Boat bumpers and fenders come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. Not only are there cylinder fenders, but there are round ones, flat ones, and so many more types of fenders. By the end of this article, you will know absolutely everything about boat fenders and which ones you will need for your vessel.
First I’m going to talk about the three most popular fenders and then talk more about unique fenders later in the article.
3 most popular boat fenders
Best All-Around
Cylinder Fenders
Commonly used on boats as they provide a large surface area and can still be stored quite easily.
Best For Large Boats
Spherical Fenders
These fenders can withstand a lot of force. So they’re best used for large boats and during docking.
Best For Small Boats
Flat Fenders
Easily stored, but doesn’t have a large enough diameter to handle heavy or maneuvering boats.
Although these are the most used fenders, there are many more available on the market including:
Dock Wheel Bumper
Transom Fenders
Cushion Fenders
V-shaped Fenders
Fender Pads
Low Freeboard Fender
Pontoon Fenders
Dock Edging
Inflatable Fenders
Click on any of these to purchase them or continue reading to learn more about them.
Note: Most of the products I mention in this article are made by Taylor Made and sold on Amazon. They are a very proven company that has been making boat fenders and bumpers for over 100 years, and they generally have the highest review ratings compared to their competitors.
Boat fender sizing
Before we start talking more about specific fenders, let’s look at what size you need to get.
The general rule is 1″ of diameter for cylindrical fenders or 2″ of diameter for spherical fenders for every 5 feet of boat length. However, it’s never a bad idea to get a size larger than recommended, especially if you’re boat is in an area that gets a lot of storms, wind, waves, etc. which could cause it to bash against a dock.
Size chart
| Boat Length (ft) | Cylinder Fender Diameter (in) | Spherical Fender Diameter (in) | Flat fender Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| under 15′ | 3″ | 6″ | Small |
| 16′-20′ | 4″ | 8″ | Small |
| 21′-25′ | 5″ | 10″ | Medium |
| 26′-30′ | 6″ | 12″ | Medium |
| 31′-35′ | 7″ | 14″ | Medium |
| 36′-40′ | 8″ | 16″ | Large |
| 40′-50′ | 10″ | 20″ | Large |
| 51′-60′ | 12″ | 24″ | Large |
| 61′-70′ | 14″ | 26″ | Large |
Pros and cons of each fender type
Below I’ve listed all the different types of boat fenders. I’ve included pictures, pros and cons, and more about each one. Click on the fender you want to learn more about.
Cylinder Fenders
There are two different types of cylinder fenders including:
Double-eye
Double-eye cylinder fenders are usually smaller than center-hole fenders making them easy to store away and easy to use. They have a dual-hole system, allowing you to connect a rope to both sides of the fender.
These fenders are most popular with small to medium-sized boats, but they do make the large enough for large vessels as well.
Center-hole
Center-hole cylinder fenders can be used both on your boat and on your dock. You can easily tie them sideways on a dock or your boat without needing to connect multiple ropes to both sides of the fender. A downside to them is that they are bulky and hard to store.
I usually only recommend having one or two of these fenders on your boat to protect the largest surface area (generally the sides near the stern). And if you have a boat smaller than 30 feet, you probably won’t need one.
Spherical Fenders
Flat Fenders
Dock Wheel Bumper
Transom Fenders
Cushion Fenders
V-shaped Fenders
Fender Pads
Low Freeboard Fenders
Pontoon Fenders
Dock Edging
Inflatable Fenders
Best boat fender for different boat types
| Boat type | My Recommended Fender(s) | Other Possible Fenders |
|---|---|---|
| Bass Boats | low freeboard fenders | cylinder fenders, fender pads, flat fenders |
| Bowriders | cylinder fenders | Fender pads, flat fenders |
| Pontoon Boats | pontoon fenders | cylinder fenders |
| Jet Skis | cylinder fenders or fender pads | small spherical fenders |
| Ski Boats | cylinder fenders or flat fenders | fender pads, low freeboard fenders |
| Deep V Fishing Boats | cylinder fenders | fender pads, flat fenders |
| Bay Boats | cylinder fenders or low freeboard fenders | fender pads |
| Center console boats | cylinder fenders | spherical fenders, fender pads |
| Sailboats | cylinder fenders | spherical fenders, flat fenders, transom fenders |
| Cuddy cabins | cylinder fenders | spherical fenders, transom fenders |
| Cabin Cruisers | cylinder fenders and spherical fenders | transom fenders |
| Yachts | spherical fenders and inflatable fenders | cylinder fenders, v-shaped fenders, transom fenders |
Many boats, especially larger ones are best protected by multiple different types of fenders on the boat and on the dock. For example, Yachts can be protected by cylinder fenders and/or spherical fenders, but it’s always a good idea to also have dock bumpers such as inflatable fenders, V-shaped fenders, and cushion fenders.
Best fender accessories
Fender accessories can help make your life easier and protect your boat from fender marks and scratches. Here are all of the different accessories I was able to find:
Fender covers
Fender covers not only improve the aesthetic of boat fenders, but they also help you avoid any marks or scratches that may be caused by them.
Although fenders are meant to cushion your boat, the plastic used on them is still quite hard and can rub away your gel coat over time, especially if you have a heavy boat in a high current area.
