April 20, 2025
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The River: How to make a handy rope bumper in less than five minutes; just follow these directions


The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders will be sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story.

By Captain Don Sanders
Special to NKyTribune

Devices used to cushion the blow between a boat’s hull and a dock, lock wall, or another boat: a bumper, or perhaps a fender, or even a possum.

Traditionally, they are artfully woven requiring many fabricated strands of rope or line, and the use of tools such as fids, marlin spikes, knives, or hatchets. To construct one requires an acquired knowledge, usually passed down from a master to an apprentice, and many hours of hand labor rough on a weaver’s manicure.

Although we, in younger days, wove all our possums the old-fashioned way, and on one occasion, our sole occupation on a steamboat dead-heading on the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, was “birthing” these fat rope critters, it was our beloved Captain and Mentor, Capt. Ernest E. Wagner who taught us how we could make an efficient bumper in less than five minutes.

Hand-Woven Rope Bumpers

These bumpers, often called “possums,” are hand-braided, requiring several hours to weave, but we will show you how to make a comparable bumper in just minutes. Possums made by Aaron Richardson and gifted to the CLYDE..
No Cutting Required. To make a rope bumper in less than five minutes, first grab any length of line. No cutting is needed.

A Couple of Bights. Make two bights in the Line… or a “backwards-S”.
Getting Started With Turns. Take the first turn over the standing part.
Keep Turning… and make tight wraps toward the direction of the bight.
Make the Last tuck. Tuck the bitter end into the bight.
Get Everything Good & Tight. Tighten the wraps as tightly as you can using this tried-and-true method by holding the bumper between your two feet and pulling the standing line as hard as possible toward yourself. .. you can push away in the opposite direction with your legs. The object is to get the wraps as tight as possible.

The hardest thing, these days, is getting up and off the deck…

Captain Don Sanders is a river man. He has been a riverboat captain with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company and with Rising Star Casino. He learned to fly an airplane before he learned to drive a “machine” and became a captain in the USAF. He is an adventurer, a historian, and a storyteller. Now, he is a columnist for the NKyTribune and will share his stories of growing up in Covington and his stories of the river. Hang on for the ride — the river never looked so good.

Click here to read all of Capt. Don Sanders’ stories of The River.


3 thoughts on “The River: How to make a handy rope bumper in less than five minutes; just follow these directions”

  2. Extremely useful information for boaters of all shapes and sizes, from little boats to the tow boats to the big Sternwheelers. This author is so knowledgeable on all aspects of life on the river and the workings on the boats. A valued mentor for many! Thank you Capt Sanders for sharing all that you share!

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