. And I will stay "cheap". I drive 20 year old (or more) cars but have managed to pay my house off, boat off, and all cars paid for. I owe no one nothing- but hey, you can call me cheap if you like....


Yes don't sweat it. Not calling you cheap. Lol. It's a great thing being debt free. I couldn't afford a boat if I wasn't. I too have mine paid off. I'm sure we all take loads of pride in our investments and one way I do that is by keeping a tidy clean ship. Mine may not be the prettiest boat in the marina and sure shows the signs of wear. Because she gets used. Loads if boats in marinas seem to just sit and grow gardens of green on their decks and just rot. Sad.

So you want to be frugal as we all do. I save money by doing most of the dirty stuff myself as I'm sure we all do. But in taking pride in something so special I doubt I could ever hang something as old school as a bunch of tires to protect my boat. Unless I was looking to be included in the relaunch of the beachcombers.. A west coast classic


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

casey1999 said:


> Well you should be glad the tires were there, otherwise you would be spending more than 5 minutes for the repair.


We touched the tire at perhaps 1mph, probably less. The dock is wood. I think there would have been nothing to do if the tire wasn't there. It's more of a problem than a help.

Pool noodles, as recommended elsewhere in this thread, are a better and also cheap solution.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Alex W said:


> We touched the tire at perhaps 1mph, probably less. The dock is wood. I think there would have been nothing to do if the tire wasn't there. It's more of a problem than a help.
> 
> Pool noodles, as recommended elsewhere in this thread, are a better and also cheap solution.


Those pool noodles would not work at my location. My dock already is fully lined with marine dock bumper edging. The edging is fine for very light hits (as a pool noodle would be), but would provide no protection when the surf gets up. Here in HI with the UV being in the extreme category nearly every day the pool noodle would being falling apart within two months, and then dropping into the water and causing pollution. Now I would be equal to the guy using old boggie boards as fenders (as I previously posted). Note the poole noodles and insides of cheap boogie boards are made out of the same closed cell foam.

At my dock there are two large catamarans (40 - 50 feet). One uses about $2,000 dollars worth of fenders tied end to end to protect his cat. The other cat uses old tires covered with carpet. The gel coat of both cats looks great. Now which way is the best way to go? If the tires work, I would save the $2,000. And I would assume, due to the constant wear the fenders get, the fenders will need replaceing every 5 years (these cats are at an end pier so they must be tied tight to the dock).


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## Cawarra Bill (Jun 19, 2012)

First of all. .... You lucky dog. You live in Hawaii. What island are you on? I went to U.H. For a year. love it. Sailing must be out of this world. I don't see why you would need 2 g worth of fenders. With the way a sailboat is shaped you really have one main rub point if you are square to the dock. I'm running 3 along the dockside. Maybe 2 on the opposite as a courtesy to my neighbor if he drifts over. And the cost to me was a couple hundred with all the rope. I hate spending the money. Seems like everything for a boat has you pay triple tax hidden somewhere.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Cawarra Bill said:


> First of all. .... You lucky dog. You live in Hawaii. What island are you on? I went to U.H. For a year. love it. Sailing must be out of this world. I don't see why you would need 2 g worth of fenders. With the way a sailboat is shaped you really have one main rub point if you are square to the dock. I'm running 3 along the dockside. Maybe 2 on the opposite as a courtesy to my neighbor if he drifts over. And the cost to me was a couple hundred with all the rope. I hate spending the money. Seems like everything for a boat has you pay triple tax hidden somewhere.


On a large catamaran, the hull is pretty much straight, not like a mono hull that is widest at its beam. The guy that owns the large cat with the $2k in fenders I suppose wants to protect is $500k boat as best he can, and try to distribute the hull forces along as much surface area as can be done. The guy with the tires has the entire dock along side his hull covered with tires- again to increase the fending surface area. I am on Oahu, harbor is Haleiwa on North Shore.

The sailing here is good, generally a 25 knot plus wind. I kinda like the days the wind goes below 15 knots, then I can relax a little.


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## Cawarra Bill (Jun 19, 2012)

I agree on the cat. I was going to mention that . One can only dream. 55 cat would be nice although hard to find moorage. I know the area. Awesome. My buddy is on the north shore landed today. Hope the locals leave his haole ass alone. Lol


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Cawarra Bill said:


> I agree on the cat. I was going to mention that . One can only dream. 55 cat would be nice although hard to find moorage. I know the area. Awesome. My buddy is on the north shore landed today. Hope the locals leave his haole ass alone. Lol


He should be ok, just treat others as you would like to be treated and all is good.

