Ive been reading about different areas and how they use push poles and how the sand, mud, or whatever bottom play a huge part obviously but cost does too. Anyone have ideas on cost efficient set-ups? I was actually thinking of using a pool cleaning pole somehow any thoughts on that? thanks.
ok, i’m expert in poor man, redneck work-arounds for pushpoles.
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go to Guy Lee, get a wood closet dowell/rod, 14-16’ lengths in back in the warehouse. hwy 17N, mt p. less than $15. go across street to royall hardware, get pvc pieces to make a foot. < $5. roll of white duct tape to seal. $5. total cost less than $30. lasts over a year. it’s heavy, but it works. my lats and biceps are huge.
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cut a bamboo stalk from any of the local patches. use till it breaks. repeat. there are online directions for sealing, curing if desired.
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the pool cleaning poles - as you note - might be good. I havent’ had a chance to try that. neighbor runs a pool cleaning business. there are 2 common poles. aluminum telescoping. fixed length fibreglass. i have zero experience with either. anything with a joint, telescope section, IMO, will be prone to breaking. see what you can get on the cheap. the local apartment complexes have em hanging on the fence at the pool. borrow one from there. [i’m kidding]
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craiglist has em from time to time.
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depending on boat size, load, etc you may be able to pole from the front. this looks goofy, but if you’ve got a tiny rig it works well. you can pole with a much shorter piece. i used a $12 finished bamboo gigging pole from Sewee Outpost for several years.
i believe Opti got a pole vault pole somehow. he probably stole it from his son’s school. maybe he’ll have other ideas.
What he said on the pole. I got a 16’ handrail dowel with duck foot on one end for the skiff. On my jon I got a 8’ alum tube with a Y rubber winch post bumper bolted thru end. The kind like goes on the front of a V-bow boat.
J Ford
LOL Peapod…
Actually, I don’t use a PV pole… strangely enough I don’t have any around, being a former vault junky. They might be too bendy unless you can find the ancient tree-trunk variety that every HS seems to have 3 or 4 of lying around. They were used by your fathers father when they used to land in sawdust LOL. If you can get one of those they would be great. And very light.
I use a 1980’s vintage fiberglass windsurf mast, tipped with some PVC ends. Heavy… my upper-body is ripped too. 
Mine cost about 5 bucks.
Redneck MacGyvering
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.sswaonline.com
how bout some vintage pole vaulting pictures to prove these wild assertions?
Oh geez… LOL How do you like my afro?
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.sswaonline.com
well bar b que my hamhocks and hogtie me to a spruce pine. you delivered the pix.
hey wait a minute. you retrieved that fast.
are you carrying that around in your wallet? a little too nastalgic maybe? sad day when the glory days are in the rear view?
15ft is impressive. what do you think you can do today? and will you give it a go if I hook up the location and equipment?
Holy He11 Optiker! 15’1’’?! thats intense. I tried track my junior year for fun and did PV, the highest I got was 11’ and that got me to state sectionals. Lost at sectionals but the state record for that year was 14’ so to see that you did 15 is crazy to me, i just did it half assed but gained an appreciation for it, i dont think people understand how much form and how hard that it is. I graduated in 05 so my guess is you graduated 93ish but thats (**() impressive
Thanks Fried. This was 1987 - a long time ago. I was NYS champ my senior yr. I never really think about it any more until peapod starts talking about push poles. And peapod the answer is No.
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.sswaonline.com
Might be useful…
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=119945
2007 Scout 221 150 Yamaha 4 stroke
Buck Lumber also has the sixteen foot dowels, then go get a duck foot (16.00) from hadrells and it fits perfectly on one end, for the stake end, i just got a belt sander and sharpened it up. After your done make sure you put a good cot of thompson water seal over all the wood. Works awesome! Also: i wouldnt recommend using a pool rod since its not only more expensive than using a dowel, but it will rust up in no time.
172 Sea Hunt Triton
1500 key west sportsman
Holy crap that’s funny. Thanks guys ima check it all out went out for the first ride today in the new boat and could’ve used one bad already. Went in the wando got skunked but was a blast.
this is what ive been looking for!.. Whats the diameter on those dowels? Also Im trying to pole around a 16’ cape fear mckee. This is the same as the “newer” mckee scoundrel that some of you guys have. IT does not have a poling platform. Does this make it impossible to pole? Also any redneck ingenuity for poling platforms? Thanks!
pics of these would be awesome