Allthecoolnamesweretaken

Thanks everyone who replied. The weeding tool looks a nice idea. I'll have to investigate and see if a bit of judicious cross-bolting would eliminate the handle pull-out problem. The Bargee Bill tool looks great but, as you point out, the URL is no longer being pointed at and , although a quick search throws up a Faecebook page, that too seems inactive. Never mind, the repurposed EBay deweeding tool looks food for thought. Thanks again, everyone.

Hullo everyone. Longtime hirer and latterly shareowner in a couple of syndicated boats. The previous syndicate boat I used had a mega-useful tool for clearing assorted canal rubbish off the prop. I would like to introduce my current syndicate to the tool but I'm blowed if I can turn anything even remotely like it up, despite numerous Google searches. Does any one recognise the picture? Its about 3-4ft long, tubular steel T-handle, with a backward facing steel blade fixed in the bottom. The idea is you lower it down thru the weed hatch, snag the weed/duvet/groundsheet etc that has got round the prop and pull upwards. Either slices it off in chunks or pulls it off in one. It was immensely useful on our last boat, especillay when we had a thick metal rim of a keep net wrapped round the prop. It took 2 of us to shift the thing but there was only room in the weed hatch for one. I held one end of the metal and guided the sharp bit round the free end of the other, then my motley crewmember was able to pull mightily upwards and open the loop of metal up. Rinse and repeat until it was freed enough to disentangle from the prop. Since taking on a new share I've been looking for one but with precisely zero success. Any ideas? Thanks all