Having a fender cover will help eliminate any possible damage.
Fendergrip
One of the most annoying things to do when you’re relaxing at the sand bar or beach is to have to rush your bumpers on as someone is pulling their boat up to you.
This product called Fendergrip, made by New World Marine solves this. It makes putting your fenders down to the perfect height and keeping them there a million times easier.
You don’t even have to tie any notes, just adjust the rope to the right hight and clamp it down.
Fender rack
A fender rack makes storing, securing, and deploying cylinder fenders so much easier than if you were to store them in storage compartments in your boat.
Taylor Made makes this one, and it easily connects to almost any railing or stanchion system.
The buy now button below puts two different products in your Amazon cart, one is a fender rack for 7-9 inch diameter fenders, and the other is for 9-11 inch. Just make sure to delete the one that is not the correct size for you.
What are the best boat fender brands?
The brand most of the products I am recommending in this article is Taylor Made and sold on Amazon. They have been in the fender business for over a century and have almost every kind of boat bumper/fender you could dream for.
However, you can expect the same or similar quality from other brands such as:
- Polyform
- Bass Pro Shops
- Seafit
- Mission
How many fenders should a boat have?
You should have 1 fender per side for every 5-10 feet of boat, and no boat should have less than 3 fenders per side. Meaning a 15-foot boat should have 3 fenders per side, and a 50-foot boat should have 5-10 fenders per side. The amount you should use depends on factors such as where you are mooring, weather conditions, etc.
| Size of Boat | Fenders Per Side |
|---|---|
| 20 feet | 3 |
| 25 feet | 3 |
| 30 feet | 4 |
| 35 feet | 4 |
| 40 feet | 5 |
| 45 feet | 5 |
| 50 feet | 6 |
| 55 feet | 6 |
| 60 feet | 7 |
| 65 feet | 7 |
Fender should not be out when you are moving, they will just slow you down. However, when you are in a situation in which you need to put them down, they should be spread out evenly across your hull such as in the vessel from this image:
Related Article: How Many Fenders Do You Need For Your Boat?
How to clean boat fenders
Due to algae and barnacles, boat fenders can get very dirty very fast. This can rub off on your boat and leave algae marks that can be hard to get out. In order to keep them clean, you should:
- Keep them out of the water as much as possible. Leaving fenders in the water is the number one cause of dirty fenders. Marine growth will start to form in as little as a week and will be a pain to get out.
- Dry them off before putting them into storage. Water can cause mold and algae growth, so making sure you dry your fenders off and don’t store them in a wet area is important in keeping them clean.
- Clean your fenders with soap and fresh water regularly. Whenever you clean your boat, it’s always a good idea to do your fenders as well. Cleaning them regularly will make sure you don’t have to worry about any deep stains that may be very hard to get out.
However, if you fenders are already dirty and look something like the image below, you will need to use a few products and cleaning techniques to get them looking good again.
Here are the 4 steps to cleaning a boat fender:
- Take your fender somewhere away from the water or grass so no cleaning products can harm anything.
- Apply regular cleaning soap and cleaner bleach spray to the fenders and scrub them with a moderately stiff bristle brush.
- You can also use a pressure washer to get off any stains and marine growth.
I would not recommend you use any harsh chemicals as this can eat away the plastics on your fenders and not only reduce their lifespan but also possibly cause the plastics to rub off and stain your boat hull.
Added Tip: After lightly cleaning your fenders, you can spray them with tire foam. This will not only clean them more, but it will also restore their look.
Sometimes your fender may be dirty due to it rubbing off paint and gel-coat on your hull. Here is a clear example of this:
If you believe this is happening, you should purchase a fender cover such as this one to protect your hull and fender. Fender covers cover the hard plastic on fenders and eliminate rubbing.
How to tie a boat fender
If you don’t have fender clips, tying your fender to a rail requires a bit more effort. Check out the video below to learn how:
Where to find good deals on boat fenders
Included in this article are links to boat fenders mostly made by Taylor Made and sold on Amazon. These are top-end fenders and will last you a very long time. However, they are a bit pricy when compared to other brands on Amazon.
After checking out some of these cheaper brands, here are the three I found to have the best reviews and most relevant products:
- Dock Edge (specialize in dock bumpers including dock edges, dock wheels, etc.)
- Affordura (medium-priced cylinder fenders)
- Vingli (Very cheap cylinder fenders)
However, another great way to find boat bumpers and fenders is on the used market. For example, I went to Facebook Marketplace and searched for “boat fenders”. Here are the results:
Plenty of deals on fenders, many of which are made by good brands such as Taylor Made. They may need a bit of cleaning, but after that there about as good as new. I would recommend purchasing used from high-quality brands such as Taylor-made or polyform over the super cheap Amazon brands. Even though there used, they will still most likely last longer.
And before I end this article, here’s another look at the most popular boat fenders, so you don’t have to scroll all the way up to the top to purchase them.
Best All-Around
Cylinder Fenders
Commonly used on boats as they provide a large surface area and can still be stored quite easily.
Best For Large Boats
Spherical Fenders
These fenders can withstand a lot of force. So they’re best used for large boats and during docking.
Best For Small Boats
Flat Fenders
Easily stored, but doesn’t have a large enough diameter to handle heavy or maneuvering boats.
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