Is This Fiberglass Issue Something I Need to Address ASAP?

[theBotanist]

Hey all, My boat is currently moored in an area that experiences a lot of wake from passing boats and is constantly slammed up against the dock it's moored to. This has been the case since I got the boat and thought it was nothing to be concerned about (my reasoning is that was what the fenders were there for), however I've noticed that even with the fenders the repeated stress is rubbing the paint off and exposing bare fiberglass. I have two main areas of concern with this; the first being that without the paint the fiberglass is exposed to direct sun, and with it being on the south-facing side in the Northern Hemisphere this means it's exposed all day. Do I need to be worried about fiberglass degradation? The second is what can I do to protect the boat from this kind of damage? I probably won't be able to relocate the boat until next spring so my goal will just be to keep the damage from being exacerbated for now. I've attached a picture showing the damage if that helps. Many thanks!

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by theBotanist

Hey all, My boat is currently moored in an area that experiences a lot of wake from passing boats and is constantly slammed up against the dock it's moored to. This has been the case since I got the boat and thought it was nothing to be concerned about (my reasoning is that was what the fenders were there for), however I've noticed that even with the fenders the repeated stress is rubbing the paint off and exposing bare fiberglass. I have two main areas of concern with this; the first being that without the paint the fiberglass is exposed to direct sun, and with it being on the south-facing side in the Northern Hemisphere this means it's exposed all day. Do I need to be worried about fiberglass degradation? The second is what can I do to protect the boat from this kind of damage? I probably won't be able to relocate the boat until next spring so my goal will just be to keep the damage from being exacerbated for now. I've attached a picture showing the damage if that helps. Many thanks!

If you can, put an anchor out on the outside and a line from it to stern and another to the bow. That way holding your boat and fenders a short distance away from the dock. Alternatively an anchor from the bow and another one from the stern. Both facing away from the dock.



Less wear on boat and fenders.



If its not getting worse by using the suggested method you can fix it in spring provided the fiberglass is thick.

Alternatively put some paint on the rubbed off area.