So there I am, approaching my slip for the first time. Wind is 5-10 from the southeast. Slip approach is directly upwind. Very little room to turn in the narrow part of the harbor. Dana is on the bow with a dock line in each hand. The slip looks a little narrow for our 13 foot beam.
I slide the tranny into neutral as we approach at 2 knots, put the helm hard over and spin the nose of the boat into the slip. The bowsprit passes a cool 8 inches from the outermost piling. Dana gasps. I smile. We glide in. I center the rudder, giving myself equal distance between the two pilings.
Uh oh. This slip really is narrow. A starboard fender binds up against a piling. The fender is connected by a light piece of line to the starboard toe rail. 20,000 pounds of boat is stretching the line and crushing the fender against the piling. Something is going to give. I wonder whether the line is strong enough to rip the toe rail off my boat.
PHFFFFTTT! HISSSssssssss.
The fender ruptures and gasses its airy contents into the warm evening sky.
I’m a cruiser now. Pictures to follow.
I don’t know if I will ever get used to the amount of money involved with being a big boat owner. That fender cost $89! I almost dove in after it, hoping to take it back to West Marine for being “faulty”. At least Dave was laughing and not screaming at that point. We have come a long way as boat owners. I am really looking forward to all of our upcoming adventures in Firefly.
It was a long, hot day (heat index 109), we worked our arses off for 12 hours. Thanks to Tom for keeping us sane.
Comment by Dana — August 10, 2007 @ 9:49 am
So it was better for the fender to rupture than for the toe rail to fly off, right? I’m trying hard to follow along.
And we want rides!
Comment by euphrosyne1115 — August 10, 2007 @ 12:35 pm
You are so obviously a cruiser now. Fenders weigh something like a pound each…leave the little bastards at the dock if you’re going to do any real sailing. What’s next? A freakin’ bimini?
Comment by Edward — August 10, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Fenders burst? I never knew that? Kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?
Comment by Tillerman — August 11, 2007 @ 6:03 am
Nah. These fenders were closer to 5 pounds each. My J/22 fenders are 1.2 pounds each. I know because I brought a scale to the store and weighed them before purchase. I am well known, in certain circles, for limiting weight on the race boat.
Comment by DavidB — August 12, 2007 @ 7:23 pm