SeaDoo Spark Forum banner

DIY Snap On Fenders

26669 Views 30 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Sparking Finn
Since the polypropylene, although glass fiber reinforced, is fairly soft material the fenders are a must have with a Spark.

Here comes 5 mins DIY Snap On Fenders :)

Attachments

See less See more
2
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
Very nice work! I'll definitely be making a set of these for my Spark.

Have you used them yet? How well do they stay on?
Very nice work! I'll definitely be making a set of these for my Spark.

Have you used them yet? How well do they stay on?
They stay on well & flex nicely towards the jetty. There is though an obvious problem that the tongue region takes quite a lot of flexing so the tongues should be stiffened. Mine haven't broken yet, but it's likely to occur w/o further mod.
Very clever. What did you make them out of? I have the Sea Doo Snap-in fenders, but I wish they were bigger.
Very nice work! I'll definitely be making a set of these for my Spark.

Have you used them yet? How well do they stay on?
They stay on well & flex nicely towards the jetty. There is though an obvious problem that the tongue region takes quite a lot of flexing so the tongues should be stiffened. Mine haven't broken yet, but it's likely to occur w/o further mod.
What if you put a pool noodle on edge that goes under the lip of the Spark? That way the bottom edge would take more of the force of the ring hitting the dock rather than the tab at the top?

Or what if you stuffed a plus size pool noodle inside of the ring so that the ring just really held the noodle in place?

Pool noodles can solve lots of problems.
So I modified your idea to make a bent PVC fender. It installs easily and holds in place with a 1/4" x 4 1/2" Stainless Steel hex bolt. There is no need to put a nut on the bottom under the fender rail unless you want to leave it on when you are running.

Used 1/2" Schedule 40 PVC. It moves side to side only a little bit and that could likely be addressed by changing the length/shape of the pipe that runs underneath the rail. If you wanted easier install, you could make it without the hook at the top that goes into the foot well.

Here are some pictures of the rear fender, I still need to make the front one. They feel very sturdy.

Guess there's not much point in painting it :D
Very clever. What did you make them out of? I have the Sea Doo Snap-in fenders, but I wish they were bigger.
I just used 110mm (~9") PVC sewer pipe. Cut with a saw and chamfered the edges with a knife.
What if you put a pool noodle on edge that goes under the lip of the Spark? That way the bottom edge would take more of the force of the ring hitting the dock rather than the tab at the top?

Or what if you stuffed a plus size pool noodle inside of the ring so that the ring just really held the noodle in place?

Pool noodles can solve lots of problems.
Originally actually thought of using the pool noodle, but the tab would be impossible. Now your idea is really good having the noodle inside the PVC ring. I will try that - should work :)
So I modified your idea to make a bent PVC fender. It installs easily and holds in place with a 1/4" x 4 1/2" Stainless Steel hex bolt. There is no need to put a nut on the bottom under the fender rail unless you want to leave it on when you are running.

Used 1/2" Schedule 40 PVC. It moves side to side only a little bit and that could likely be addressed by changing the length/shape of the pipe that runs underneath the rail. If you wanted easier install, you could make it without the hook at the top that goes into the foot well.

Here are some pictures of the rear fender, I still need to make the front one. They feel very sturdy.

Guess there's not much point in painting it :D
Looks sturdy indeed, if I will not be happy with mine & pool noodle inserts could give this a try. Thanks!
Both great ideas. The 2 rings with a 18" pieces of pool noodles shoved through each of them might work for me (I'd rotate the forward ring a bit).

Can the larger bent PVC system be easily stored on the Spark?

I had already bought the Sea Doo Snap-in Fenders. But in my case, depending on the wind, tide and dock, they weren't enough because they don't stick out enough.

There was an instant where my Spark would touch the dock in-between the two Sea Doo Fenders. But on that day, I had 1 of the 3 mini-pool-noodle-fenders, as pictured, in-between the Sea Doo Fenders. Then I added the second one in-between to be safe. Yesterday I made the 3rd one which goes of the back bumper because this week my bow kicked out slightly (lines not tight enough) and my back bumper hit the barnacles. This will work, but it takes space.

I can store the Sea Doo Snap-in Fenders in the front storage bin or in the Sea Doo net in the back (my preference). I simply tie the 3 mini-pool-noodle-fenders under my seat in the back (though they would fit in the front storage bin).

Maybe someone will take all of these ideas and make them even better!

Attachments

See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: 1
Finished up the front fender.

This is what happens when I can't go out riding...
A 15" length of pool noodle and a plastic clothes hanger works great.

Attachments

See less See more
Excellent idea! Can you give us a picture of the plastic coat hanger hook with the bumper not attached? I think it would work for me if it doesn't rotate or move around too much.

Due to what I've faced at the dock, 18" min. pieces should work.

But in the case of the back bumper, I'd put the hole in the noodle 6" from the front of it. But that might cause it to rotate down, although maybe I could just attach another little piece to that end which would float in the water (keeping it up).

Regular pool noodles are about 2 1/4" in diameter. I found one that is 3 1/4" in diameter. The Sea Doo Snap-in fender only comes out about 1 1/2".
I used the clothes hanger with a hook at the bent section. This hook keeps the noodle from sliding down and off the hanger. I only use this at the dock for a few minutes while I'm parking the truck and trailer.

Attachments

See less See more
3
Brilliant. I'm going to have to make some for myself. Thank you! :)
I used the clothes hanger with a hook at the bent section. This hook keeps the noodle from sliding down and off the hanger. I only use this at the dock for a few minutes while I'm parking the truck and trailer.
That, sir, is genius.

I will now proceed to copy your idea. >:D
I'm glad to help.
I went with the 15" length to keep the noodles short enough to fit into the storage compartment, otherwise I would have used a full length noodle from front to back with a hanger bracket at each end.
The stores around here sell plus-sized pool noodles this time of year. They're about twice the diameter of the common pool noodle and feel significantly tougher.

Attachments

See less See more
2
If you go with the larger diameter you may have to heat and bend the hanger so the noodle sits flush with the side of the ski.
I used the standard size and it fits snug to the side of the ski with the original bend radius of the plastic hanger.
Had some trouble with the coat hanger/pool noodle system, while it was in my front storage bin the hanger ripped a slight slot in the pool noodle. I'm thinking that if we wrap the pool noodle (where the coat hanger comes through) with duck tape it would stop this from happening.

Meanwhile, my system (while it does take up storage space) worked perfectly, ESPECIALLY my back bumper. :) It totally stops the Sparks back corner plastic from coming into contact with the dock! That's my main area of concern.
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top