GL: Using Fender Boards on the T-Tom and Tennessee

[Rich Gano]

Well, Fred, the typical use of a fender board is when a boat with no rub
rail needs to be fended off a piling at a pier.

Many of us have adapted the idea in locks to save the wear and tear on
expensive fenders.  The T-Tom and Tennessee locks apparently do not have
surfaces as rough as those of the Erie Canal (my source is folks who have
done both), and a fender board is not so likely to hang on a smooth surface.

I re-evaluated the extra trouble of the fender board several times as we
progressed through 36 locks and kept coming down in favor of it.  The Taylor
Made Big Boys sure looked a lot better than the throw-away fender board
after the trip.

I am casting off for SW Florida and the Keys Sunday morning, and I am not
taking my fender board because my rub rail has always been sufficient to
handle pilings.  The Big Boys are making the trip.

Rich Gano
CALYPSO (GB-42 #295)
Southport, FL (near Panama City)