Eric wrote:
I'll probably go for the steel one. I'm trying
to decide if a telescopic one is a good idea or not.

Telescopic is a very, very bad choice for anything
that bangs into tree branches or is exposed to
moisture, particularly salt water.

I had bad luck with fiberglass whips. The wire inside
was either too small for amateur-level (100W) transmitters
or had a splice or kink in it. I burned the wire in two
inside the fiberglass - black spot on the outside shell
and very intermittent operation.

I have had good luck with the garden-variety, stainless-
steel whips available from CB shops. If they get dinged-
up or bent, it's just a matter of a little pressure with
both hands and a knee to straighten them out. Besides,
the funkier they look, the more off-road you look. And
they can take kilowatts of power.

If you can't find stainless-steel whips locally, order
several (they're cheap here in Phoenix, about $18 each)
and have them UPS'ed over. That way you'll have spares.

Jim, K7JEB