is this mooring pendant serviceable?

[kerrydeare]

First, this mooring is for your own Typhoon, and there's little reason to employ a 16 foot pendant. Way too long.

What's the rationale there? Hamilton's guidance is pendant needs to be "a minimum of 3 times the height of your bow off the water." There's no harm in "too long" unless you don't have the swing room. But correct me if I'm wrong (just explain the reasoning). ...

I'm not suggesting it's "wrong" nor will I try to quote chapter and verse, but here are a few ideas off the top of what's left of my head.

A typical rarely used mooring usually gets fouled by marine growth and other detritus while not in use. This makes handling a problem, since clearing off growth, barnacles, and similar when picking up the gear means the "stuff" ends up on the boat, on your clothes, or even below. Shorter gear avoids this to some extent, simplifying your work routine. It also means that barnacles left on the longer line will not somehow scratch the topsides if and when the boat encounters wind-against-tide situations. Second, longer lines mean a higher possibility of fouling other vessels who wander in in the dark, etc. It's just lubberly. Third, it's at least theoretically possible to secure the gear either on the top of the mooring, on a purpose-designed pickup, or the like, when not in use if the gear is sufficiently short. Fourth, oversize vessels who otherwise ignore your "22 max" warning will get the idea when they encounter a shorter pendant. Finally, your local lobster fishermen will thank you for impinging to a lesser extent on the fishing grounds. Rather than rely on something written in the Hamilton Marine catalog, ask the local harbor master or lobstermen what they think. I'd bet they'd lean to shorter gear.

These are just casual ideas that can make life at sea a bit more civil.

[Nebe]

In the time you have taken to make this thread and comment on it, you could have spliced up a couple nice three strand pennants. One to replace this one and another to use as a backup in a few years.

[Megunticook]

Interesting ideas. In Penobscot Bay I haven't seen too much fouling on pendants, other than a little slime toward the end of the season. Then again they're only in the water for 5-6 months and fairly cold water at that.

Agreed that relying too much on "book knowledge" as opposed to hands-on experience from people who spend a lot of time on the water can be hazardous (then again Wayne Hamilton is pretty experienced with moorings, and actually is the harbormaster in Searsport, about 10 miles away). The guy who hauled out the gear for me on his boat is in his sixties, been on the water a long time, hauls a bit in the summer, and he literally laughed at my mooring gear. "Way too much chain" he said and offered to find me an old used hunk of 10' chain he had "down in the shed" to use on the bottom. I said "no thanks." I have 40' of 3/4". Expensive? Sure (well, it was on sale but still...) but at night when the wind kicks up and the trees are swaying and cracking in the breeze I'm going right back to sleep.

Another old lobsterman who lives on a nearby island has an old mooring in the same harbor (rarely uses it). It's just some old 3-strand rope tied to who-knows-what on the bottom with an old lobster buoy on the end. He puts his scow on it now and again. Great guy, I respect him plenty, but his approach to maintenance and gear is just not the same as mine. About 10 years ago his lobster boat broke free on night in a storm (shackle failed) and washed up on some rocks a few miles away.

It's just interesting--I listen to experienced people, and often learn, but sometimes make different choices.

[John Stone]

Megunticook. Sounds to me like you are being inquisitive, smart, and thoughtful in an effort to learn as much as you can. Nobody cares more about your boat or your safety than you do. While local knowledge from the right person can be a godsend...from the work person it can be a disaster.

Happy sailing or mooring...as the case may be.

[Dean Abramson]

should I retire this thing now

Personally, I think this is one of those questions where if you're asking it, the answer is always Yes.

Just IMHO.

[John Stone]

should I retire this thing now

Personally, I think this is one of those questions where if you're asking it, the answer is always Yes.

Just IMHO.

That’s usually a true statement. But we have all, on occasion, needed someone to help us “get there.”

I bet if we inspected any of our boats we could find things and say “you should replace this thing.” Who wants to claim their boat is in perfect form in every way?

But the value of the forum, at least to me, is we get to have a conversation about all things boat related. How can that be anything but good. We learn by reading what others have to say and sometimes get to learn by formulating our own thoughts when we reply. Well except for the curmudgeons (which is different than a contrarian by the way) that just want to complain and point out faults in others. I usually ignore them, well ocassionally I have fun going down the rabbit hole with them....

[Ben Miller]

Since we're discussing gear possibilities (and you mentioned you're frugal) a 5/8" Maxi-Moor pendant does seem like overkill to me. Most of the mooring line tables I can find (one example) suggest that 1/2" is sufficient for a Typhoon. If I wanted to feel confident in the condition my mooring gear while also saving a few bucks, I'd get a chunk of 5/8" three strand nylon and splice up a new pendant whenever I started to worry about the old one.

I've had my Ty on a (very protected) mooring for three years on 1/2" three strand nylon. I went with the Maine Sail recommendation of double pendants of different lengths and I spliced them directly to the shackle, rather than around thimbles. (NOT using an eye splice, which would have caused chafe and weakness, but a chain splice.) I keep a pretty close eye on it and it shows minimal wear. Caveat: I've never run a harbor, so grain of salt, etc. etc.