Peter Pegasus
Veteran Member
Aboard Aquabelle, an OA Mark 1 trawler in Evans Head NSW, I sometimes need a strong, long boathook due to my mooring setup. I use eleven 3 strand nylon lines (18 to 24 mm) from the vessel to vertical dyneema lines attached to four mooring pilings with chain at the top of the bottom. The mooring lines are spliced onto anti-friction rings and slide up and down with the tide. This way, the boat is kept centered in a web of redundant lines that remain at more or less equal tautness as the tide ranges about 1.5-2 meters every six hours. Not only does this stop motion for staying aboard; but it ensures that the hull doesn't collide with the pontoon and gangway to the rockwall. If it were to do so, the gangway hinge would break quickly. And, in Cyclone Alfred, this system served well in the steady 50K gale gusting 55-60K on the nose all night.
Aquabelle came to me with one extending Tenob boathook, like this:
www.theboatwarehouse.com.au
The first time I used it to lift a line with a spliced eye to a crew person on the jetty, weighing about 5-7 kg, the hook popped off, plop, gone.
Looking closely, I found all that was keeping the hook attached to the aluminium pole was a small raised cross onto which the plastic hook had been moulded.
I thought that's weird and simply replaced it from Marine Trade Supplies, the Boatworks chandlery in Coomera.
Same thing happened next time I had to use a boathook, this time to simply haul a fender over an inflatable tube, see photo. Photo with finger shows the same raised attachment point.
I found it hard to believe these failures were my operator error. It seems like an obvious design failure.
The chandlery said I was the first to ever report such failure and they sell hundreds of them.
So I called Tenob in NZ. Initially, they did not respond, but they eventually put me onto their technical support group.
They said these units are made in China, and that I was the first to ever report such a failure.
They wrote by email that:
"We do not sell replacement hooks for the Boat Hook you have been supplied from Tenob. The Boat Hook ( hook part) is actually over molded onto the alloy tube on the Tenob item and I am surprised by your picture showing it has come off , we have not seen that occur before. The second stage tube and boat hook are not supplied as spares as there is no demand for such so you will be looking at replacement of the entire telescopic boat hook."
My guess is that most people don't report failure and simply buy a new one. So the retailer supplier simply blames the user for "fierce" or unwarranteed use (lifting a line, imagine a boat hook being used to lift a line!).
But my experience also suggests that Tenob (let alone the chandlery) don't test boathooks under load.
Like Tenob, Marine Trade Supplies weren't interested in knowing about the failure, they get them from the wholesaler RWB who in turn buy them from Tenob who in turn buy them from another company in NZ, the one who's technical department I talked to on the phone. But they did at least refund the purchase (minus shipping).
So I looked around.
Other tough units are available in Oz. Brian of Insequent uses the Shurhold
but it extends only to 9 feet, and is not easily obtained in Australia--and where it is, it's relatively expensive
So I looked around and found Buoycatcher from the UK.
www.buoycatcher.com
I liked the look and the attachments. I corresponded with the UK founder and was assured it would carry load, viz:
"How secure is the hook when attached to the pole?
All our interchangeable heads use a 316 stainless male M10 threaded stud to secure to the pole which carries an insert female M10 316 stainless thread, the length of the male thread is 20mm so several turns are required to tighten into place so very secure if fitted to pinch point.
What hauling or vertical load does the head bear?
You have not specified which end you are asking about but our thermoplastic hook ends & polished 316 hook ends are individually tested to 75KG pull weight the buoy catcher rope threader of course purely feeds the rope through its target and back to you so does not really have a load other than the weight of the rope although of same construction would be capable of same pull weight. The telescopic pole sections would be the first sign of over stretching their abilities as they would start move which is a good indicator that your exceeding the limits."
I determined that it was available from Boat Warehouse in Australia
and from Boatbits in NZ
So I bought two (one port, one starboard for when you need them in a hurry) plus the mooring hooker plus the magnet plus the two hook-heads.
And there things sat for a while as I did not go anywhere...
Until I tried to use one to lift a spliced line left on a mooring pile hook upon return from a voyage (June 14 2024).
And voila, the extension popped right out and the hook end slid into the water while a tiny piece of curved plastic catapulted onto the deck. See photo showing two of these curved pieces.