I am on the fence about a cat. They are big and nice, but what about in a big storm? I feel safer in a mono that can roll and come back. Docking, as you point out is a big expensive problem, and harder to manuver. I assume its like paying for two boats (double slip) unless you are on an end pier. I'll stick to a mono.


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## deltaten (Oct 10, 2012)

Hmmmm???
White "tires" from interior porta lifts? Hard rubber; but once pressed from the steel ceneter, might make good bumpers?? The , perhaps 8-10" ones I've seen get changed out when there's only an inch or 1.5" left onnem. 

just wondering???


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

casey1999 said:


> The other cat uses old tires covered with carpet. The gel coat of both cats looks great. Now which way is the best way to go? If the tires work, I would save the $2,000. And I would assume, due to the constant wear the fenders get, the fenders will need replaceing every 5 years (these cats are at an end pier so they must be tied tight to the dock).


If you do a neat job with pieces of tire and then cover them neatly with indoor/outdoor carpet you could get a pretty cheap and effective solution that could look decent as well.

Taking a bit of care with your workmanship would be the key to making this an acceptable looking solution I think.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

SloopJonB said:


> If you do a neat job with pieces of tire and then cover them neatly with indoor/outdoor carpet you could get a pretty cheap and effective solution that could look decent as well.
> 
> Taking a bit of care with your workmanship would be the key to making this an acceptable looking solution I think.


Happy to see you are working your way over to my side of the creek...


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

See if you gentlemen can bring this up. Copy righted pic so cannot post:
pics haleiwa marina - Bing Images

Kinda funny. The artist likes tires as fenders. Now imagine the pic with a Taylor Big B. Would not have quite the effect.

Maybe if I use white walls.......


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

I often tie to log booms and a couple of tires with drain holes will sink to the correct level and sit well against the low lying log.A piece of carpet lashed to the tire make a great kitty ladder when at anchor and is heavy enough to not bob bob against the hull in a little wave action.


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

I'm in the same situation with single a single finger berth. I changed slips once, so that the prevailing wind blows my boat off the dock (while blowing my dock mate's boat into his finger). I also fix my fenders to the dock rather than the boat, using fenders I find adrift. I keep my good fenders aboard for when I visit guest docks. I've used the same "borrowed" fenders for years, and they are still very serviceable. If I didn't find fenders I would do the same thing with fenders I purchased, as I agree with others that tires would look "Ghetto" on a pleasure boat. More importantly...."Non-Marking" soles on shoes don't mark because they are carbon free. I could be wrong, however, I assume there is plenty of carbon in tires!


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

SloopJonB said:


> Bare tires are only fit for workboats at a working dock. They are simply not "yacht" (sniff )
> 
> 20 years ago my wife came home with an armful of 3 1/2" X 5' solid pool noodles (no hole down the center). As soon as I saw them I realized she had bought them to use as dock edging. They are closed cell foam and cost next to nothing - especially at the end of summer at dollar stores.
> 
> ...


Pool noodles encased in fire hose would probably last forever. Hmmm.....

I like the golf cart tire idea except for it marking up the hull. As much as I would like to say I don't care about that, I do think that my boat is beautiful and if it's white hull were all marked up all the time, it wouldn't be good.

MedSailor


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## Cwez11 (Mar 27, 2021)

casey1999 said:


> The way I need to tie my boat at the dock means that it is constantly hitting the boat fender. Dock is double wide with nothing between me and other boat, so no practical way to tie off boat to be completely free of the dock. And at times of big ground swell, boat actually does better when tied tight, with some slack on the lines to the dock (with fender profiding cusion).
> 
> Fenders are expensive and if punctured, will deflate and offer no protection. Thinking about using tires as a fender. Maybe cover with carpet to reduce boat scuffing.
> 
> Comments?


I have two thoughts. First, you tend to see tires as fenders on boats that do not haul in fenders while underway, such as tugs and towboats. Tires on a sailboat would be difficult to stow below. Second, our old houseboat had tire fenders, and they used to become full of Marine fouling, especially mussels and clams. We would take the clams up on deck as kids and play with them. They seemed to adore the environment inside the old tires.


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## SV Siren (Mar 8, 2013)

Cwez11 said:


> I have two thoughts. First, you tend to see tires as fenders on boats that do not haul in fenders while underway, such as tugs and towboats. Tires on a sailboat would be difficult to stow below. Second, our old houseboat had tire fenders, and they used to become full of Marine fouling, especially mussels and clams. We would take the clams up on deck as kids and play with them. They seemed to adore the environment inside the old tires.


You raise a couple of good points, sadly the OP has not logged in for four years, so I doubt he will see your response.


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