Use and abuse of boat hooks.

J

john_morris_uk

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Perhaps I should start a special charity for abused boat hooks? I have noticed a couple of threads recently where people complain of breaking their boat hooks. One person mentioned their new aluminium boat hook 'folding'. With the greatest of respect I wonder what they were doing with it? I always was taught that boat hooks should be used to pull things in hand over hand, NOT to pull things aboard as if its a fishing rod with a large fish on the end. The weight of a mooring chain might be enough to break even the toughest wooden boat hook if it was abused in that way...

Or is it just me? Have I been sailing too long and become a grumpy old sailor?
 
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I always treat any boat approaching with a crew member poised with a boat hook with extreme caution unless it is to be used to get hold of a pick up buoy on a mooring. I am always amazed at the number of people who consider them capable of fending off large boats, or pulling boats in that last six feet against wind and tide, when approaching other boats and pontoons at speed - especially when wielded by a reluctant SWMBO...
 
I'll be a boat hook bore as I have told this story a number of times on here. I was sailing into Belfast Loch from the North Channel, it was a boisterous crossing and for reasons that I cant remember the boat hook went overboard. It was the type with a wooden pole, galvanised boat hook and black rubber bung on the pole end. We tried to recover it but could not find it, thinking it had maybe sunk due to the galvanised hook.

After a night in Belfast we set off for the North Channel again, and as we passed out of the Loch into the North Channel someone yelled that we had just passed the boat hook. Sure enough, there was the black rubber bung and 6" of wooden shaft poking out the brine; it was soon recovered.

Some time later I was sailing to the west of the Hebrides and we spied a round, pink mooring buoy bobbing along. We decided to hook it up and approached the buoy just a little with way still on. A quick scoop under the buoy to hook the eyelet brought up a blue line which was now trailing off behind the yacht in a loose manner. The tension rapidly built in the line and my crew not wanting to lose the 'I was lost but now am found' boat hook braced himself to no avail. In a series of quick steps he reached the pushpit where a mighty battle started as 5 of the crew grabbed him and the boat hook. It was a lost cause and the boat hook fired off the pushpit with all the force of a harpoon. We never found the boat hook attached to the buoy.

I like to think that 25 years later the boat hook is still bobbing it's way across the oceans as a small floating island clinging with life.
 
Mrs FC has surprised and delighted with the variety and technique of disposing of boat hooks. One can never tell if it will be the full Jettee, or the folded boat hook and gentle drop. We have disposed of aluminium, wood and moorfast.

Trying to lever the bow of the boat down to the mooring buoy by using the bow roller as a fulcrum always had predictable result.
 
Anyone who tries to use a boathook when mooring against my boat will end up with it placed somewhere quite uncomfortable.
 
l'escargot said:
I always treat any boat approaching with a crew member poised with a boat hook with extreme caution unless it is to be used to get hold of a pick up buoy on a mooring. I am always amazed at the number of people who consider them capable of fending off large boats, or pulling boats in that last six feet against wind and tide, when approaching other boats and pontoons at speed - especially when wielded by a reluctant SWMBO...
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+1

Its only other use is retrieving inadvertent jetsam.
 
john_morris_uk said:
Perhaps I should start a special charity for abused boat hooks? I have noticed a couple of threads recently where people complain of breaking their boat hooks. One person mentioned their new aluminium boat hook 'folding'. With the greatest of respect I wonder what they were doing with it? I always was taught that boat hooks should be used to pull things in hand over hand, NOT to pull things aboard as if its a fishing rod with a large fish on the end. The weight of a mooring chain might be enough to break even the toughest wooden boat hook if it was abused in that way...
Click to expand...
Back in May I bent then lost one on the Exe! We were trying to pick up the mooring in a northerly F7 with an interesting short, sharp, 2m chop. Not ideal conditions to pick up a mooring I admit, but fun.
 
trotsky2.jpg


"A boat hook,what on earth did you bring a boat hook for?"
 
Ah boat hooks. I have a variety including one nice ali one fished out of the water. My favourite is the old broomstick with a plastic head on the end. Had it for years never gets lost. It has had many uses including as a weapon on some scrotes (kids) who pinched my dinghy. They were still in the dinghy so I approached with boat hook out to get the dinghy unfortunately narrowly missed a head. They vacated the dinghy and I tried to rescue them with the boat hook they apparently did not need to be rescued. No contact but I tried. olewill
 
We ( as a crew) watched a yacht a couple of summers ago in a rather large Welsh port marina...

They approached several different berths with lots of hard astern engine commands, few fenders and I think a lot of hope.

Their collective age - 3 gentlemen - probably totaled well over 200 years. They were all full kitted in oilskins and lifejackets; the day wasn't a nice one at sea hence our being in port at 3 times the size of their vessel. But the marina is several miles from open sea and behind a lock.

Anyway when they decided on a berth the skipper ? driving went full ahead with one other crew member on each side of the bow to fend off. One had a boat hook - one had a wooden oar. They looked like they were going jousting.

The skipper's aim wasn't bad they hit the pontoon very squarely. Neither the oar nor the boat hook seem damaged. However said boat hook was not used again in the hour or so they spent tying up and adjusting the lines whilst they bounced fenderless off the boat next to them. This despite several near misses of falling in trying to pass line between the pontoon and boat.

W.
 
john_morris_uk said:
You have my complete sympathy but its the bending bit that I don't get. How on earth do you bend a boat hook?
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Just hooked the pickup rope, a trough went under the boat, boat hook bent on the toe rail as I was hanging on for dear life. Had it been a wooden pole I am convinced it would have shattered.
 
I once saw a very smart wooden boat take quite nasty damage from a day-hire skiff with a seagull engine; seagull stopped so steering lost, matey in the front picked up boathook - wood with a brass hook & tip - and went straight into the side of the wooden motorsailer.

Whose skipper slid a wheelhouse window open and enquired " Are you sure you know what the **** you're doing ? "

Metal hooks should be reserved for repelling jetski's.
 
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