Mooring Whips

[rorr1203]

Does anyone have an experience or thoughts on using a mooring whip? I was wondering if they would work to keep the outrigger away from the dock’s edge. When I tie up to the dock depending on the tide /wind / wakes the outriggers can get pushed under the edge on the dock. I’m on a single pier so there is no way to tie a spring line to keep the boat off of the dock.

[Ron]

Bob -

Mooring whips do work, up until the point where the conditions exceed their capabilities. It's a rod that bends, and with 60 knots on the beam, it will do just that. If you're hidden somewhere up in Shadyside, you should be OK nearly all of the time. If the spacing between the pilings is reasonable, you can nail a fender board in there or build one that hangs from the boat or dock.

[rorr1203]

Ron, I would like to keep her in the water during the weekends so it’s easy coming and going and put her on the lift if I don’t plan on going out for a couple of days. If it’s blowing 60 I hope to her on the lift and strapped down. We are in a shallow cove that gives us some protection from wind across the beams. The stronger winds will be coming in from the west (Tstorms and winter winds) which will be more at the bow.

My original plan was to attach fender boards to the pilings, which are 9.5 ft apart, and I still may do that just as a backup. I just don’t like the idea of rubbing against the fenders for extended periods of time. My thought was to go a bit over size on the whip to be able to better handle some of the wakes, higher winds and lightness of the boat. I figure a whip rated to manage a 20,000 lb beast should be able to keep @ Last’s 4,000 lbs at bay.

Thanks