$1000 Boathook

[Nanoose]

Ya, you read it right. Whaddya think? Maybe I'll order a couple...

chesapeakenautical.com/index.html

[Thorne]

http://chesapeakenautical.com/images/composit2a.jpg

Tres "Yare", n'es pas?

[Nanoose]

Mais oui, but maybe just a little overpriced? Now, if it was $799, well, that would be worth it, don't you think?

[Phillip Allen]

and who is it marketed to?

[Nanoose]

probably whoever finds their web site

[Nanoose]

you're up late, Phillip

[Phillip Allen]

Woke up...can't get back to sleep...the vagaries of the age I suppose

[Phillip Allen]

I'm thinking that boat hook isn't intended for use on a boat...

[paladin]

He lists an Annapolis address and phone number, but under the terms part he uses a Wash. D.C. phone number.

[Hughman]

Maybe he's a retired defense contractor?

[catndahats]

Costs more than both my boats put together....

[Ian McColgin]

What an inferior piece of junk made by people interested in phony nautique over function. A proper boat hook should be thinned out in the shaft between the hook and about 3/4ths to the end, thus allowing it to float vertically for easy retrieval and for better balance - a real issue if you go for a 12' plus hook but nice even in little 8'ers.

The whiped hand positions prevent one from finding the groove that should be milled in on the side facing the hook, so's you can feel it and orient the hook correctly in the dark.

A turk's head and handle loop are nice at the very end for retrieval purposes but don't put it over your wrist. Any force that would pull the hook out of your hands is a force you want to let go of anyway.

Other than that, nice hook.

(Every now and then my legendary tolerance slips a bit. This hook is modeled on some pretentious thing from a '20's yacht and . . . chill . . . I'm ok now.)

[Ron Carter]

For $75 in materials and about 3 hours each total labor the profit margin on these is huge. I'd be happy to accept orders for them at half off "list".

[Phillip Allen]

art-speak comes to mind

[outofthenorm]

"The solid mahogany pole is varnished to a high gloss with four coats of the finest marine varnish."

For a thousand bucks, I'd want at least 7 coats!

[Paul Scheuer]

"For a thousand bucks, I'd want at least 7 coats! "

And perhaps some knotwork that is a little "shippier" than four three-strand turk's heads and a couple feet of spanish serving. It looks like about a half hour's work.

I think I'm in the wrong racket.

[Concordia...41]

Well I was about to go off on a rant about how brightwork is ONE FREAKING WORD, but clicked on the link only to see it shows a Cetol project. :eek:

Instead of going off on a rant, I think I'll just go have a drink :D

Good luck to 'em.

[JimConlin]

They'll do well in the Gifte Shoppes of Newport in December.
Needs an engraved brass plate, don't you think?

[htom]

The pole doesn't even properly fit the tip. And there's got to be a way to do that lashing so you'd get a straight line to mark the hook.

[Ken Hutchins]

Rule #1 of making things to sell to the general public, make it shiney.
Rule #2 have the price stupidly high.
Rule #3 try to avoid hurting yourself laughing because people are stupid enough to pay the price.:)

[Paul Scheuer]

I might have gotten a little "bilgy" above. Who knows ? The guy could be lurking. Now might be a chance to be constructive.

htom noted "And there's got to be a way to do that lashing so you'd get a straight line to mark the hook."

What we're seeing is the minimum - spanish serving - half hitches that naturally go in a spiral. When you switch back (a'la USN) you loose the tension, and it will loosen unless well painted (also USN style).

Ashley shows several "ringbolt hitchings" at # 3602 +. He also shows some proper turk's heads at 1308 + and weavngs in chapter 17.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid50/p2c638ec1a4124cd0b623911492857578/fca9b223.jpg

I also thinkl the fit issue is an optical illusion, or a reflection that makes the bottom of the socket disappear.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Sorry -- couldn't resist. About a third of the price, and designed like this at the owner's request.

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/bhkh1-s.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/bhkh2-s.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/bhkh3-s.jpg

http://www.woodenboatfittings.com.au/public/bhkh5-s.jpg

Burmese teak, eight foot long, two handgrips (french whippings and turk's heads,) one at the end and one at the balance point, and polished bronze hooks. Name in gold leaf, trimmed in navy.

Two of them, one left-handed and one right-handed, from Oz direct to Missouri City.

Owenr's comments --

""We have used our boathooks on Kalihilani in battle now and have found them more than up to the task…. They still look new and have yet to change color on the metal. We love the extra length and heft. A real seaworthy tool and a pleasure to look at."

Mike
PS Ian -- there's a groove cut in on the underside in line with the hook, just below the top handgrip.
.

[Ian McColgin]

WBF - Very nice. Different boats, different long splices and what the owner wants the owner gets.

My own preference is for the shaft to be let into the hook such that there is not bump - start the wood thicker. This allows me to feel what the hook is doing without ambiguity. There are times, snagging an errant flag halyard and half blinded by the sun or foozeling for a line in dark water, that this is most useful.

Secondly, as mentioned above, I like a boat hook that flats vertically. Easier to find when dropped. Far easier to recover. Another advantage may seem a tad odd but I've done it. You can attach the handle to a line (becket bend in the end loop) and then toss the hook javeline style over the line you must retrieve. Since it floats vertically it will be across the line. As you pull gently the hook itself will rotate down and then you can haul in your slack.

Lastly, I move my hands around way too much for whipped handles to be anything other than silly.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Sorry Ian, I'm a bit late with this reply (busy elsewhere these days.)

Yes, I think the vertical-floating attribute is essential in a boathook, and all ours have that. (Mosty there's enough weight in the bronze to provide it even with a parallel-sided shaft, although I remember once with a four-foot boathook and a small head having to artificially weight the end a bit more to achieve it.)

Your javelin trick is a handy one to use on occasion (and can work even with a boathook like JohnB's broom-handle....) Even just holding the grommet and throwing while hanging on allows an extra foot or more of reach.

As to the handgrips, what the client wants, etc. And most of ours do like the fancy-work. The french whipping certainly provides a good grip -- but as you say sometimes that's not what one wants.

And finally, although the bottom turk's head disguises it in the pictures, we do step the end of the shaft down a little to allow the end of the bronze head to bed down into the timber.

Mike

[Concordia...41]

I should have mentioned it earlier, but Sarah is holding out for some of Mike's work. :)

Somewhere on my hard drive, I have the second picture Mike posted with KALIHILANI Photoshopped out and SARAH instead :)

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Photoshopped? <gasp> No!

Bless you, Margo. It would be a pleasure, and I'd be proud to be the provider of Sarah's boathook.