Are you tired of inflating your boat bumpers? Do they look old, worn out and covered in unsightly scrapes? Are you sick of the same old round inflatable fenders we’ve used for like 100 years? Look no more! Kemimoto is taking the boating industry by surprise – with an upgraded, self-rigging EVA boat bumper.
Is it time to ditch old glory for something revolutionary? Let’s find out. Read our full Kemimoto Boat Bumper review to see what we think.
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Upgraded EVA Boat Bumpers
Yes, they look funny at first. But they don’t need air, ever. They come pre-rigged from the factory and ready to hang on your precious boat. Best of all, you don’t need to run around and find new lines and re-rig, nor do you need to re-learn your nautical knots.
Upgraded boat bumpers made of solid EVA for boats 15-25 feet in length. No inflation is required and comes with cordage and rapid adjuster. Sold as a pair.
- Solid EVA
- No inflation neccessary
- UV Resistant
- Includes line and rigging
- Have to get used to shape
- A bit pricey
About Kemimoto
Kemimoto is a company specializing in ATV and UTV aftermarket parts. We did a review back in December on a Can-Am storage box, which is fantastic! Now we have some longevity with it – and let’s correct that since it’s more like heavy use. The ATV storage box has held up extremely well, and it looks like the day we got it.
Kemimoto is making waves in the boating industry with aftermarket parts such as bimini tops, bumpers, mirrors, rod holders, covers, etc. That’s fantastic as their pricing is tremendous and of outstanding quality. Boat owners know that even mentioning “boat” means prices rise tenfold. That won’t be the case here, as Kemimoto is about value.
Solid EVA Boat Bumpers
My biggest pet peeve with cylindrical fenders is deflation. It’s a pain in the backside. It’s why we always have a hand pump with those flimsy ball-inflating needles on the boat. If you have spent any time in a marina, you’ll also know someone is always looking to borrow said contraption because their inflatable boat bumpers are flat:) That, or that stupid, flimsy needle broke.
That being said, Kemimoto’s upgraded boat bumpers are made of solid EVA. Ie. say goodbye to all your inflation woes once and for all.
What is EVA?
EVA stands for ethylene vinyl acetate. It’s a form of plastic. Kemimoto’s EVA is a closed-cell foam. You can read up about EVA and its properties here. But in short, let’s list off what it’s excellent for:
These are all excellent qualities when selecting a material for a boat bumper. I highly prioritize UV resistance for anything “Marine”. And anything sitting in the sun seems to get destroyed over time. As someone who has been boating their entire life, I can tell you it gets expensive and tiring to keep repairing or replacing things wrecked by sun damage.
In terms of the environment, EVA can be recycled. Like always though, let’s think a little old school for a change and buy things that last longer so you produce a lot less waste. It’s not rocket science and it’s also more cost effective in the long run.
Rectangular Shape
With the lack of inflating requirements behind us, there’s now a second hurdle. That’s a flatter and rectangularly shaped bumper. Having boated as far back as I can remember and being into my forties, it’s something that I need to wrap my head around.
For what it’s worth, the shape works well. All you are trying to do is wedge something between your beloved boat and the chosen mooring location to protect it from potential damage. And/or guard the dock (especially if you own it!), as construction isn’t cheap these days.
We own a pontoon boat, and on a larger boat, the bumpers always hang on the side of our boat – no big deal. There are situations where the rectangle is very advantageous. On our tinnies (our fishing boats), for example, the bumpers (or fenders, or whatever you want to call it:) get pulled in when underway, so we don’t get splashed. These bumpers in the boat become a real PITA as they always roll around. The Kemimoto boat bumper doesn’t roll around and annoy the (insert choice curse word) out of you. And I’m being very serious, as there is nothing more annoying on a boat than your contents rolling around.
Bonus: Rigging Included!
Buying a bumper never stops there. You need purpose-built fender lines to secure your shiny new traditional fenders, and then you need to know your knots, especially if you adjust your bumpers frequently. If that’s not enough, some boats may give you a hard time with a lack of attachment points to hang all of this.
Kemimoto’s boat bumpers ship with a pre-rigged, shock-absorbing line fed through the bumper and ready to go. You just don’t see that at the boat stores. The bumper hangs 2.5 feet from the anchor point to the top of the bumper as shipped.
