Sale of Inflatable Fenders With a Thru-hole With Delivery

Catalog with current prices for inflatable fenders with a through hole: specification, description, photos and reviews. Only the best manufacturers and the best center hole fenders for vertical or horizontal mounting. We provide delivery and guarantee the quality of all products.

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What Are Inflatable Fenders With a Thru-hole Used For?

Like any inflatable protection for boats, fenders with thru-hole serve as a bumper that protects different parts of the yacht from damage in the following situations:

• when maneuvering while mooring to the quay wall or moving away from it;
• when rafting-up with another vessel for disembarkation or transfer of cargo;
• when docked at a pier or next to mooring piles;
• while anchored side by side with other vessels, which is especially dangerous if neighboring boats have a different freeboard height relative to your boat;
• in the process of maneuvering in a narrow passage, for example, during the passage of old locks in many European regions;
• when mooring astern, which is typical for many marinas in the Mediterranean;
• in the process of complex mooring, when the side and bow, side and stern, or the side, stern and bow of the boat are simultaneously in contact with the berth or pier.

But since the through hole allows you to position these fenders both vertically and horizontally, their functions are extended. In this they are similar to cylindrical fenders with twin eye. The only difference is that for mounting using the eyes, you need to knit two cables for each bumper, and for models with thru hole one cable is threaded along the entire length of the fender.

This allows you to mount them in a horizontal and vertical direction in almost any weak spot on the boat. In this case, it is possible to strengthen the fender not only in the upper part, but also in the lower part, which will prevent it from swinging. That is, with a strong wave and wind, the board, stern or bow will not be periodically exposed.

Fenders with hole through middle can also be used to protect a quay wall or a floating pontoon by stringing several products on a single cable and attaching this "festoon" horizontally at the required height.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Inflatable Fenders With Thru-hole

As usual, let's start with the identified shortcomings. It is the only one and concerns the use of all inflatable fenders on small boats: there is nowhere to store them in the inflated state. Therefore, during the transition, they will have to be deflated, and long before mooring, they will have to be pumped up.

In all other cases, properly selected inflatable center hole fenders in the required quantity for a particular vessel demonstrate all their many advantages:

• provide the necessary shock-absorbing effect when the side of your yacht comes into contact with the mooring wall, the lock wall or the side of a neighboring vessel;
• distribute the impact force over the entire area of protection, which will reduce it at each point of contact with an obstacle;
• provide a sufficient damping effect - they will extinguish the energy of the waves, reduce the amplitude of the boat's oscillations, which will reduce the force of subsequent impacts;
• reliably protect the sides, stern and bow of the vessel from damage due to friction against the berth or side of another vessel during mooring;
• protect the mooring wall and neighboring boats from damage;
• thanks to a through hole along the entire length, they provide the ability to mount protection in several directions;
• provide affordable and easy inflation through a special valve using a compressor, manual, electric or automobile pump;
• a special waterproof valve ensures complete tightness and constant pressure inside the chamber;
• thanks to the design, they are attached to any place on the boat that is vulnerable to damage during maneuvering.

It has already been mentioned that the fenders, fixed at both ends, do not sway from the wind and pitching. This prevents the parts of the boat from being exposed, and also prevents the fenders from falling off the sides. In addition, rhythmic swinging of heavy fenders usually increases the rocking of the vessel. In this case, the impact force against the quay wall or the adjacent boat also increases. And with bare sides, this will lead to serious damage. So, in regions with strong winds, tidal waves, fenders that can be reliably attached at both ends are indispensable.

Long size range of thru-hole fenders allows them to be used on both low and high freeboard boats. They can also be used for fishing nets or as signaling or mooring buoys.

Boat bumpers with middle hole provide protection to parts of the boat even in strong tidal waves and ebb currents, if the selected fenders are of the right size and there is a sufficient quantity of them.

How to Choose Thru-hole Fenders

When you consider to purchase such product, you may wonder about the selection criteria. The main criterion is the size of your yacht, catamaran, boat or other vessel of any type for which you choose protection.

Focusing on the length of the vessel, it is possible to accurately determine the diameter of the required fenders and their number. topRik experts recommend the following formulas for inflatable cylinder models, proven in practice:

• the number of fenders is calculated in such a way that for every 2.5-3 meters of the side length there is 1 bumper, but there should not be less than three on each side;
• to calculate the required diameter of the fender, it should be assumed that for every 130-150 cm of the side length there should be 2.5-3 cm of the fender diameter;
• the length of the fender should be such as to cover at least 2/3 of the freeboard, but the higher this figure, the better.

Choose the height so that the fenders touch the water under all other conditions, but do not sink into it.

Pay attention to the characteristics of individual parts of the fender: reinforcement of the longitudinal hole for the rope, options for reinforcing the hull, the presence of hull stiffeners, etc. The service life of fenders depends on such improvements or their absence.

If the through hole is reinforced, it will not be damaged by cable friction.

The stiffening ribs on such models, as a rule, are cast in one piece, they increase the strength of the product, prevent it from rolling along the board and prevent abrasion. Although many yachtsmen prefer cylindrical models without ribs, believing that the rolling along the side when in contact with an obstacle changes the direction of the blow, reducing its strength.

Of great importance is the method of manufacturing and material used. Give preference to models from a special polymer alloy, made by rotational molding. This guarantees an even thickness of the walls of the product, so that it does not burst at the thinnest point during the inflation process.

The preferred material used is soft PVC fabric, the advantages of which are described in the previous section.

How to Store

Like all inflatable fenders, thru-hole models can be stored on the boat both in an inflated and deflated state.

If the size of the boat allows to keep the protection attached during the passage from port to port, special capacious lockers can be provided for their storage.

But most often on a spacious vessel the special baskets for thru-hole fenders are equipped on the deck next to the points where the protection is attached. After setting sail, they are simply hoisted and placed in these baskets. This is very convenient, since a lot of time is saved when establishing the protection, and sometimes it must be done very quickly.

If the fenders are stored in lockers or in a pantry in a deflated state, their preparation for active use should begin long before mooring.

On land dampers can be stored in any state. The main thing is that they do not come into contact with chemicals that can damage PVC and are away from open flames.

Try not to pump with models through hole too much - they should bend a little when pressed. If you inflate them like a soccer ball, they will not properly perform their shock-absorbing and damping functions.

Regularly, at least twice a year, check the pressure inside the inflatable thru-hole fenders. An unscheduled inspection must be carried out before the active swimming season. Also evaluate the condition of the inflatable valve for its tightness and the reliability of the fastening ropes used to attach the fenders.

If you have any questions - ask our experts. All topRik specialists have extensive knowledge on the features of thru-hole fenders and other accessories for motor and sailing yachts, catamarans, boats and other types of vessels.