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Weaving Extended Rope Bumpers

As you can see from the picture, I have already progressed to about 7 inches worth of weave. The tool you see that I use for weaving is something I learned from local fishermen who use a version of this tool to mend or make fishing nets. I think they call it a fish net making shuttle. I took a piece of styrene sheet and cut it up with pointed edges. The pointed edges help me string through the cords. I rolled up a length of cord in this tool to help me in the weaving process. This tool helps prevent getting a “birds nest” and keeps everything smooth and neat. Cool, huh?

The green pencil, I selected to allow me to see the cord much better while weaving. It also serves the purpose of keeping the size of the fender consistent throughout the weaving process. As you weave, you can rotate the pencil to see the strings on the other side of the pencil, or rotating one of the wooden bases will also do the trick. The colored pencil also allows me to see if my weave pattern is correct. As you can see, I made several weaves at varying distances to make sure the pattern is correct.






After making about 8 weaves, I take the pencil out and use the shuttle tool to push the weave in. You can also do this by hand along with the help of the shuttle tool to push. Make sure that the strings are aligned before you do this step.






Above, is the weave nicely tucked with the rest of the fender. After about a 1.5-2 inch length of weave, I fill it with strips of foam for the fender to maintain its shape. Then I continue weaving. My estimate is that you’ll need about 9 inches for the bow, port and starboard side bumpers for the Bronco LWS and maybe about 7 for the stern. The whole assembly, I will brush with white glue when it’s done.

Oh, if you’re wondering why I used pink yarn, that’s what was available at home. I intend to dye the finished weave or dunk it in brewed coffee to get that Manila rope color. Pretty in pink isn’t she?