Quote:
Originally Posted by XCR-700
Problem is my wife is usually the one on the bow, and not likely to make the connection when throwing from the boat. More often than not I end up just reaching out from the helm and grabbing a post mid-ship and hanging on until she can get a rope tied off on the front, then I deal with the back end.
So the pole may be a frivolous purchase, but anything that makes boating easier on my wife, makes boating easier on me ;-)
When we were running smaller boats like our Glastron CVX everything was simpler, but our Formula is a more challenging to stuff into the always crowded spaces on Winnipesaukee docks.
Some days I just watch the various docking maneuvers and cringe,,, and anything that keeps us from being "that person" is a welcomed addition.
End of season last year we were on the dock in Wolfeboro and the guy in front of us was backing up and lost his footing, fell down in the boat and only jumped up and slammed it in to forward maybe 1 second before crashing into us. No harm done, but we watched helplessly in horror fearing a collision. Not saying the loop will save us from similar events, but if it helps in any way and makes my wife feel like she has more control its worth it to me.
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Having started boating way before there were bow-riders, it would never occur to me to have somebody in the bow. There's much better stability for crew in the back, at least in my boats where you can brace your thighs against the gunwale. That doesn't work quite as well on a 'toon where the gunwales are lined with seats. What do you do when it rains and the canvas covers the bow? What do you do when you are single handing? The helmsman can throw the loop (or use the tool we're discussing) over a post and attach it to the cleat that you installed within easy reach of the helm. I know folks who have gotten nasty splinters and other injuries trying to garb and hang onto a post from a boat that moves unexpectedly due to wind, wave, or current.