And here is the secondary longer "lazy" pendant ready for an entire storms duration. It is untouched, unmolested and ready for use when the primary pendant fails..


Equal lengths pendants almost always wear EQUALLY, go figure..... Unequal length pendants don't wear equally and can simply buy you more time. Time is your friend in a violent storm when it comes to chafe.


There are many ways to skin this cat and here are my criteria:


#1 Dual unequal length pendants such as Yale Maxi Moor


#2 Pendants must be long enough to create a shallow angle over bow chocks. Short steep angles caused by pendants being too short can lead to accelerated chafing, heat and melting of fibers.


#3 Additional chafe protection during storms. I use Chafe-Pro products and find them excellent quality.


#4 Consider a storm pendant for known storms. I use a 1" Dynema storm pendant for big storms. It becomes my secondary lazy pendant and connects to my existing secondary lazy pendant. Despite this being Dynema, highly resistant to chafing and nearly melt proof, I still use a Chafe-Pro sleeve over it.


#5 Our anchor never resides in the bow roller when the boat is on the mooring. It is stowed in the anchor locker each time we leave the boat for more than a day. Chafing of mooring pendants leading to failures are very, very often caused by anchors being left on bows.


#6 Always check with your local town or harbor master for local rules & regulations regarding moorings. Many municipalities have mooring regulations that totally SUCK and can be dangerous to your vessel. Just because luck has been on their side, up to now, only means the luck will eventually run out.


#7 Finally no mooring system is any good unless the cleats or strong points on your vessel are up to the task. Be sure your mooring cleats, Samson post or mooring bit are adequately backed, with substantial backing plates, and solidly mounted into your deck. Reinforcements of thin decks or cleats that penetrate deck core may often be required. Do not forget bow chocks when addressing the mooring cleats. These also often get torn out then the pendant gets cut like a knife.




Please don't be afraid to challenge the local regulations if you feel they are inadequate or unsafe to your vessel. Do bring your evidence when you challenge them. You would be amazed at how clueless many municipalities are to mooring constructions and best practices. Many are very accepting & open to insight into what may be a more reliable system. Some towns do get it, but many don't.



As I always say "Don't just take my word for it.". Do your research, beyond this article, and find out what makes YOU comfortable leaving your vessel on the mooring.


I am so confident in the approach we use for mooring our vessel that I actually prefer to have our boat on our storm mooring during big storms. I actually prefer this to being on the hard in a boat yard. You need to figure out for yourself what will give you this level of confidence in your own mooring system.


NOTE: Please be sure to read the sister article to this one:


Mooring Preparations & Precautions