An Upstanding Boathook

Of all the equipment found on a boat, the boathook doesn’t usually receive much fanfare. It’s a simple tool – a long pole, a stout hook. One may push with it, pull with it, and pick up one’s mooring. And it could also come in handy in an emergency situation for retrieving a crew member or item that has fallen overboard.

They vary in description: traditional, modern, wood-handled, plastic handled, with fittings of galvanized steel , vinyl, or polished bronze. In this episode we focus on the traditional wooden boathook and how one could be made that would float upright for easy retrieval should it be accidentally knocked overboard. And one might be surprised at how often this mishap occurs and the missing boathook either floats flat on the water which becomes a challenge to retrieve or it sinks.

WoodenBoat Publications founder Jon Wilson joins us in this intriguing episode to share his personal odyssey with boathooks and how to go about testing and fashioning one that would float upright. We’ll board Jon’s Concordia sloop FREE SPIRIT and observe his ash-handled boathook in action once it’s dropped into the water.

We’ll then venture over to boatbuilder Steve Brookman’s shop and learn the step-by-step procedure for making a durable, good-looking boathook that will float upright and that the viewer can easily make at home. If your boat is equipped with one of those lightweight, anodized aluminum boathook poles you may just want to consider the virtues of making your very own wood boathook handle.