Upon close inspection, this piece of plastic was found to be an insert below where the tightening locks sit on each extension. These locks were correctly tensioned with an Allen key.
So yes, the hooks hold up under load; but not the extension system.
Upon contact, Buoycatcher wrote:
"I was unaware you have two failed poles?
The design is not defective as many were supplied and working well on a regular basis so just because yours has failed it may well be a defective part that has caused the problem?
Boatbits have not ordered any new poles so the only ones they have are the ones you have now.
Boat warehouse have moved onto the new version but only sell boat hooks and poles together which is their choice.
We are under the circumstances as a loyal customer to supply a replacement pole free of charge but not pay for delivery from the UK as this cost now £45.
If your prepared to wait then we can ask Boat warehouse when they take another delivery whether they will allow us to add yours to their shipment.
Just an idea at this stage."
And:
"From your pictures kindly sent I can see that the pole is our previous model that we superseded with our latest model so we do not have any of the replacement collars etc to send to rebuild the faulty one.
Our latest upgraded premium pole is another significant step forward with improved locking collars & a ridge down the shaft to stop any twisting which can cause the collars to become weak, they also now have a factory fitted stainless steel female threaded insert so they are able to cope better with the heavier new model Buoycatcher-Max & new brush range which the old poles would not of coped with very well."
Eventually Buoycatcher who offered a warranty replacement, but as the replacement part could only come from the UK, not from the Australian distributor, I would have to wait until the next shipment for a replacement unit to be piggybacked to Sydney and then sent to me in Evans Head, northern NSW.
I'm a patient chap, so I would periodically check in with Buoycatcher and with Boat Warehouse. For about 12 months.
Then I had reason to use the 2nd buoycatcher boathook to lift a load, maybe 3 kg. Same thing, it popped apart.
I called Boat Warehouse for an update on the piggbacking shipment. They told me that they were no longer stocking it and would not order a new batch, due to the failure and return rate.
Buoycatcher denied that it was due to failure rate but said it was because Boat Warehouse would not stock all the accessory parts for Australian users.
So now when you go to Boat Warehouse, you get:
(don't both hitting the link, it says page not found).
Buoycatcher denies failure is the reason Boat Warehouse dropped.
Because I have too much time on my hands today, and you must too given that you have read all the way to this point in this thread, here's the full message:
"It is true that we have we have ended our supply of Buoycatcher products to the Boat Warehouse but absolutely not true for the reasons they have given you as they only had one return on a very early version of pole with the red plastic threaded inserts & no reported issues with the new version of any of the boat hook products.
The real reason we decided to knock the collaboration on the head was that they only wanted to stock the boat hooks & not the rest of the range which was not working for us as we were getting emails about why customers could not purchase our other products or individual items directly in AU & had to pay UK delivery.
We have again expanded our dealer stockists in the UK for the reason our products are very popular with both the stockists & boat owners alike & we are about to start working with partners in Europe shortly.
Whilst this does not help you over there in AU it remains difficult to trade there because of the freight costs involved from the UK & makes our products uncompetitive so I need to find an economical way of getting a pole to you."
Can you be a bit more specific as to where this area is (or in the Bay Area, CA where I will be next May)?"
Now I am here in the Bay Area but Buoycatcher is not responding to emails. I therefore assume I will not be getting a warranty replacement for either unit while I am in the Bay Area for Master Mariners Regatta, nor in Australia.
Accordingly, I am looking for a boathook with at least 12 and preferably 14 foot extension that won't fail under load.
On my 51 foot ketch here, we have old-style wooden fisherman boathooks with a bronze hook that store vertically on the shrounds or hang from the lifelines. These came from Spenglers restaurant and date back to the 1930s fishing fleet. They work under load!
I could get a couple of these or have them made Down Under. But they would be hard to store on Aquabelle and are heavy to wield.
I read Practical Sailor's review from 2020:
www.practical-sailor.com
They come down on the WestmarinePro unit (currently on sale for 20% off):
Sites-WestMarine-Site
or the Davis unit
As I am a long time Port Supply now Westmarine Pro user, I am inclined to go with the Westmarine hook, one longer, one shorter.
