Polyform G-4 Twin Eye Boat Fender 6.5 x 22 Sand

A fender's whole job is simple. Keep your hull off the dock, the pilings, and the boat rafted up next to you. The Polyform G-4 does exactly that. It's part of Polyform's G Series of utility fenders, a ribbed cylinder molded from heavy PVC with an eye at each end. That twin-eye design is the useful part. You can run a line through one eye and hang it straight down the side, or rig both eyes and lay it flat against a piling. Your call, depending on how you're tied up.

Polyform sizes this one for boats from 20 to 25 feet. The 6-1/2 inch diameter gives you real cushion for a runabout, a small center console, or a cuddy in that range without being so bulky that it's a pain to stow. The 22 inch length spreads the contact out, so you're not counting on one small spot to protect the gelcoat. Run a bigger boat, or tie up somewhere rough, and you'll want a larger fender or you'll pair these with something bigger. But for a boat in the 20 to 25 foot window, this is the right size.

The ribbed surface isn't just for looks. Those grooves flex and grip, so the fender stays put against the hull instead of skating around when the boat surges in a wake. The body is PVC, the same tough vinyl Polyform built its name on. It holds air, shrugs off salt, and wipes clean. Sand is an easy color to live with. It doesn't show scuffs the way a bright white does, and it looks at home on just about any boat.

Here's where the twin-eye layout earns its keep. Some fenders give you one eye or a center tube, which locks you into one way of hanging them. With an eye molded into each end, you get options. On a boat with low freeboard you can hang it vertically and keep the whole length between the hull and the dock. On a taller piling you can rig it horizontally so it rolls along the post as the boat rises and falls with the tide. Same fender, two jobs.

How many do you need? The old rule still holds up. Figure one fender for every 10 feet of waterline, and never run fewer than three. Most boaters in the 20 to 25 foot range put three or four a side when they're tied to a fixed dock. Set them where the hull is widest and where it'll actually touch the dock, not just wherever there happens to be a cleat. When you raft up to another boat, the fenders go between the two hulls at the points that touch.

Rigging is straightforward. Run a good line through the eye, and a 3/8 inch line is a sensible minimum for a fender this size, then tie it off to a cleat or a rail so the fender hangs at the right height. You want the widest part of the fender sitting right where the hull meets the dock at rest. Check it once you're tied up and adjust for the tide if you're on a fixed dock. And if you're leaving the boat, take a minute to make sure the fenders can't ride up over the rubrail.

Care is about as easy as it gets. Rinse the salt off when you rinse the boat. A scrub with mild boat soap now and then keeps the ribs from trapping grime. Vinyl and sun aren't best friends over the long haul, so if you pull the boat for the winter, bring the fenders inside where it won't freeze. They'll last a lot longer that way. And if one goes a little soft over a season, top off the air, the same as you would with any inflatable fender.

For a boat in the 20 to 25 foot range, the G-4 is a no-drama fender that does its one job and does it well. Rig a set right, and you can stop thinking about them.