(S-1 Ep-38) DIY Rope Fenders

This video is best if watched in full screen mode! It was originally produced and published a few months ago on my other (Downeast Thunder Creations) RUclips channel and was over 28 minutes long, but this version has been re-edited and cut down on time considerably (I eliminated quite a bit (about 11 minutes) of my blathering that didn’t contribute to making the rope fender).
You can save a boat load of money by fabricating your own Rope Boat Fenders. What is this? A rope boat fender is placed between your boat and a dock to help protect the boat hull from scratching, marring, chafe, and other damage from wind and wave action while tied alongside.
Typically, you will see plastic boat fenders in use at most marinas, however they can be quite expensive. Making your own boat fenders from old, worn rope (or new manila/natural fiber rope) can save you lots of money and give you something to do during the winter months if you happen to live in a northern climate such as Maine, like I do.
Re-purposing old discarded materials will save the most money and keep yet more material out of the landfills. I had some new, never used line on hand that I tried initially, simply because I had it on hand. I soon discovered new nylon/Dacron line is too slippery to hold tight knots when making a rope fender. If you use this type of rope, it must be old, used & frayed rope for the knots to hold tight. If you wish to use brand new line, I have discovered Manila/natural fiber ropes hold quite well and it can still be much less money than buying new plastic fenders.
Note that you do not have to make a fender making jig as shown in the video to make a rope fender - it is only if you wish to make a number of them in a uniform size. In addition, you can make larger diameter and longer fenders by using more strands of rope but using the same procedure and by using larger diameter rope.
Here’s the link for my video about making your own rope splicing fid: • (S-1 Ep-37) DIY Rope S...
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[@johnsullivan6560]

Well done! Nice video! What was the length of the second rope?

[@shoestringshipyardsailing9681]

Wow! That was quite awhile ago when that video was made. I don't remember the length used but both lines should have been the same. 👍