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Well, this could be posted in the dumbest thing I did to my boat thread, but I think it deserves it's own thread as a warning to others. First off, I'm not sure I like the fender clip system, It is fast and easy but we aren't crazy about the location and there was an incident yesterday that made me even more unsure. We were on Possum Kingdom Lake and pulling into a dock to check out a restaurant and the dock was tight. I thought I had things under control and in a split second, the rubber bumper on the dock pole grabbed the front starboard clip and you see the result.

Now, I have to look for fiberglass repair in my area that I can trust with my boat. I'm taking guesses on the cost.

After the shock and salty language, I realized that my wife and I would still rather repair our boat than not have a boat and watch other people having fun!

That sucks. Do you want to claim insurance? If not prob a grand.

Oh man. Sorry to hear about that. That sucks my friend

Man that sucks. Cobalt is usually pretty good about adding large backing plates to cleats, guess there isn't one on those since they are just designed to hang a fender from?

NautiGirl wrote: Sun Sep 29, 2019 2:29 pm Man that sucks. Cobalt is usually pretty good about adding large backing plates to cleats, guess there isn't one on those since they are just designed to hang a fender from?

I think if you look at the crack they use a very large washer for a backer. That's what I'm thinking anyways

I would love to have the boat close to home, but we store it at the Possum Kingdom which is about 2 hours away, so I am just trying to figure out how to find a good fiberglass person and get it to them. I have been watching YouTube videos and I'm slightly encouraged that a good fiberglass guy can make it look new, so I just need to get some recommendations for over at the lake.

I will have it fixed for the regatta next year and hopefully, that will be the last dumbest thing for a long time.

Motex2011 wrote: Sun Sep 29, 2019 2:47 pm I would love to have the boat close to home, but we store it at the Possum Kingdom which is about 2 hours away, so I am just trying to figure out how to find a good fiberglass person and get it to them. I have been watching YouTube videos and I'm slightly encouraged that a good fiberglass guy can make it look new, so I just need to get some recommendations for over at the lake.

I will have it fixed for the regatta next year and hopefully, that will be the last dumbest thing for a long time.

It won't be. Sorry. There will be more. Can you get it to the factory area? There is a girl that does repair work that can fix that.

Sounds like exactly what I need, but that is a long way for two trips.

Alot of dealerships do repairs or they know of a place to get it done. I would ask them too.

Motex2011 wrote: Sun Sep 29, 2019 2:47 pm I would love to have the boat close to home, but we store it at the Possum Kingdom which is about 2 hours away, so I am just trying to figure out how to find a good fiberglass person and get it to them. I have been watching YouTube videos and I'm slightly encouraged that a good fiberglass guy can make it look new, so I just need to get some recommendations for over at the lake.

I will have it fixed for the regatta next year and hopefully, that will be the last dumbest thing for a long time.

I did the same thing on the port side forward fender clip of our R5 15 months ago when the boat only had 9 hours on it! It caught on a poorly designed verticle 2x6 on a restaurant dock on the north end of our lake. Mine was cracked a little less than yours but my Cobalt dealer was able to get it back to new for $1,100. It made me sick to my stomach when it happened. It pissed me off because had I not had the fender out it would have been fine. I've been damn careful ever since knowing that those clips protrude farther than anything else on the boat.

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Yes, that's really not something you think about....sudden intense stress on a fender clip which can cause damage. Not very likely to happen but always possible.

Call me a traditionalist but I still fasten our fenders to the cleats.

Btw, I'm guessing in the range of $900-1,500 for the repair.

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Motex2011 wrote: Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:00 pm Sounds like exactly what I need, but that is a long way for two trips.

if you need a contact for someone at the factory that does gel repair let me know. I had a Lady and her son come repair some dock rash on my 262 last fall. They did amazing work.

That’s tops bad. What a freak accident. Yes a good gel coat guy can make that look like new.

Now my rant. I have the fender clips and hate them. Unless you use the same dock every time there is no way to adjust them quickly and easily. Plus they have a big swinging metal weight at the end of the rope when not attached. For me they rank right there with the trash can. I have never used them successfully. Agree with tying the old way to cleats. . If I was ordering. A new boat I wouldn’t put them on it

sailor55330 wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2019 10:28 am That’s tops bad. What a freak accident. Yes a good gel coat guy can make that look like new.

Now my rant. I have the fender clips and hate them. Unless you use the same dock every time there is no way to adjust them quickly and easily. Plus they have a big swinging metal weight at the end of the rope when not attached. For me they rank right there with the trash can. I have never used them successfully. Agree with tying the old way to cleats. . If I was ordering. A new boat I wouldn’t put them on it

I have found mine work perfectly for gas docks or when at restaurant docks. But when doing a raft up or tie up with other boats I have 4 regular taylormade fenders in the boat and I use the cleats.

tgrace98 wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2019 10:36 am

sailor55330 wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2019 10:28 am That’s tops bad. What a freak accident. Yes a good gel coat guy can make that look like new.

Now my rant. I have the fender clips and hate them. Unless you use the same dock every time there is no way to adjust them quickly and easily. Plus they have a big swinging metal weight at the end of the rope when not attached. For me they rank right there with the trash can. I have never used them successfully. Agree with tying the old way to cleats. . If I was ordering. A new boat I wouldn’t put them on it

I have found mine work perfectly for gas docks or when at restaurant docks. But when doing a raft up or tie up with other boats I have 4 regular taylormade fenders in the boat and I use the cleats.

Maybe if the docks are floating...maybe. If the docks are fixed...not so much.