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.
- 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.
AERÉ Inflatable Fenders are available over 40 sizes, models, and types. They are in daily use on vessels from 17 feet long to over 500 feet long. You will be able to find a model and color that will serve your particular needs. Use the following table as a guideline only. Lightweight boats and most sailboats can go one size smaller, heavy boats and high profile boats may go one or more sizes larger. If inflated size is a problem in your slip, use the Commercial duty model, but go one size smaller.
| 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. |
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.
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.
Our inflatable fenders have been third-party tested to withstand up to 33 PSI — more than 15 times the typical inflation pressure. They’re designed for serious protection, even in high-impact docking situations. We recommend inflating to 1–2 PSI.
Our D-ring patches held up to 4,000 lbs in independent tensile tests. And importantly, the failure point was the fabric itself — not the seam or the stitching — proving their rugged construction.
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.