Making a Boat Fender Cover

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Keeping your boat's hull in good shape is crucial for preventing cracks and leaks. One of the easiest ways to protect the hull from damage is to use fenders to keep the boat from hitting the dock. Fenders are helpful on their own — but did you know that you can add an extra layer of protection for your boat with fender covers? In this blog, you'll get step-by-step instructions for making soft, durable fender covers for your sailboat or powerboat! Keep reading to learn more.

Materials List:

Boat Blanket Fender Cover Kit – Color of Choice
- Beige – #121682
- Navy Blue – #121683
- Gray – #121684
- Black – #121685

Tools List:

Soapstone Fabric Marking Pencil White – #102766
Sailrite® Clear Acrylic Ruler 6" x 24" – #102400
Tape Measure 120" – #102986
Gingher® 8" Scissors
- Left Handed – #19105
- Right Handed – #19104
Sailrite® Standard Fabricator® Sewing Machine Package – #400500

Sailrite^® offers premade fender cover kits, which feature Boat Blanket Fabric. Boat Blanket is a solution-dyed, nonwoven polyester material that is highly abrasion resistant. This tough fabric is also mold/mildew and UV resistant, making it perfect for outdoor applications that will experience chafing. You can be sure that Boat Blanket will remain soft over time despite exposure to harsh marine environments, ensuring scuff-free padding for your fenders for years to come.

Boat Blanket has two different sides, and only one of them is soft. When using this specialty material for fender covers, it's important to make sure the soft side always faces your boat to prevent scratching the gelcoat. Another neat feature of Boat Blanket is that the soft side acts like the loop portion of hook-and-loop tape. As you'll see in the video, you only need to sew hook tape to your covers to securely fasten the sides together.

This project calls for sewing pleats at the top and bottom ends of the cover. Pleating the top and bottom edges ensures a tighter fit around the ends of the fender. Not only does this make for a clean-looking fender, but it also minimizes the risk of something catching on the cover and exposing your boat to the fabric's rough side. Note that you only need to sew pleats for two-eyelet fenders. If you have center-rope or through-hole fenders, use this DIY method to make your covers instead.

Fender covers are simple, easy-to-make items that will pay dividends in protecting your investment in your boat. Watch the video above to get started on your covers now.