W Type Tugboat Rubber Fender for Bow and Stern Protection

Product Specification

W Type Tugboat Rubber Fender for Bow and Stern Protection

Product Overview

W Type Tugboat Rubber Fender for Bow and Stern Protection is a moulded solid-rubber profile designed for tugboats, push boats and workboats that experience repeated pushing, escorting and ship-assist contact. The W-shaped profile provides two mounting legs and a broad grooved contact face suited to vessel bow, stem and stern arrangements.

The supplied dimensional series covers seven W profiles from W320 × 200 to W600 × 400, with listed maximum lengths up to 3,000 mm depending on profile size. The source also includes a performance curve, but no complete readable numerical reaction-force / energy-absorption table is provided; therefore unsupported numerical performance values are not published on this page.

Quick Specifications

• Product type: W-profile tugboat solid rubber fender
• Supplied profile range: W320 × 200 to W600 × 400
• Maximum listed unit length: 2,000–3,000 mm depending on profile
• Primary installation area: tug / workboat bow, stem and stern
• Construction: moulded and vulcanized solid-rubber profile
• Contact face: broad grooved / ribbed rubber surface
• Selection basis: profile geometry, vessel arrangement, contact load, abrasion duty and project-specific verified performance

Structure & Configuration

W-shaped solid rubber body | two mounting legs | broad contact crown | longitudinal contact grooves / ribs | elongated mounting slots | project-specific fixing bolts and backing structure.

W fenders are used as vessel-mounted tugboat fenders and may be combined with cylindrical or D-profile fenders in a complete bow/side protection arrangement. The page does not treat the W profile as a quay-side lifting device or as a towing component.

Main Technical Specifications:

Selection & Inquiry Guide

Step 1 – Provide tugboat / workboat bow, stem or stern arrangement and the required protected contact zone.

Step 2 – Select W profile size and unit length from available hull space, contact geometry and existing replacement dimensions.

Step 3 – Confirm fixing-slot layout, backing structure, bolt arrangement and corrosion protection for the vessel installation.

Step 4 – Provide required design contact load / energy basis and state whether a performance test or calculation must be included in the supply scope.

Step 5 – Confirm quantity, vessel-side arrangement, drawings, inspection/documentation scope and delivery destination.

Key Engineering Advantages

• Broad grooved contact face is suited to repeated pushing contact on tug and workboat bows/sterns.
• Two-leg profile provides a secure vessel-side mounting arrangement while allowing the rubber crown to deform under contact.
• Multiple section geometries and lengths support newbuild and replacement installations without creating a separate webpage for every size.
• W-profile fenders can be integrated with cylindrical and D-type side/bow fenders in a complete tugboat protection layout.

Installation & System Interface

The fender is bolted to a reinforced vessel-side support. Final bolt size, slot geometry, backing plate, hull insert / doubler arrangement and corrosion protection are defined by the vessel drawing and calculated local loads. The installed profile must have sufficient clearance to deform without hard contact against adjacent steelwork.

Inspection & Documentation

Baseline quality control includes visual inspection, dimensional verification and rubber physical-property testing. Where a quantified reaction-force / energy-absorption table is part of the agreed product specification, full-scale compression testing can be included in the project ITP to verify the guaranteed performance under defined test conditions.

PIANC Fender Guidelines 2024 (MarCom WG211) are used as the current engineering reference for fender-system design, manufacturing and testing principles. Type approval, product certification, third-party witnessing and class documentation are stated only when the corresponding scope has been agreed and documented.

Applications

Harbour tugboats | escort tugs | push boats | workboats | vessel bow protection | stem and stern fendering | tugboat newbuilding and replacement

Drawing & Photos

FAQ

Q1: Is W Type mainly a tugboat fender? — Yes. The supplied product information positions it for vessel stem / stern protection, and current international tugboat-fender practice also uses W profiles in bow and stern arrangements.

Q2: Can the dimensional table be used as a reaction/energy table? — No. Dimensions and verified performance are separate engineering datasets; numerical performance must come from an approved performance table or test.

Q3: Can W fenders be combined with cylindrical fenders? — Yes, a tugboat protection system may use different profiles at bow, stern and side locations according to the vessel arrangement.