Best wood for long boathook?

jerrytug

jerrytug

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My boat has no boathook and I want to make an extra long one, 10' even. What's the best wood, and where can I source it? Perhaps you even have a suitable length? thanks for any suggestions Jerry

Ash apparently, but who sells 10' lengths?
 
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Ash is probly the easiest to find in the hedges as SM says. Best time of the year now as the sap is not flowing.

However, elm if you could find any is better. Less dense than ash, (so it will float better when you drop it overboard :) ) and more water resistant.


Quite a lot of elm in Sussex still, despite the Dutch Elm disease.

If you really want elm, my bro is a forester in Sussex and might be able to find a length for you.
 
Well, we use oregon (Douglas fir) almost exclusively. (http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/jack.htm) It 'gives' more than a hardwood does before breaking under load, is quite strong enough to do whatever work you require (short of stupidity, when even a hardwood shaft won't help), and is comparatively light-weight. Whatever wood you use, you should work on the shaft to ensure that, when dropped overboard, the boathook floats vertically. (PM me for specifics if necessary.) For a 10' shaft you might consider giving it two handgrips.

Despite the claim about using oregon, these ones were of Burma teak, at the special request of the client. They were only 8' but were comparatively heavy, and having the second handgrip was a real plus.

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Mike
 
My first thought was ash cos of resilience. Morgan Timber up at Strood could have some. Or tthere's a timber merchant on a farm complex in Chartham Hatch nr Canterbury - I got ash for a tiller from them
 
Altnough ash is recommended by most books, we always used Douglas Fir. Shorter boathooks up to 8ft were always rounded out of the solid, however for longer, we always laminated two pieces longitudinally to give extra strength and flexibility.
 
Narrow boats traditionaly have a boathook and a shaft on the roof, both normally ash.

The shafts are often 14 feet or longer made in one piece.

They are used for poling, leaving a tight alongside mooring, turning-by pushing the bow or stern in the required direction-and fending off.

Tom Rolt, one of the founders of the IWA tells of an experienced yachtsman who travelled with him downstream on the Kennet and Avon just after the war.

They entered one of the old turf sided locks below Hungerford a bit quick -the water was in spate and flooding over the bottom lockgates. The petrol/parafin chain driven Ford model T engine was not likely to be much use in reverse!

Rolt watched as the guy fended off 20 tons of boat with the long shaft. It hit the bottom gate, slipped through his arms and fetched up against the cabin.

It bent upwards like a bow, snapped and dumped the guy on the deck where he suffered a damaged ankle.

He said canaling was more hazardous than crossing the Atlantic by sail and could he go home please!

Ash is perhaps traditional, but other woods would no doubt work.

I purchased two heavy duty large diameter broom handles from the hardware shop in Gosport. Joined with a S/S sleeve and fitted with pole ends from the forum for sale ads it makes a lightweight easily handled pole for downwind sailing. Works very well and only cost about £30.00 all in. I think they were Ash. It can go black with rainwater unless protected.
 
Sorry gonna hijack this Thread . Hey Rotrax , you didn't by any chance ride one of these ? I know it's not a Rotrax JAP it's a Hagon JAP Sorry and now back to the boat hook pole .
 
All my boat-hooks are ash. Some of them have gone awol after desperate mooring pickups. Ash is heavy. I might try spruce next - especially if long.
 
I made a 9' boathook from a single hazel "wand" about 1.25" in diameter at the top. I cut it to size and had it strapped to a rafter in my garage for two years while it seasoned. It did the job OK. I treated the wood with sadolin white oak. Seems to have worked OK and isn't too heavy.
 
Markwesti said:
Sorry gonna hijack this Thread . Hey Rotrax , you didn't by any chance ride one of these ? I know it's not a Rotrax JAP it's a Hagon JAP Sorry and now back to the boat hook pole .
Click to expand...

Yeah-finished my International career riding JAP'S in the European Oldtimer Longtrack series.

I always used a 500 JAP-an Ansel in the early days and a Hagon Sandracer later.

I had at least seven Speedway or Track racing JAP's at one time, a 1934 Martin, 1938 Excelsior, 1951 Kerman-made in Exeter-several Rotrax JAP's, including Arnie Panders one he used in the sixties at Oxford and one made by Rob North who made the frames for the works Triumph and BSA triple works racers. The tank on that one was embossed with "NTF"-North Tube Fabrications, and held the oil as well as the fuel. I rode a Hagon JAP Speedway bike several times, but it had a poor engine-the Magneto kept falling off.

I won more races on the Kerman, but the favourite was the Excelsior. Peter Collins tried it at Peterborough one night and said it was an "armchair ride" and that he could not imagine falling off it.

I fell of it quite a few times........................

Just noticed you are based in Southern California. The last big racing gig I had was at Springfield. I rode on the Mile at the Fairgrounds in the AMA Grand Nationals in 2005. I also got roped in to the AMA speedway event-the Californian riders would not come-no travelling money. The organisers were short of riders and asked me to ride.

I rode a two valve Jawa, scored 5 points IIRC and earned twenty bucks! It was tough against the young hotshots on modern laydown bikes.

I would have loved to have ridden the Mile at San Jose.
 
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jerrytug said:
My boat has no boathook and I want to make an extra long one, 10' even. What's the best wood, and where can I source it? Perhaps you even have a suitable length? thanks for any suggestions Jerry

Ash apparently, but who sells 10' lengths?
Click to expand...

I have one wanting a new home for a few quid.

Not in original condition but I can PM you picture and measurements if interested.

I'm also due in Exmouth in next couple of weeks

S.
 
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