Over the last few years I have been repeatedly asked how I handle my mooring pendants. This article is about how and why I use the methods I use. There are many ways to skin this cat but after observing & photographing mooring system failures, for close to 38 years, I have come to my own findings and choose what I do based on my own evidential findings. Myself and my family have had boats on moorings for nearly 40+ years. In that time we've never lost a boat to a storm and never parted a single pendant to chafe. We've come close but always had a second to back it up.. PPPO!! Proper preparation pays off.


Let me first say that I am a strong proponent of dual UNEQUAL LENGTH mooring pendants. However, done incorrectly, dual pendants can cause more harm than good. The methods in which they are laced together and installed and connected to the system are critical to the performance outcomes. Others whom I respect greatly, such as Wayne Hamilton the Searsport Maine Harbor Master, and owner of Hamilton Marine, believe in only one pendant. You could not pay me to lay our vessel to one pendant, but Wayne does..


Wayne and I disagree on this and I will go into detail to explain where my beliefs stem from so you can make your own educated decisions.


The mooring pendants I choose to use are made by Yale Cordage right here in Maine. They are time tested, proven and extremely durable. They are made of a nylon jacket with a polyester PET core and then treated with a proprietary MaxiJacket coating to resist marine growth grit.. They also utilize stainless steel thimbles, which don't rust and abrade the pendant, have a chafe sleeve. The Yale brothers take this stuff seriously, so seriously that each pendant has a traceable serial number!


Hands down The Yale Maxi Moor brand of pendant are the most tested and proven mooring pendants made. You can buy less expensive pendants, but not the same pendant as a Yale Maxi-Moor II...