Boat Fenders – How to Treat A Leak and Keep Them Clean
Are you the owner of a luxurious cruise ship or a boat? Then you will be quite aware of boat fenders. Boat fenders or dock fenders are those necessary marine accessories that a boat owner can’t avoid. It is a safety device that keeps boats or ships from getting damaged by rubbing with the pier or while docking. It usually is present in the sides of the ship or tied to the dock. Boat fenders earlier used to be hard to maintain and some of them also came in huge sizes and ugly shapes. However, things have now changed for the better. Nowadays, premier fenders are also available in the market which is inflatable in nature. This means, that when not in use, they can be deflated and stowed away in small places. There are other advantages too of modern boat fenders. They can be easily mended and also kept clean at the same time.
Yes, like many other things, boat fenders are also subjected to wear and tear due to constant banging with huge vessels. It is not unlikely that with time they will develop crack and tear and begin to seep in water. Chances of mending marine fenders are low if they are found to be fully crushed. However, if a small leak is what needs to be treated, it can be done easily.
Cracks both small and big can be treated if one knows the ways. Small cracks can be mended in three easy steps.
• Firstly, boat fenders needs to be washed in fresh water with some mild dish washing soap. Rinsing has to be done nicely and then it is to be dried properly.
• Once that is done, take a container and mix epoxy resin and hardener together in a disposable container. Usually, four drops of resin is sufficient for 1 oz of hardener. It is important to stir the hardener well.
• The epoxy now needs to be spread over the crack. About 1 inch on each side of the crack has to be covered. Leave the application on for 20 minutes and then apply another coat of the paste. This should fix the crack permanently.
Larger cracks on boat fenders needs some more elaborate treatment. The paste now has to be made with 1 oz of epoxy and around four drops of hardener. Once this is done, the following process has to be followed.
• Use a screwdriver to rough up the edges of the cracks.
• Now, spread the resin on both sides of the crack covering 1 inch on both the sides.
• Take around 3 strips of 6 oz fiberglass which would be around half inch longer and wider than the crack.
• Next, press the fiberglass strips into the resin. Put a second layer of resin so as to cover the entire fiberglass.
• Take a second strip of the fiberglass and put it over the first so as to cover the already present epoxy paste. Apply some more resin paste over the second strip. Follow the same process for another time.
• The third layer of the fiberglass should be covered with final coat of epoxy. This would make a waterproof layer thick enough to completely patch up the crack.
• To ensure more safety, it is better to sand up the patch with 220 grit sandpaper.
• To make the dock fenders appear as good as new, it is better to apply a fresh coat of paint.
So much for treating the leaks in dock fenders. It is also easy to keep them clean. Premier boat fenders are buoyant vinyl structures which are easy to maintain. The bat owner just needs to keep certain things like a stiff scrub brush, clean rags and a soft cleaning solution ready at hand. The boat fenders needs to be sprayed with the solutions and rinsed thoroughly along with scrubbing with the stiff brush. It is important to see that no solution remains on the dock fenders. Once it is washed with generous amount of water to clear off the debris, it needs to be wiped dry with the rags.
Boat fenders are a must for your boat’s safety. As the owner, it is your duty to keep them in good condition as well kept dock fenders can serve you for long and save your pocket from shelling out money on new fenders or homemade marine fenders.
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