I will have to check them as oversized baggage to take them back to Oz, no problem (Westmarine do not distribute in Oz).
Problem solved?
SO AMERICAN TRAWLERS, EXTEND A HELPING HAND!
WHAT'S THE BEST EXTENDING BOATHOOK?
photos
Tenob failed unit no 1
Tenob unit 2 fails pulling fender inboard
Tenob unit 2 same failure point
Buoycatcher failure with two plastic tension clips
Aquabelle came to me with one extending Tenob boathook, like this:
Long Telescopic Boat Hook
Tenob Marine Products Long Telescopic Boat Hook (RWB293). Buy Long Telescopic Boat Hook & other boat accessories online from The Boat Warehouse.
www.theboatwarehouse.com.au
Looking closely, I found all that was keeping the hook attached to the aluminium pole was a small raised cross onto which the plastic hook had been moulded.
I thought that's weird and simply replaced it from Marine Trade Supplies, the Boatworks chandlery in Coomera.
Same thing happened next time I had to use a boathook, this time to simply haul a fender over an inflatable tube, see photo. Photo with finger shows the same raised attachment point.
I found it hard to believe these failures were my operator error. It seems like an obvious design failure.
The chandlery said I was the first to ever report such failure and they sell hundreds of them.
So I called Tenob in NZ. Initially, they did not respond, but they eventually put me onto their technical support group.
They said these units are made in China, and that I was the first to ever report such a failure.
They wrote by email that:
"We do not sell replacement hooks for the Boat Hook you have been supplied from Tenob. The Boat Hook ( hook part) is actually over molded onto the alloy tube on the Tenob item and I am surprised by your picture showing it has come off , we have not seen that occur before. The second stage tube and boat hook are not supplied as spares as there is no demand for such so you will be looking at replacement of the entire telescopic boat hook."
My guess is that most people don't report failure and simply buy a new one. So the retailer supplier simply blames the user for "fierce" or unwarranteed use (lifting a line, imagine a boat hook being used to lift a line!).
But my experience also suggests that Tenob (let alone the chandlery) don't test boathooks under load.
Like Tenob, Marine Trade Supplies weren't interested in knowing about the failure, they get them from the wholesaler RWB who in turn buy them from Tenob who in turn buy them from another company in NZ, the one who's technical department I talked to on the phone. But they did at least refund the purchase (minus shipping).
So I looked around.
Other tough units are available in Oz. Brian of Insequent uses the Shurhold
So I looked around and found Buoycatcher from the UK.
Buoycatcher: the ultimate boat hooks & mooring accessories.
Premium buoy hooks, marine-grade boat hooks, telescopic boat poles and mooring tools. Worldwide delivery.
www.buoycatcher.com
"How secure is the hook when attached to the pole?
All our interchangeable heads use a 316 stainless male M10 threaded stud to secure to the pole which carries an insert female M10 316 stainless thread, the length of the male thread is 20mm so several turns are required to tighten into place so very secure if fitted to pinch point.
What hauling or vertical load does the head bear?
You have not specified which end you are asking about but our thermoplastic hook ends & polished 316 hook ends are individually tested to 75KG pull weight the buoy catcher rope threader of course purely feeds the rope through its target and back to you so does not really have a load other than the weight of the rope although of same construction would be capable of same pull weight. The telescopic pole sections would be the first sign of over stretching their abilities as they would start move which is a good indicator that your exceeding the limits."
I determined that it was available from Boat Warehouse in Australia
and from Boatbits in NZ
So I bought two (one port, one starboard for when you need them in a hurry) plus the mooring hooker plus the magnet plus the two hook-heads.
And there things sat for a while as I did not go anywhere...
Until I tried to use one to lift a spliced line left on a mooring pile hook upon return from a voyage (June 14 2024).
And voila, the extension popped right out and the hook end slid into the water while a tiny piece of curved plastic catapulted onto the deck. See photo showing two of these curved pieces.
Upon close inspection, this piece of plastic was found to be an insert below where the tightening locks sit on each extension. These locks were correctly tensioned with an Allen key.
So yes, the hooks hold up under load; but not the extension system.
Upon contact, Buoycatcher wrote:
"I was unaware you have two failed poles?
