New barge pole and boat hook

[MrsM]

Looking to replace these. Any recommendations? 

[dave moore]

Depends what you mean. I carried 2, an 8’ long ash cabin shaft fitted with a boat hook and a 16’ long shaft with no hook, again ash, both used to help manouvering, mooring etc. Most Chandlers will stock the shorter, Brinklow Boat Services usually have the longer option. 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Short boat hook pole. I've got one with a roughly 4' long aluminium shaft, with a rubber grip on one end and a plastic rope hook on t'other. Very useful. Passing ropes up to lock keepers from the depths, picking up ropes from boats to help them moor up. The plastic hook means minimal risk of scratching paint. Light enough to be wielded one handed. Looks a bit naff and not very trad narrowboaty, but gets much more use than the 8' ash shaft.

[Stroudwater1]

smaller boat hooks are perfect for shopping trolley retrieval too. The larger pole makes them a bit more unwieldy

 

I bought my boat hook second hand off facebook market place in Falmouth, seems there were a few  more marine sales at a very decent price compared to canals. Perhaps canal boaters sell their boats with the equipment on board and marine sellers being so hard up sell the equipment off separately. 

[Hudds Lad]

Try to get your boat as near as you can to the chandler/timber yard/DIY shop, it's much easier to just pop out of the door and pop the poles on the boat roof than try and wangle them into your car DAMHIK  

 

We had no poles or plank as the previous owner found little use for them on his Thames mooring, so sacrificed them to the old pagan god Keepthiasswarminwinter

[The Gravy Boater]

Slightly unrelated but does anyone know the name of the tool boaters used to use to clear props before weed hatches were a thing?  Not quite a scythe... It's like a sickle on a stick.  Always struck me as a much simpler solution... also, good for Halloween parties. 

[LadyG]

I found a boathook on board, a telescopic thing, pretty useless , I keep a stick at every corner of my boat to pick up ropes if needed. Anything, mops, sticks, litter pickers.

The only essential thing I have is a pole, which in my salty water days was a boathook. It pushes from sides of locks, or off shoals.

I throw my ropes at the feet of lock keepers.

I would call the thing used to get stuff off props is a pike., I think they are home made.

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by LadyG

[The Gravy Boater]

4 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I would call the thing used to get stuff off props is a pike., I think they are home made.

Breadknife gaffer-taped to a broom handle.  Check.

[rusty69]

16 minutes ago, LadyG said:

 

I would call the thing used to get stuff off props is a pike., I think they are home made.

 

Don't tell em it's name

 

 

 

 

pike. 

Edited August 16, 2022 by rusty69

[Jen-in-Wellies]

7 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I would call the thing used to get stuff off props is a pike.,

Very sharp teeth. The difficult bit is training them to chew through the right thing.

[LadyG]

2 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Breadknife gaffer-taped to a broom handle.  Check.

I don't mean that, @noddyboater came to my rescue when I wrapped a duvet round the prop, it was a four day job. His gadget was a long shaft, with a custom head, hook on one side and curved blade on the other.

, Notabodge.

[The Gravy Boater]

1 minute ago, LadyG said:

I don't mean that, @noddyboater came to my rescue when I wrapped a duvet round the prop, it was a four day job. His gadget was a long shaft, with a custom head, hook on one side and curved blade on the other.

, Notabodge.

Sounds ideal.  I was joking of course... just need a random medieval glaive. 

 

 

[Psychalist]

6 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Very sharp teeth. The difficult bit is training them to chew through the right thing.

But easily chew the wrong thing (in a weed hatch) DAMHIK

[Rassiloth]

43 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Slightly unrelated but does anyone know the name of the tool boaters used to use to clear props before weed hatches were a thing?  Not quite a scythe... It's like a sickle on a stick.  Always struck me as a much simpler solution... also, good for Halloween parties. 

From memory its a 'Prop Mate', you see them at Crick.

 

I have one friend who bought a tool for clearing the gaps in block paving and ust sharpened it.

[Rob-M]

2 minutes ago, Rassiloth said:

From memory its a 'Prop Mate', you see them at Crick.

 

I have one friend who bought a tool for clearing the gaps in block paving and ust sharpened it.

I think Prop Mate is a relatively new product, not something a working boater would have used.

