Frequently Asked Questions
The below FAQs are designed to provide a better understanding of our products and our business. They provide basic information, sometimes about fairly complex topics. If you have any questions that are not covered here or elsewhere on our website, please contact us through the form on our contact us page.
Fender Questions
The choice of fender size and type is determined by many factors. However, due to the size, weight, and storage requirements of older style fenders, the tendency to under fender your boat can now be corrected by the use of AERÉ Inflatable Fenders. Now you will be able to size your fender to your boat and not your storage locker.The suggestions below are guidelines only. Each boat, every owner, and all the docking and rafting situations they will encounter are different. As such, the captain must take everything into account when considering the purchase of the proper fenders for their boat or yacht.
Remember, you can never be too well protected, but it’s easy to be under protected and end up with damage that could have been prevented with fenders of a sufficient size and strength. The price of proper fendering is a very small percentage of the price of a boat or yacht, and the one time they protect your boat from damage will pay for the cost of fenders many times over.
- The size of the boat, length and beam.
- The type of boat.
- The weight and displacement of the boat.
- Can my crew or family members safely deploy and move the fenders when necessary?
- What is the surface area of the boat that is presented to the wind? (Most sailboats present less wind surface than most powerboats.)
- What is the draft of the boat? (A deep draft boat will be more affected by currents and a shallow draft will be more affected by wind.)
- The currents and tidal action where the boat will be docked.
- The type of facilities, or lack of, where the boat will be docked.
- Any rafting situations the boat may encounter.
- The need or desire to increase the available storage space on the boat.
| Boat Length | Fender Size | Notes |
| 17 to 25 feet | 9”x22”, 10″ x 26″, 12”x29”, 12”x42”, 12”x58” | The longer 12” diameter fenders have proven popular for rafting up and side ties. |
| 25 to 32 feet | 10″ x 26″, 12”x29”, 12”x42”, 12”x58” | The volume of air and the surface area, together with the weight, size and style of the vessel and docking conditions encountered will determine the correct fender. |
| 32 to 40 feet | 12”x29”, 12”x42”, 12”x58”, 12”x72”, and 24” Ball Fenders. | The 12″ diameter fenders in various lengths are sufficient for most vessels in this size range. However, the 18″ x 29″ size is very popular for locks and bow flare, as is the 24” Ball Fender. |
| 40 to 45 feet | 12”x42″, 18”x29”, 18″x42″ 18”x58”, and 24” Ball Fenders. | In this range the longer 12″ diameter fenders and all length 18″ fenders provide proper fendering. Lighter weight (sail and power) can still use all 12″ diameters. Extreme bow flare may require the use of our 24” Ball or 24” diameter fenders. |
| 45 to 55 feet | 12″x58″, 12″x72″, 12″x96″, all 18″ diameter models”, and 24” Ball Fenders. | The 58″ and longer fenders have worked very well when laid horizontal against pilings. (Let a small amount of air out and they wrap around the piling and stay in place.) Extreme bow flare may require the use of our 24” Ball or 24” diameter fenders. |
| 55 to 70 feet | 18”x29”, 18″x42″, 18″x58″, 24”x29” and 24” Ball Fenders. | 18″ fenders provide proper fendering. Extreme bow flare may require the use of our 24” or 30” Ball or 24” diameter fenders. |
| 70 to 99 feet | 24”x29”, 24”x42”, 24”x58”, 24″x96″, and 24” or 36” Ball Fenders. | The 24″ x 96″ has proven very popular for stern to ties and swim platform protection. Vessels with a lot of bow flare might look at one or two 3′ x 4′, or our 36” Ball fenders. |
| 99 to 150 feet | 24”x42”, 24”x58”, 24″x96″, 3’x4′, 3’x7′, and 24” or 36” Ball Fenders. | Our 24″ diameter fenders are perfect for yachts in this range, with the 3 foot diameter fenders or 36” Balls for bow flare and extreme conditions. |
| 150 to 200 feet | 24″x96″, 3’x4′, 3’x7′, 3’x14′, 4’x5′, and 24” Ball Fenders. | Yachts in this size range require not only fenders of sufficient diameters, but fenders that the crew can still deploy and move at the Captain’s orders. |
| 200 feet plus | 4’x5′, 4’x10′, 4’x20′, 8’x10′, 8’x20′ | Our 3′ diameter fenders still provide protection in excess of what is normally carried on these mega yachts, however the 4′ diameter AERÉ fenders are the fenders of choice and are highly recommended on yachts of this size. |
| Special Purpose | Flat Fenders 8’x2’x 8″, 8’x1’x8″, 8’x1.5’x8″, 12’x2’x8″, 16’x2′ x8″, 3’x2’x8″ ,18″ and 24″ SleevesWork Platforms Docking Platforms | These purpose built fenders were designed to provide a solution for swim platform protection on the larger yachts. These sleeves, “the AERÉ Cinch”, are designed to constrict our 18″ and 24″ fenders into a wedge shape, designed to conform to piling or posts. Specially designed to provide a safe, secure, stable, and portable working platform allowing your crew to work on the outside of the vessel in any location. Can be custom designed to your requirements. Toy docking stations. Specifically engineered to allow a secure “parking” dock for your water toys, such as Jet Ski’s, Kayak’s, Paddle Boards, Sea Bob’s, etc. Step on/step off convenience and safety. |
While it is possible to pop a fender, it is quite difficult. Our fenders have been through major storms and even several hurricanes without damage.The normal operating pressure for an AERÉ Inflatable Fender is 1 psi internal pressure. They have been pressure tested to over 45 psi.
