Need a little insight on mooring whips

[s.hadley81]

Hey guys I have 16' Thundercraft and I got some mooring whips (free)from a neighbor where I keep my boat I think this is my best option for tying my boat up as the river I'm on gets really heavy boat traffic and we all know how some boaters are really inconsiderate of moored boats and docks but my questions are they are 12' whips with adjustable bases is their a such thing as too long for my boat and also how does the whip work when tying up I've seen pics and instructions on how to rig them and I understand of the setup I'm just a little confused on how after unloading the boat gets back away from the dock would it be just the tension on the whip just pushes the boat away after tying up and securing spring lines we recently changed our dock so now my boat will be perpendicular to the river so I thought this is the way to go with the bow facing upstream any input is greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance

 

[rallyart]

Re: Need a little insight on mooring whips

Bow upstream is great. I keep mine on a lake bow out. If you are setting up the first time then mount the whips where they connect straight down to the bow eye and transom. They can pull at an angle fore and aft but it's better if they are straight.
I like to run a line that puts a bow in the whip of about six inches from the whip to the line for tension. I put a second loop to tighten it more that shortens the line by about another foot from that point if I'm leaving it on overnight or there is bad weather. Four lines connect my boat to the dock. The spring lines if it's staying for any length of time. Just the straight out lines flora and aft for a short stop. When I load or unload I just pull one line in to make stepping from/to the boat easy.
The whip tension pulls the boat away from the dock. That's why I have two tensions I can do by using the shorter loop if I'm away for a while. Normal tension is easy to pull the boat in.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Need a little insight on mooring whips

If you moor facing upstream against a good current, make your bow line longer than your stern and the boat will naturally drive itself away from the pier.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Need a little insight on mooring whips

The mooring whips flex when you pull the boat in to board or exit the boat. The whips straighten out to keep the boat away from the dock. No such thing as whips that are too big, only too small. Whip diameter and length are determined by weight of boat and roughness of conditions. You will need bow and stern lines and two spring lines to use the whips effectively.

Adjust the whips to pull the boat away from the dock so that the storm-driven waves or wake-driven waves do not cause the boat to hit the dock. The whips should align with the bow and stern cleats they are attached to, and the spring lines should keep the boat centered. The bow should point into the direction where most of the heavy weather or waves originate, which ever is stronger.

 

[s.hadley81]

Re: Need a little insight on mooring whips

Hey guys sorry for the late response but your answer were awesome you really reassured what I figured of course I'm gonna have to figure exactly where and how to tie the boat up using mooring whips but you guys gave me a great blueprint to start but I will definitely will post my results once it's Time here in the NE to leave the boat in but from the responses I have a feeling I'm really gonna like these whips