Cap'n Morgan wrote:
2.) The covers offer no better protection from marks than the fender itself.
It is the same dirt that accumulates on the fender itself which also can
and does accumulate on the covers as well. The covers need to be taken off,
cleaned, then dried before re-use. The fender can be quickly wiped down and
used immediately.
I have to disagree with this completely. The fender covers help prevent hull-abrasioning that the hard rubber surface of a fender can cause on gelcoat. That's why you see the scuffs on a side of a boat where the fenders are - but with fender covers, you don't see them! surprise surprise. On a white boat, less noticeable. On a classic color band boat - very noticeable
When the fenders are rubbing tight (like when you are rafted next to someone for a period of time, and you aren't in water that is glass flat), the softer fender covers will 'slide' around more - where the raw fenders will SQQUUEEEEEEAAAAAKKKK and rub. FYI - that squeak is NOT a good thing.
As for protection from dirt and debris -- the fenders without covers provide no absorbtion of any of the dirt particules. At least with the covers, some of those dirt particles are absorbed into the cover.
For many people, it's not a big deal. Those many people would rather buff out the scuffs every year.
I used covers all last year on my H240... rafted up regularly. Classic color band black. How many scuffs did I buff out at the end of the season when I went to sell the boat. One - from a fender that didn't have a cover that I was using as a temp because I was tied up to a guy with fenders the size of a hot dog.