i have a set of fiberglass poles we shrimp with but now you stick them in the mud fiberglass shards get in your hands…gloves protect me for now but how can i resolve this problem? polyurethane brushed on…paint?
Strange. I do tape the ends of my poles because the metal inserts begin to split the fiberglass. Just a couple wraps of duck tape. My poles are at least 12 years old, because I try to protect the oldest license to see how long they’ll go. The fiberglass surface is getting a little chalky this year. Just spent an hour over lunch taping on new tags and retaping ends to make first trip down this year. I, too, wonder if coating the poles might restore them. Don’t store em in sunlight!
If you leave your poles in the sunlight they will loose the outer layer causing splintering .
War Eagle 115 yamaha 4 stroke
Paint them…polyurethane spray or brush…I painted mine when I got them and just redid them…it took two cans of spray paint with them laying on the ground together. Put in on thick…the down side is it will rub off on your gel coat.
Most of the poles manufactured over the last ten years are mop/rake handle cut to sizes for shrimping. During the manufacturing process a nylon support structure, fiberglass and pigmented resin are pulled through a die while being encased in a polyester covering designed to protect hands from the strands. While most poles are UV protected, too much time in the sun will eventually deteriorate the surface leading to splintering. If you need evidence go to any golf course that has fiberglass sand trap rake handles that have been in one season too long. Those are the traps I refuse to rake.
titan; you mean to tell me that you hit your ball into the sand traps. why i never heard of such a thing. ha ha
i keep them outta the sun. thanks for all the input.
I would give them a light sanding and coat with marine epoxy, then paint. That will fix it for good. Most epoxy does not have UV inhibitors, which is why the paint.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
I have some fiberglass poles (old antenna blanks) that started splintering. I put 3/4 in PVC over top and epoxied leaving ~4 ft of fiberglass exposed. Spray painted the fiberglass. Looks good…I’ll see how they hold up.
Or you can take the time to put a coat of resin on them, which, if done properly, will last for many years of they are stored out of the sunlight. Wrapping tape around the end ahead of the tips is a great idea to prevent splitting.
Its hard to beat good ole 1" PVC with about 2’ of galvanized conduit on the end, pinched for going into the mud. Guess I’m just cheap. My cheap poles are going on 15 years.
I’m using 1’ pvc and cut the end @ a 45 deg angle to help cut through some of the harder bottom areas. My poles have been in service now since 2009. $2.44 for a 10’ section.
15.5 Scout w/60hp 4-Stroke
My Current Obsession
PVC Hook Up, felxible runover proof and they float
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Easy, you have mail
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Mail have I do
Easy…Where did you find the tips? Or how did you make them?? Inquiring minds want to know…
It’s just wooden closet rod from Lowes sharpened to a point. They keep the poles from filling with mud, water, etc. I put a little silicon on them and they were a tight fit in the pvc.
Maybe not closet closet rod? I think just wooden dowells. Either way Lowes got em.
I use alum. conduit closed and sealed on one end and then drove them into PVC tubing for the tops. I had to heat the PVC to force the conduit into them, but they work well. Kinda ugly, but they do work OK.
I have a powerpole on my boat and the fiberglas rod on it will get in my hands.
01 Hewes Redfisher, 90 Yam 2 Strk