Boat fender

Abstract

A fender for boats formed from a flexible shell constructed of an air impervious material constructed and arranged to entrap a volume of air. The shell formed from a continuous sidewall having an upper edge and a rectangular shaped bottom wall forming an interior. A reusable zipper seal is attached to the sidewall near the upper edge. The seal provides an airtight interior for trapping air. The shell includes clips attached to a bottom sidewall releasably attachable to reciprocal clips attached to an upper edge of the sidewall. When the fender is in a deflated condition, the shell may be stored flat or in a roll position. When the fender is inflated, the seal traps air in the interior. The upper edge of the sidewall is rolled and secured by the clips to compress air within the shell. When the fender is inflated, the fender can be secured to a boat or dock to protect the boat from impact, wherein the fender absorbs the impact load.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A fender for a boat, said fender comprising:
 a shell defined by a continuous sidewall having an upper edge and a rectangular shaped bottom wall forming an interior, said sidewall and bottom wall constructed of an air impervious material;   a reusable zipper seal attached to said sidewall juxtapositioned to said upper edge;   a first clip assembly attached to said bottom wall and releasable securable to a first adjoining clip attached to said a first end of said upper edge;   a second clip assembly attached to said bottom wall and releasable securable to a second adjoining clip attached to said a second end of said upper edge;   a grommet centrally coupled to said bottom wall;   wherein said fender has a deflated condition in which said seal is open, allowing the sidewall to be stored flat, and an inflated condition in which the seal is closed, trapping air in said interior of said sidewall and bottom wall, said seal maintained in a closed position by rolling said upper edge of said shell at least two turns and attaching said first clip to said first adjoining clip and said second clip to said second adjoining clip to prohibit said upper edge from unrolling and compressing air trap in the interior, whereby said fender can be attached to a fixed object by securing a line said grommet to a fixed object.   
     
     
         2 . The fender for a boat according to  claim 1  wherein said zipper seal is formed from a first flexible strip having a first rubber sealing edge, a second flexible strip having a second rubber sealing edge; a slider constructed and arranged to position said first and second rubber sealing edges into an interlocking engagement; wherein said first and second rubber sealing edges form a continuous air-impermeable seal when said slider engages said strips thereby preventing passage of air through said zipper. 
     
     
         3 . The fender for a boat according to  claim 1  wherein said shell is constructed from the group consisting of: Polyvinyl Chloride, Hypalon, or Polyurethane. 
     
     
         4 . The fender for a boat according to  claim 1  wherein said fender has a rectangular shape when inflated. 
     
     
         5 . The fender for a boat according to  claim 1  wherein said air impervious material is an air impervious coating. 
     
     
         6 . The fender for a boat according to  claim 1  wherein each said first and second adjoining clip is slidably adjustable on a strap coupled to said upper edge of said sidewall. 
     
     
         7 . The fender for a boat according to  claim 6  wherein said strap is constructed from a single piece with said first adjoining clip attached to a first end and said second adjoining clip attached to a second end. 
     
     
         8 . The fender for a boat according to  claim 6  wherein said strap is selected from the group of polypropylene, polyester, or nylon.