Poor Man's Pivot-Away Mooring Whip Bases
My mooring whips from Mooring Whip Sales were relatively inexpensive and they do a good job of protecting my boat from wake damage at the dock.
The only catch is that with their fixed bases, if I don't approach the dock just right, I snag my standing rigging on the outstretched whips.
Several manufacturers make hinged mooring whip bases to address this problem. One thing they all have in common is they're kind of pricey.
So here's my solution. Some galvanized hinges and slide-bolts from Home Depot, some aluminum plate from Online Metals, and some stainless fasteners from Bolt Depot.
When I want the whips out of the way, I unlatch the slide-bolts and tilt them back.
I've thought about trying to arrange some kind of kickstand for them, so that I don't have to lean them on a chair or drop them all the way to the dock, but haven't worked out how to do that yet.
