Sock it to me. Fender socks, worth the price or waste of money?

The subject of fender socks, bit boring really as boat subjects go, fender socks however represent a significant financial outlay, judging by the number I see they are very in demand, but, should you buy them or not? 

A fender “sock” ?

A fender sock is a tight fitting fabric sleeve that goes over the fenders, it’s purpose is twofold, to protect the hull from “fender rub”, this is where the gelcoat gets dull matt patches where the fenders move against the hull, their second purpose is to look good, indeed in the right place, when color coordinated (oh yes you can have the custom made to match your boat décor or your own tastes) they look great, but,  when the get old they look tired, dull and sometimes the elastic snaps and they hang in the water, like that they can make even the most pristine yacht look neglected and down at heel, I have even seen some with shellfish growing on them!

Should you buy them?

Well it depends, cheap socks, by cheap I mean less expensive than others, because, be in no doubt fender socks are expensive, from 50% of the value of the fender they can go over 100% for standard fit types, this does not include any custom colors or embroidery. Cheap socks are a total waste of money, they are made of a poor quality material and when they´re stretched over the fender they're actually more abrasive than the fender itself and so increase the “fender rub effect”, also they last about a day when you are moored up against a concrete pier, the concrete rubs through them double quick.

Expensive fender socks are made of a high quality towel looking material, they do not aggravate the problems of fenders rubbing against the hull and they do look considerably better, they have there own drawbacks of course, the initial outlay, the regular cleaning, salt crystals from seawater stick to these very well and so increases your boat maintenance by adding another cleaning item to the list, also the sun leaches the color from them over time and so they no longer look good, also if you cannot get exactly the right size (socks are made a bit like those for your feet, to a specific size), the socks will dangle in the water and stuff will start to grow on them.

If you have a charter boat, where appearances are very important and you have a captain and crew to maintain it, this is not a problem, but if you are one of the periodic boaters who don’t see their vessel from one month to the next, I personally would not worry about buying them. Its awful when you drag a large fender with a wet dirty sock aboard, over the guardrail and the dirty water hits you right in the crotch and you have to spend the rest of the day explaining that in fact you have not soiled yourself (ask me how I know about this!).

Do you have a sewing machine?

Make your own fender socks, you can buy material to custom match the boat or recycle or repurpose fabric from another project, I found this short video to show you the basic process. I really do like the idea of projects like this for boats. In fact, I am an advocate of recycling and repurposing everything where possible.

So what's the answer?

Buy quality fenders, quality fenders are made of better quality materials and resist the tendency to go “gooey” in the sun and leave marks on the hull. A boat is expensive, so money spent in the right areas is vital, not spending extra, just spending your money wisely.

Some of the best fenders are made by a company called Polyform, they also have a range of socks made specifically for their fenders. To stop fenders swaying around, attach them lower down, lower to the deck and not hung from guardrails, if necessary tie them around the stanchion bases, or use double eyelet fenders (those that have a hole at each end for attaching ropes, then attach a rope at each end and sling the fenders horizontally, they will not move as much.

Summary

Fit fender socks if you absolutely need to and you have the time to look after them as part of scheduled maintenance, but really for the average boater, they are an expensive and unnecessary luxury to buy, if you can make your own you will save a fortune.

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