Fender Covers
 

Hey guys thought I'd post some pics of my new fender covers. I couldn't find any that matched my boat so I decided to make my own. I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some Blizzard Felt, Drawstings, And Clasps. Total for everything came to $33 and I have so much felt left over that I'm having pillow covers made for the cuddy. I gave all the material and a fender to my friends aunt and she sewed up 4 covers for me for $20...so its a pretty cheap addition considering the only covers I found online start around $40 Each.
Fenders
[IMG]http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...psx5ob0a0e.jpg[/IMG]

With the new covers on
[IMG]http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...pswiinoold.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...psyimkufbt.jpg[/IMG]

Looks good! I hope your water is cleaner than ours - those would look like two brown turds hanging off the side of the boat in 1 weekend! haha!

No light color swimsuits, trunks, or otherwise do well in our water (Ohio River).

Looks great

Nice job, looks great.

Thanks guys.. easyrider1340.. I mostly will be boating on a reservoir so not horrible but not great.. I bought some 303® Indoor & Outdoor Fabric Guard that I plan on coating the lines and fender covers with.. hopefully this helps keep them clean

FWIW, I was always told that cloth fender covers were much more likely to scratch a boats finish then bare fenders. The cloth attracts and hold grit where the smooth finish on a fender is less likely to.

I have never used covers so I can not say this is a fact. Just something to think about and either way....keep fenders and covers as clean as possible.

Padraig

Yes you are correct. I have seen it first hand. I don't use covers, but friends do and it makes very fine scratches (haze) on clear coats. As they age they hold debris and the material gets a little stiffer and less forgiving on finishes. I would prefer a clean uncovered fender against my boat.

I've heard that as well that if you don't keep them clean that it is more likely to especially sand.. The reason why I put them on is we tie off in lines (similar to party cove in loto) so I don't have to worry about sand or splinters...I'll see how it goes don't have much invested in them so if they don't stay clean it's not a big deal... I also put drawstrings on them so I can quickly take them off if I'm docking on a wooden dock or decide to take it out on the Mississippi and go thru the locks.

Anyone have any experience which is better for wrapped boats? Fender cover or no cover?

See your located in NL Ia, us too! Might have to pick your brain more about these..look good.

The covers look nice.

I don't use fender covers myself. A child sized t-shirt works good too. I had a couple on board but never ended up using them.

So I thought I'd post an update on how the covers are working.. After a weekend of boating they do start looking dirty since our water is muddy but since I put 303 fabric protector on them they clean up with just running the hose over them.. other than that they've been working great got alot of compliments on them.
[IMG]http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...psb4aeflbx.jpg[/IMG]

The other thing I had made is fender holders.. With material, welding, and powder coat I have $450 stuck in it but its totally worth it.. Makes docking so much easier. Lines are easy to grab and don't have to worry about them bouncing around the engine compartment.
[IMG]http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...pstmv0nntp.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...psqafh1jrp.jpg[/IMG]

Nice rack.

lol

so what is the consensus ?,cover/no cover ?

One of my friends made covers like this. He just takes them off every time he boats and washes them with his drying towels each boat day.