A composite fender panel for protecting a harbor structure includes a resilient body member having a front surface and a rear mounting surface spaced by a panel thickness from a main portion of the front surface. Encapsulated within the body member is a cage frame including a frame having a plurality of intersecting beams of uniform cross-section including front and rear flange portions and a connecting web portion, at least some of the flange portions forming respective front and rear faces of the frame; a grid of steel reinforcing rods having gripping projections formed thereon, the rods also having a nominal cross-sectional diameter being not more than 10 percent of the panel thickness, a first plurality of the rods being welded to the front face of the frame, a second plurality of the rods having welded connections to the first rods in spaced relation opposite the front face of the frame; and an attachment structure defining a spaced plurality of attachment elements formed in respective boss members, each of the boss members being rigidly connected between respective front and rear flanges of one of the beams.