Improved nautical fender

摘要

The fender 1 has a flexible skin defining a first compartment, housing a resilient core, and a flange 30 for attaching to a structure such as a pier, jetty or pontoon, the first compartment and the flange defining an upper surface 50 arrangeable, in use, to bridge the gap between a structure and craft, the resilient core providing sufficient support so that the upper surface can support a passenger when disembarking. The flange may have a rigid batten located in a batten compartment sleeve. A second compartment (22, Fig. 2) may contain packing strips to brace against the pier side. The compartments may be re-openable to allow core/batten replacement. The flexible skin may be marine grade polyester reinforced PVC with a non-slip surface, and the core may be closed cell polyethylene foam of 30 kg/m3 density, to absorb impact of vessel whilst being stiff enough to support passenger. The fender may be a box shape with planar perpendicular surfaces and a trapezoidal cross section. Adjacent fenders may be joined by hook and loop fasteners. The skin alone is also claimed.