Patent ID: 7143708

Claim:
A boat fender mounting device for mounting on the rail or lifeline cable of a boat for positioning a boat fender attached to a rope having first and second ends at a desired position against the hull of the boat, comprising: a planar member made of a resilient material having first and second ends and first and second sides; first and second finger slots defined, respectively, in said first and second sides, said first and second finger slots positioned opposite one another; a handle member formed between said first and second finger slots and said first end; an entry way opening defined at said second end of said planar member, said entry way having first and second side walls that are inwardly angled to form a retaining width that is wide enough to receive said rail/cable therethrough when said first and second side walls are spread apart; a retention area opening defined in said planar member further inward of and in communication with said entry way and said retaining width, said retention area opening having a diameter that is greater than the diameter of said rail/cable for receipt of said rail/cable after said rail/cable has passed through said entry way opening and said retaining width, said planar member being sufficiently resilient to return said first and second side walls to their non-spread apart condition to retain said rail/cable in said retention area opening; and a first rope aperture defined in said planar member, said first rope aperture having an aperture width sufficient to receive said first end of said rope therethrough wherein a knot tied in said first end of said rope is of sufficient width to retain said knot above said planar member and position said boat fender attached to said second end of said rope at a desired position against the hull of said boat, said planar member removable from said rail/cable when said handle member is grasped and said device is pulled away from said rail/cable, said rail/cable passing out of said retention area opening, through said retaining width and out said entry way opening, said first and second side walls being spread apart by the movement therethrough of said rail/cable.