Whips
 

Looking at purchasing a pontoon boat, We have a dock but have been advised because of where we are we should use dock whips. I have seen these used at the docks near us. They seem to work well , doesn't look to hard to install yourself, any advice on placement, number and length.

They're not too tough to install. Just make sure you're lag bolting them to some structure (not just your deck boards). Line them up with fore and aft cleats (hopefully on the dock side of the boat).

You don't have to go nuts with tension on the whips. Just a gentle bend is enough to keep your boat off the dock in waves/wakes.

They work great and will give you great piece of mind on those wavy/wakey days

Just make sure you buy the appropriate size for your boat.

You can put a 2 x 4 under the dock boards to spread the load out. Through bolt the whips through the dock boards and the 2 x 4. If you only bolt to one board it will twist from the constant tug.

If possible place the whips close to posts to make tying up easier.