The design is not defective as many were supplied and working well on a regular basis so just because yours has failed it may well be a defective part that has caused the problem?
Boatbits have not ordered any new poles so the only ones they have are the ones you have now.
Boat warehouse have moved onto the new version but only sell boat hooks and poles together which is their choice.
We are under the circumstances as a loyal customer to supply a replacement pole free of charge but not pay for delivery from the UK as this cost now £45.
If your prepared to wait then we can ask Boat warehouse when they take another delivery whether they will allow us to add yours to their shipment.
Just an idea at this stage."
And:
"From your pictures kindly sent I can see that the pole is our previous model that we superseded with our latest model so we do not have any of the replacement collars etc to send to rebuild the faulty one.
Our latest upgraded premium pole is another significant step forward with improved locking collars & a ridge down the shaft to stop any twisting which can cause the collars to become weak, they also now have a factory fitted stainless steel female threaded insert so they are able to cope better with the heavier new model Buoycatcher-Max & new brush range which the old poles would not of coped with very well."
Eventually Buoycatcher who offered a warranty replacement, but as the replacement part could only come from the UK, not from the Australian distributor, I would have to wait until the next shipment for a replacement unit to be piggybacked to Sydney and then sent to me in Evans Head, northern NSW.
I'm a patient chap, so I would periodically check in with Buoycatcher and with Boat Warehouse. For about 12 months.
Then I had reason to use the 2nd buoycatcher boathook to lift a load, maybe 3 kg. Same thing, it popped apart.
I called Boat Warehouse for an update on the piggbacking shipment. They told me that they were no longer stocking it and would not order a new batch, due to the failure and return rate.
Buoycatcher denied that it was due to failure rate but said it was because Boat Warehouse would not stock all the accessory parts for Australian users.
So now when you go to Boat Warehouse, you get:
(don't both hitting the link, it says page not found).
Buoycatcher denies failure is the reason Boat Warehouse dropped.
Because I have too much time on my hands today, and you must too given that you have read all the way to this point in this thread, here's the full message:
"It is true that we have we have ended our supply of Buoycatcher products to the Boat Warehouse but absolutely not true for the reasons they have given you as they only had one return on a very early version of pole with the red plastic threaded inserts & no reported issues with the new version of any of the boat hook products.
The real reason we decided to knock the collaboration on the head was that they only wanted to stock the boat hooks & not the rest of the range which was not working for us as we were getting emails about why customers could not purchase our other products or individual items directly in AU & had to pay UK delivery.
We have again expanded our dealer stockists in the UK for the reason our products are very popular with both the stockists & boat owners alike & we are about to start working with partners in Europe shortly.
Whilst this does not help you over there in AU it remains difficult to trade there because of the freight costs involved from the UK & makes our products uncompetitive so I need to find an economical way of getting a pole to you."
Can you be a bit more specific as to where this area is (or in the Bay Area, CA where I will be next May)?"
Now I am here in the Bay Area but Buoycatcher is not responding to emails. I therefore assume I will not be getting a warranty replacement for either unit while I am in the Bay Area for Master Mariners Regatta, nor in Australia.
Accordingly, I am looking for a boathook with at least 12 and preferably 14 foot extension that won't fail under load.
On my 51 foot ketch here, we have old-style wooden fisherman boathooks with a bronze hook that store vertically on the shrounds or hang from the lifelines. These came from Spenglers restaurant and date back to the 1930s fishing fleet. They work under load!
I could get a couple of these or have them made Down Under. But they would be hard to store on Aquabelle and are heavy to wield.
I read Practical Sailor's review from 2020:
In Search of the Ultimate Boat Hook - Practical Sailor
Since 1974, Practical Sailor’s independent testing has taken the guesswork out of boat and gear buying.
www.practical-sailor.com
Sites-WestMarine-Site
or the Davis unit
I will have to check them as oversized baggage to take them back to Oz, no problem (Westmarine do not distribute in Oz).
Problem solved?
SO AMERICAN TRAWLERS, EXTEND A HELPING HAND!
WHAT'S THE BEST EXTENDING BOATHOOK?
photos
Tenob failed unit no 1
Tenob unit 2 fails pulling fender inboard
Tenob unit 2 same failure point
Buoycatcher failure with two plastic tension clips
