It’s virtually un-heard of for a pontoon boat owner to now suffer some degree of dock damage during the lifetime of ownership.
You can be as careful as you like, but even the most experienced pontooners can come into dock a little bit too hard and fast, or even be at risk from other boat owners who might not have the same care and attention that you do.
Pontoon corner fenders are an accessory that can help mitigate damage occurring, which can in turn lead to reducing any expensive repair costs. If you want to protect your boat, then don’t be without pontoon corner fenders.
Below you can read some reviews of what I believe to be the best pontoon boat corner bumpers that money can buy. They are all cheap, easy to fit, and do actually work. Go check them out below to buy either as new additions to your boat, or as much-needed replacements.
The Best Pontoon Boat Corner Fenders
Don’t worry about damage to your boat as there are some very good products out there which offer preventative measures for avoiding dents. You can buy wide and rugged protectors which wrap around the corner, offering the best protection possible, or some simple casters which are smaller and won’t cover as large an area.
Taylor Made Corner Protectors: Best Choice
If you have the budget to buy just one more accessory for your pontoon this year, then make sure it’s these. They are considered exceptional and are fitted to pontoon boats around the country, and for very good reasons too.
To find out why they are considered the best option for protecting and covering your boat’s corners, take a look at the Taylor Made Pontoon Boat Corner Protector on Amazon. Click that link and take a look at the online reviews to see for yourself.
But what do you get, and why would you buy these?
Firstly, the coverage and wrap around surface area that they offer is second to none as you can see from the photo.
Secondly, and more importantly, the level of protection is insanely good. They are designed to provide an air-cushioned impact when docking.
And lastly, they are very easy to attach and fit. They are designed to be permanent, and you take them off whilst boating, so no need for any adjusters or clips at all. All you do is use the stainless steel fasteners and screws, and they are on.
Handy Hint: When you buy these online, you only get one per purchase. You will need one for each corner. They don’t have left or right configurations, simply flip them over to fit either a left or right corner.
These pontoon boat corner bumpers extend about 3.5 to 4 inches from your boat. Yes, they aren’t that pretty, but should be discreet enough due to the grey PVC coloring and design – as you can see from the product photo, they come in very traditional pontoon color shades.
Also, one word of warning, and that’s relating to your passengers. These corner fenders are attached with screws so make sure to tell everyone coming on board to not step on them. I have seen cases where they have been bent and made loose by this type of activity.
Whilst they are amazing for direct bumps and scrapes, having pressure applied to them from the top with a person’s weight can make them come off or become damaged.
And finally, please be aware, that the ones I am recommending here are for square 90-degree corners. Taylor Made also offer radial and curved corner bumpers, so take a look on Amazon for those as I would hate you to waste any money on a product that doesn’t fit your boat deck edges.
Pontoon Boat Corner Caps: Alternative Choice
An alternative solution would be to buy corner casters or caps. You can mask corners which are susceptible to damage relatively well with these, but they will not cover as large an area, leaving you still open to some degree and risk of damage. They aren’t the same as bumpers by any stretch, but will offer a degree of protection.
Unlike the Taylor Made pontoon corner bumpers above, these are configured to need a right-hand and left-hand version (starboard and port). They are available on Amazon, so click here for a Starboard Corner Caster, but you will also need to buy a Port Corner Caster.
Handy Hint: Don’t be fooled by the product photo on Amazon. When you buy either the port or starboard corner casters, they only come in packs of one. For four corners of a pontoon, you will need to buy 4 caster protector products in total.
If you do decide to purchase this product, you’re going to be buying 4 in total. Two starboards and two ports, for the front and back. You only get one caster in each purchase, despite there being photos of two on the Amazon product listing.
Made from heavy duty cast anodized aluminum, they shouldn’t degrade over time, and offer a reasonable level of protection from heavy knocks.
For a larger pontoon boat, you might need the wider corner casting product from the same company. You can view prices for the larger model here. Before you make any purchase like this, please check the dimensions and product specification to ensure that they will fit to your deck correctly.
Would I buy these?
Yes, as they help to protect the deck corners very well.
Pontoon Corner Bumpers: Why Buy?
The most common way that you will ever damage your pontoon boat is when docking. Consider the scenario; you’re up against the dock sides, people are getting on and off, you’re carrying equipment back and forth, or the waves or other boats are causing some degree of rocking and instability.
All of these things, plus not taking the best care when coming into dock and getting your angles wrong, can lead to nasty knocks, scrapes, bumps, and dents on your boat corners. It’s heart-breaking when it happens!
Here are some examples of what can happen when your boat corners aren’t protected. These images were uploaded to a Facebook group about pontooning in March 2016, with the accompanying question:
“Does anyone have any suggestions on how to remove dents from the aluminum edge rub rail? I am in the process of restoring a pontoon, but not sure how to remove dents like these.”
Image of damaged pontoon corners copyright B.Marsh and Facebook
As you can imagine, the guy posing the question was given some great advice on how to remove dents, but there were also some very choice comments from other boat owners advising him, albeit a bit too late for him, that he should have invested in pontoon boat corner bumpers.
What he should have done, as you will know by now, is to take some preventative measures beforehand to avoid the damage.
That could have meant buying and fitting pontoon boat corner fenders, corner castings, or corner protectors, all of which I have highlighted and reviewed further up this page.
Whilst most new boats will pre-packed with pontoon corner bumpers, some older models won’t. So, take a look at your boat, and buy some today just so you can have that peace of mind that any accidents aren’t going to give you a headache just like the photos above did.
Recommended Reading
For more about bumpers and fenders, I recommend the other following guides and how-to articles that have previously been posted on the Pontoonopedia website.
