I bought a 17 foot Sundance Flicker flats skiff in February and I am now ready to purchase a push pole.
I am debating between the cheaper graphite/carbon fiber pole that you purchase on line and assemble yourself (TFO Mangrove ~ $280), the one piece hybrid Stiffy ($600 ~ $700) or maybe the Carbon Marine G2LR Premium for about $700 (but I guess I’d have to make a trip to FL to pick it up).
Is the Stiffy worth the extra money or are you paying for the name? The cheaper poles build-yourself get good reviews but some say that they are not as strong/stiff as the more expensive to the point that it makes a difference in poling.
Carbon Marine delivers to someone here in Charleston. Email them, and they’ll call you. I did, and the owner called me while he was delivering to a shop in Charleston. I don’t remember who it was.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
Believe that he made a delivery to Scotty @ Lowcountry Fly Shop. He had a Carbon Marine pole in there a while back. I would give the shop a call if I were considering a CM pole.
I was in the same boat last week…ended up with a 21’ Stiffy Hybrid. Now I don’t have to worry about choosing the right epoxy, assembly, and the overall quality. My wife said "show me the difference between the expensive one “Stiffy Hybrid” and the cheaper one “Stiffy Fiberglass.” Ended up leaving Haddrell’s with the Hybrid and her blessing. The fun part was getting it home. Note: If you have brackets on your boat already…take the boat with you when you pick up the pole should you choose the one piece. It’ll make it a heckuva lot easier.
Thanks for all the ■■■■■■■■. I will make the purchase w/i the next couple of weeks. Maybe this weekend. Sounds like the extra money would be well spent. I’ll look closer at the Stiffy -vs- carbon marine or others.
Another couple of questions came to mind. How well do the push poles travel at interstate speed in the brackets on the boat? Do you need to secure them somehow for high speed? Also, how do you secure them in the brackets against theft when you’re parked somewhere?
I believe everyones going to have a different answer as to how their push pole travels @ interstate speeds in the brackets. And I am by no means an expert as I only recently have purchased my own pole. But from what I learned prior to and after buying my own pole it depends on the material of the pole and the positioning of the brackets on the boat. I installed my standard Stiffy brackets and put a little flex in the middle. As a result the pole is tight in the brackets. Fiberglass flexes more so you would have a looser fit. Many people bungee their poles to the brackets for added security. My advise to you would be pick a pole, see how snug it fits and decide from there if you need to secure it more. When it comes to parking lot security…your biggest friend is the size of the pole itself. Its not easy to move a 20+ ft. pole. I really would try not to leave it out of my sight for too long. As a police officer the majority of the pole thefts I’ve documented occurred on boats on lifts or docked in the water where someone swiped it by boat.
I’ve seen some guys make brackets that allow them to lock the pole to the trailer. Looked like it worked pretty well. I believe they used brackets used to build fences. I’ve seen a few with cable locked thru the foot end of the pole, but a real thief would just cut the foot and go.
As Red said keeping it in sight is the best idea. If you travel South with it, be advised, they are stolen in FL very frequently.
I have both the Hybrid and the plain white fiberglass Stiffy poles. I use mine as stick anchors on the flats. I have broken the Hybrid twice and repaired it with 1 1/4" dowels and epoxy. The cheap Fiberglass pole is heavier, but it’s tuff as hell. Pole around with the Hybrid for 20 minutes and I have fiberglass all in my hands and up my arms. So now I only use it on my Jon Boat. I will say though that both times I broke it I was pushing the boat against the current with the point in the mud, but the fiberglass one does this with no problem. Just my observations.
ive used all of the listed poles and lean towards the stiffy hybrid. The Carbon Marine are good poles but seem to be louder when you hit am oyster or rock. Maybe its just me. I have had my hybrid for 3 years love it!
The Stiffy Hybrid is tough to beat. On another note, has anyone had their hybrid refinished (mine is shedding)? Stiffy provides the instructions on their website (http://stiffypushpoles.com/painting-your-push-pole), but I don’t have a spray gun for the 2-Part Poly paint. Thinking maybe a shop that does boat repairs (i.e. gelcoat, anti-fouling) might be set up to spray a push pole. Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?
SuperStick is what i use, i like that it shrinks down to 9’ for storage & transportation, but still extends to 17’
i also like that it’s only $220 after tax
when you lock it to length, it’s locked in, i was concerned about that part when i bought it, but it works great!
it’s not quite as stiff or light as a stiffy, but to me, the marginal difference isn’t $400+ worth
keep in mind however, that my boat is only 15’, so you may need to go w/ one of the more expensive, longer poles to push your 17’ boat. typically the pole should be as long or longer than the boat. i’ve heard some say they want longer than even the 21’ poles to push their 16’ boats…i don’t get it though. i occasionally find myself wanting more than 17’ to “walk the pole”, but 17’ is plenty really because if i’m in deep enough water to actually NEED more pole length, then i’m not poling, i’m motoring
as far as travel, mine rides fine @ 80mph on the interstate, i have the 3 clip setup like standard on pretty much any flats boat, 3 j shaped clips, with the middle one facing the opposite direction. the curved shape of the hull keeps it snug, but mine has bungees built in on each end for added security over bumps. i was told to always stow the pole w/ the foot toward the bow, that way it cannot slide backwards, but once mines bungeed it doesn’t slide at all.
as far as theft, my 1st one was stolen off the boat out of my yard, so i now keep it inside under lock & key. i replaced the stolen superstick with another superstick so that tells how i feel about 'em
The Stiffy Hybrid is tough to beat. On another note, has anyone had their hybrid refinished (mine is shedding)? Stiffy provides the instructions on their website (http://stiffypushpoles.com/painting-your-push-pole), but I don’t have a spray gun for the 2-Part Poly paint. Thinking maybe a shop that does boat repairs (i.e. gelcoat, anti-fouling) might be set up to spray a push pole. Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?
I did mine last year as it was shedding really bad. I took a DA sander and sanded the pole down till it was somewhat smooth. Wiped down with alcohol and sprayed it with spray can bedliner paint. Took 3 cans to do it good @ $8 a can. Turned out better that expected, has been very durable and feels really good in your hand…doesn’t get hot either.
I have beat the hell out of my stiffy hybrid without ever breaking or damaging it. When it sheds sand it with fine sand paper and recoat it with fiberglass resin, problem solved.
I’ve seen some guys make brackets that allow them to lock the pole to the trailer. Looked like it worked pretty well. I believe they used brackets used to build fences. I’ve seen a few with cable locked thru the foot end of the pole, but a real thief would just cut the foot and go.
As Red said keeping it in sight is the best idea. If you travel South with it, be advised, they are stolen in FL very frequently.
Does someone make one of these? Or is it more of a do it yourself kinda thing?
A company in FL called Lamarr used to make a locking holder. I just searched the interweb and only found some old references to them so I guess they are no longer in business.
I’ve seen a DIY version too. Made with rail clamps like you see on chain link fencing.
Well, I’ve been talking to Haddrell’s the past two weeks and they don’t have the hybrid Stiffy’s in stock. They say that they are on order and the shipment should be there “next week.” Anyone know where else I can get one?