If that’s not enough, here is my favourite part. The line has a push button self-cinching stopper. Making length adjustments easy, and it takes seconds – with no knot-tying whatsoever! It’s perfect for those who have yet to master the nautical knots. It’s also way more convenient and faster if you go through many locks. This feature had me sold on a reason to switch to Kemimoto’s boat bumpers.
Horizontal Mounting
Huh? Yes, I know, I was thinking the same thing. Most bumpers hang vertically. Kemimoto brought it up as a selling feature. Its included line can be re-traced through the bumper, which easily facilitates hanging horizontally.
Why would anyone do that? I was wondering the same thing myself. However, if you hang a bumper on the side of a dock and leave it there, as we do for one of our tinnies and jet skis, this makes perfect sense. It keeps it out of the water and prevents that unsightly algae from growing on it. Also, it’s ideal for docks low to the water, providing more bumper surface area for the boat.
We can all understand how silly a traditional bumper looks when hung horizontally. Not to mention, it would be a pain to rig up. Neither is an issue in the case of these bad boys. It’s easy to rig and looks great. It’s even functional for the personal watercraft that is low to the water and stops that annoying phenomenon of the bottom of your bumper floating out of position and onto the footwell of the PWC.
Do the Upgraded Boat Bumpers Work?
It’s a bumper, of course, it works. Any soft material between a boat and a dock technically works. But in comparison to my traditional, air-inflated bumpers, I found multiple advantages to the Kemimoto EVA bumpers.
Peace of Mind
The most obvious advantage here is not worrying about air and deflation. Think about it – that’s a lot of peace of mind for a cottage owner who may not be able to get to the cottage for weeks on end. Or the marina goer who occasionally uses their boat. I haven’t had luck keeping bumpers inflated, and it’s a common problem for boat tie ups.
Bounce
Speaking of air, when a traditional bumper is ever so slightly deflated or even 50% deflated, these bumpers do compress. When you dock a boat, and it comes in and hits the bumpers, guess what happens? The boat bounces off of the dock as the bumpers decompress. This is usually when you see people fall in the water… They’re leaning over the dock, grabbing the boat for dear life instead of using ropes. This bounce, often unexpected, pulls them in as the boat bounces away from the dock.
That is not the case at all with Kemimoto’s bumpers. I found the bounce to be almost non-existent, and if you have ever docked a boat, you’ll know what a huge upside that is. Double that into even collision protection territory if you are docking in a tight space, as is the case in many marine environments.
Roll
The second major advantage is roll. As a boat moves parallel to the dock, it grabs traditional bumpers and rolls them. This doesn’t help to slow the boat. Oftentimes, it rolls so much that it rolls them right out of the way where the bumper is no longer in between the boat and the dock – in effect rendering the fender useless.
Being rectangular, there is no roll whatsoever with the Kemimoto EVA bumpers.
Price
Ok, I wholeheartedly recommend these bumpers. That’s a given. Now, let’s get the white elephant out of the room – price. These aren’t the cheapest bumpers on the market – but they are an extra layer of security in all aspects of their use.
I often say price means nothing without perspective. So let me ask you, have you seen the price of a boat these days? We all know that bass boats are $100k and up. Then these guys add $50k worth of electronics in them. But I’m seeing pontoon boats hover around the 6 figure mark, as well. Yes, $100,000 for a pontoon boat!!! Boats have become insanely expensive. They are now an investment, perhaps a poor one that depreciates, but an investment nonetheless. If you ask me, I’d say $170 to protect tens of thousands of dollars, if not six figures, is money well spent.
The Verdict
I find the Kemimoto EVA bumpers to be a fantastic product. While I’m not always open to change, it is a very different take on an old boating problem – and I have to say, it works! This reviewed pair will replace my old-school pontoon fenders because these are so much better.
And with all its mounting options or horizontal hanging capability, let’s also rethink things. These aren’t just boat bumpers that can hang on a boat. They can double as a boat dock bumper system with a permanent home on a nice new dock! I see many new docks on the lake. Having these on them would be wise. For those who can, it’s nice coming home to safe mooring while not having the fenders hang on the boat.
As to the bass boaters out there, let’s cover that since there are a lot of them out there. Don’t worry – Kemimoto hasn’t forgotten about you. They also sell specialty fenders for bass boats. Think of it as a heavy-duty (without the weight) replacement for inflatable bumpers.
Don’t forget promo code “BushLife” on checkout to save 15% on all Kemimoto products
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