Page 30 - Des Pawson "Des Pawson's Knot Craft" 2 edit.

KNOTCRAFT 2009:Layout 1 23/10/09 12:16 Page 29

Side Fender Using the

Crown Sennit

HERE ARE MANY WAYS of making a side fender, all using the
Tcrown sennit, put together in various ways. This is the way I
usually do it.
On board ship, worn out old rope would have been used,
whereas shore-based fendermakers would have used new
material, certainly on the outside. Coir has always been one of
the preferred materials for salt water craft, as it is light (it floats),
is fairly resistant to rot in salt water, and for its size is not
expensive. If you are making the fender for yourself you can use
any old rope that you can get your hands on. Leonard Popple in
his book Advanced Ropework recommends making a miniature
before commencing a full size fender. This both allows you to
see how it all goes together and saves the waste of rope. You
could always make a giant keyring out of your miniature.
Sometimes people get a little confused between the crown
knot and the wall knot (pages 30–31). One is the upside down
version of the other, so it rather depends on how you look at it
when you are making the knots. I start work with the top of the
fender between my knees and work upwards, so this is the view
from which I name the knots. The Swedish fid with its hollow
allows the final splicing back to be done both neatly and

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