[blackrose]

I bought an aluminum pole to replace the ash one which gradually split sitting on the roof over many years. I plugged the ends of the new pole with 2 plastic end caps from ebay and a bit of sealant. I still haven't used it but then I never used the old ash one either. Sometimes I don't know why we bother with all this kit that never gets used... 

[Mike Tee]

I've got one of these onboard - as long as it is on board I haven't needed it, so works perfick

[MrsM]

Thanks all. I hadn't thought of getting 2 boat hooks but it's a great idea and a short one will be very handy. My 2 ash poles are looking even more wizened than my face after a summer steering in the sunshine 😆 As the boat is being painted next month I thought it would be nice to replace my old ones. I'm very very tempted to paint them in stripes to match the boat.

[The Gravy Boater]

3 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

I've got one of these onboard - as long as it is on board I haven't needed it, so works perfick

The other other kind of hockey stick... I like.  Where'd you get that thing?

[pearley]

39 minutes ago, Rassiloth said:

 

I have one friend who bought a tool for clearing the gaps in block paving and just sharpened it.

That's what I use. The long handled one from a Garden Centre is best but the wood rots at the head end eventually. Currently have a telescopic steel one from Birmingham Market.

20 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I bought an aluminum pole to replace the ash one which gradually split sitting on the roof over many years. I plugged the ends of the new pole with 2 plastic end caps from ebay and a bit of sealant. I still haven't used it but then I never used the old ash one either. Sometimes I don't know why we bother with all this kit that never gets used... 

What diameter and thickness?

[Tracy D'arth]

19 minutes ago, MrsM said:

Thanks all. I hadn't thought of getting 2 boat hooks but it's a great idea and a short one will be very handy. My 2 ash poles are looking even more wizened than my face after a summer steering in the sunshine 😆 As the boat is being painted next month I thought it would be nice to replace my old ones. I'm very very tempted to paint them in stripes to match the boat.

Paint them and they rot.

Stain them and they weather.

[MrsM]

5 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Paint them and they rot.

Stain them and they weather.tha

Thanks for the advice. I did try Danish oiling my current piles but I think they are a bit too weathered to be saved.

Just now, MrsM said:

Thanks for the advice. I did try Danish oiling my current piles but I think they are a bit too weathered to be saved.

Poles not piles 😂 I wouldn't put Danish Oil anywhere near those!

[zenataomm]

I have a 12ft barge pole for things I wouldn't touch with a 10ft one.

[GUMPY]

I gave up on wooden barge poles over 25 years ago. I bought two Ali poles that I still have and use 3 boats later. I have a wooden boat hook made with a Hayfork handle

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324322305848?

As for prop clearing I have a couple of sharpened patio cleaning knives like this 

https://amzn.eu/d/5aev35N

 

What I still haven't found is a decent handle for my Keb

 

 

1 hour ago, pearley said:

What diameter and thickness?

Mine are 2inch with 2mm walls. Not to be used as a lever but that's what the gangplank is for.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Loddon
Bloody auto correct

[magnetman]

I' ve got all different sorts of boathooks numbering around 12 including 2 thames hitcher poles. Very long with aluminium handles and forged iron insert boathooks at the end.

 

I suppose lock keepers might think I lifted them but one is covered in loads of pittting and I pulled it out of the Thames nowhere near a lock by its iron end.

 

The other I was given when the Nicholes boatyard near Staines closed down and was cleared.

 

I was also given a "Boat Crook" by a Thames lock keeper some yars ago.

 

Very handy little hook that is. No longer made but worth looking out in boat jumbles. about 5ft long plastic covered aluminium handle with a 8mm diameter stainless shepherds crook type hook on it.

 

Among other boathooks there are several large old barge hooks and the extra big old one forgotten the name.

 

Not sure what is available but one of the things I had out with the magnet was a normal forged iron hook someone had cut the spike off. Probably for getting ropes off deck.

 

Lock keeper at shepperton has a length of broom handle with a inch wide strip of steel screwed to one end then bent into a hook shape. For picking up ropes off boats. Nice.

 

ebay always worth searching for boat hooks. Usually collect in person of course but you might be lucky. Nice pair of old brass and hardwood ones on there at the moment £20 they are in Devon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by magnetman