Rubber Baby Boat Bumpers

[lamx]

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.



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

[forsailbyowner]

Ahem theyre termed fenders. Bumpers are rubber permanently affixed to docks.

[lamx]

I told you I am not a boat person!

Besides, "Rubber Baby Boat Fenders" just didn't have the same ring.

Ed

[JuneC]

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