All inflatables get harder in direct sun and hot weather and get softer in rain or cooler weather. This is normal.
For example, heat will increase the pressure inside an inflatable by .03 psi per one degree of temperature increase. Effectively, a 33 degree increase in temperature can make a hard inflatable extremely hard or a soft one much harder. This also works in reverse and a hard inflatable will soften if the temperature drops by that amount. Humidity also has a slight impact on the changes. It is normal, and good practice, to adjust the pressure in your inflatable product as the weather changes.
AERÉ Inflatable Fenders are made from heavy, high denier, polyester fabric (used in dingy construction), and heavily PVC coated inside and outside. The product seams are welded and then hand glued with seam reinforcement inside and outside. The seams are from three to four layers thick to assure seam integrity. The attachment points are stainless steel “D” rings on both ends, securely fastened with Kevlar thread to a layered backing plate. The fill valves are selected to assure tight seals and rapid inflation and deflation.
Any fender, no matter what it’s made from, can be punctured or abraded. AERÉ Inflatable Fenders absorb a tremendous amount of punishment before failure; as is reflected in our product warranty. They will withstand very high compression loads that will collapse a normal vinyl fender, leaving you with very little between your boat and damage. Normal care should be taken in fender placement (if you see a sharpened spike or nail sticking out of the dock or piling, don’t put any fender there if avoidable) and they will last a very long time.
The AERÉ Inflatable Fenders have built-in UV protection. We have tested fenders in Florida and the Caribbean without failure or color fading.
AERÉ Inflatable Fenders can be easily and quickly repaired by non-professionals with readily obtainable glue and patches. However, as part of our Product Warranty program, we will repair AERÉ Inflatable Fenders in our Florida location or they may be sent to one of our certified service centers in our dealer network.
The best in the industry, we still have our first year unconditional warranty. For the next three years, we warrant that our products are free from manufacturer’s defects. During this FOUR year period, AERÉ Inflatable fenders may be returned to the factory and will be repaired at no charge to the owner. The final two years of the warranty program are a 20% discount on a replacement fender for any damaged and unrepairable fender. During this period, and beyond, we will always attempt a repair on the fender first, and charge a $50, $75, or $100 flat rate repair charge, dependant on the size of the fender, only if the fender can be repaired.
Air Pump Questions
There are two basic types of pumps: high volume/low pressure pumps and low volume/high pressure pumps. AERÉ Inflatable Fenders require high volume/low pressure pumps. These are available when you purchase your AERÉ fenders or at your local marine store.
Any of the AERÉ Inflatable Fenders can be inflated up by either a foot or canister pump. Our smallest fenders (12” x 29”) can be inflated to 1 psi of air pressure with our least expensive foot pump in 15 – 30 seconds. We recommend our higher volume foot pumps for our larger fenders up to 18” x 58”. Eighteen-inch fenders take about 2 minutes with the manual pump and less than a minute with a high volume electric pump. For our larger fenders, use electric pumps, particularly the high volume units are desirable, but not required. Our largest fenders can be inflated in about 2 minutes with a high volume electric pump.
This stands for “pounds per square inch.” It is a unit by which air pressure is measured.
AERÉ Inflatable Fenders use only 1 psi of air pressure and can, due to compression, withstand pressures many times that. A gauge is not needed for your AERÉ fenders. As a rule of thumb, 1 psi of pressure in an AERÉ Inflatable Fender feels like a soft grapefruit if you squeeze it with your full hand.
Pump speeds, rated in flow rate in either LPM (Liters per Minute) or GPM (Gallons per Minute) gives you an idea of how fast a particular item will fill up. The higher the volume the faster it will inflate. However, the amount of pressure needed (only 1 pound for the AERÉ Fenders and 3 pounds for most dinghies) will change the amount of time needed. Higher pressure requires more time and more effort on the part of the pump.
Other Questions
AERÉ Inflatable Fenders are sold by a select number of marine product dealers and luxury yacht outfitters. They can also be purchased directly from our company; through our web site or at boat shows where we exhibit. See our Dealer page and Exhibit Schedule for more information.
In order to hold down our costs we do not have a storefront or retail location; however we do have a small showroom in our Service Center in Coral Springs, FL. Our fenders are becoming more visible on many yachts and boats throughout the USA and in Europe. We exhibit at major boat shows in the U.S., and special offers are available only at the shows. Many of our dealers have a retail location where you can see our products.
Customers are welcome to come visit our manufacturing facility and speak to us. Please call ahead to schedule an appointment and we would be happy to meet you.
Orders are processed and shipped Monday through Friday only.