SHETLAND OWNERS ASSOCIATION

I previously had my F4 on inland waters so left the fenders tied on permanently. Now she's at a marina and on coastal waters they obviously bounce about a bit while planing so look silly, splash you in the face and may well be rubbing the fibreglass.

Do you remove them? And what is the correct knot to tie them to the eyelets?

Leaving fenders tied on is considered "dirty" sailing. And you are right, on costal waters they can be a hazard to your windows and gel coat if left on to bounce around.

The knot you use is a clove hitch, this allows you to lower and raise the fenders quite easily. Lock them off with one half hitch.

Other ways are to buy fender hook or clips allowing them to be removed easily or to buy fender baskets that screw onto you bow ail for easy storage

Sue

Nobody tells you these things, should be in the powerboat course so you don't end up looking like a plonker!

Clips are a good idea, easier for crew to attach on the way back to the marina. The little F4 doesn't have all that much space for tying them on while underway.

I find this problem a pain when boating single handed; I need fenders in harbour but it's not safe or practical to retrieve the two fwd fenders on my F4. I have come up with a solution of sorts:

I've tied a bit of 3mm cordage to the bottom of the two fwd fenders. This is led back to the cockpit and secured.
To bring the fenders 'in' I simply pull on the cord and secure it with a slip knot so they can be deployed quickly. A small jam cleat on each side is probably the more elegant solution.
The after fenders are removed and reattached as normal.

It's not the most elegant solution but it is practical and simple. Let me know what you think.

Si

Looks sensible to me! As you say it's not exactly safe to be hanging on the side especially if it's choppy.

If you've got willing people with you life is that much easier but that's not always going to be the case.