I am here to advocate fenders for every floatplane. According to the dictionary, fenders are used to defend, to take care of, or to hold or stave off. Do floatplanes need this kind of protection? You bet they do. Let's look at some scenarios. The floatplane pulls up to the dock, and in an instant the pilot is on the decking to grab the lines that are secured to the floats and lash the plane safely to the pier. But safe this plane is not, because the wind is picking up and it is starting to rock and roll against the dock. Dock rash has now begun.
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