Let me start by saying I am not a boat person. After 21 years in the Navy, I have had my fill of boats and the sea. However, the project presented to me today looked simple enough and I agreed to take it on even though it is boat-related. It is a bumper that the boater straps to the dock piling to keep his boat from scraping.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mynQqUnGmdA/UCGhMGlRLdI/AAAAAAAAAWY/oxbEMEFS6wg/s512/Bumper.jpg)
18 inches wide and 30 inches long, construction is a snap, just a sock with some webbing sewn to one side. Problem is I'm not experienced enough with marine fabrication to know what materials to order. The owner is no more knowledgeable than I am, all he knows is "these things get wet and they dry out almost instantly". Since they will get wet, I hesitate to use a waterproof fabric, afraid that will trap the water inside. But I can't seem to find a UV-resistant canvas that is uncoated.
The foam is only 1 inch thick but very dense. Feels just a little softer than my wife's garden kneeling pad. Is closed cell foam the answer?
Looking for suggestions for outside fabric and inside foam. I want these things to last and not come back for repair in a year.
Thanks,
Ed
Ahem theyre termed fenders. Bumpers are rubber permanently affixed to docks.
I told you I am not a boat person!
Besides, "Rubber Baby Boat Fenders" just didn't have the same ring.
Ed
Closed cell foam. Not sure what fabric the mfg. uses for a cover, but you could use vinyl or whatever, and along the bottom edge, sew in a 1" strip of Phifertex or some other mesh for drainage. Will there be tides? Most of these dip in to the water at high tide.
June