The Revolve stowable boat hook on test
I was very happy to test the innovative Revolve stowable boat hook because I don’t know about you, but I have a love hate relationship with my current boat hooks onboard my sailboat. I have two different aluminium boat hooks and both annoy me immensely. Yet they are essential bits of kit.
The long one, required for hooking buoys and stuff that fell in the water or other things that need a long hook, well, that one lives in my lazarette and has to be carefully slid past a gas pipe and other snaggable items. When I need it, it comes out relatively easily once the lid has been opened and secured open so it doesn’t close on my head, but the long hook on it’s way out often brings with it a load of stuff it’s snagged on the way.
The other boat hook I’ve got is a telescoping one that fits on the coach roof or under the sprayhood and is used for pulling the top section when dropping the main sail. It’s constantly getting jammed with salt water and doesn’t want to telescope. I swear at it regularly.
The along came the revolve boat hook.
This thing is quite frankly a marvel.
It stows up as a small coiled up thing. It can live where ever you fancy. It could live in a pocket or on a shelf or in a small cockpit stowage bin.
When you need it, here comes the fun part.
You basically unravel the first bit with the foam which is the handle. Take a firm grip and swing it wildly like your wielding a light sabre or a sword. (or a golf club if you aren’t a Star Wars fan like me)
Just remember to unclip the hook from it’s stowage bit before you do the swing, then you can clip the hook on to the fully extended pole. Within a moment, you have a 1.9m long fully functioning long reach boat hook.
If you don’t have the space to swing it or the energy, then just unroll it by hand. It’ll take a few seconds longer and it’s less dramatic, but there’s less chance of you walloping someone nearby.
Stowing away after use it is a little less exciting but takes mere seconds as you unclip the hook part, then flatten and roll it back up.
I don’t know how many times the Revolve stowable boat hook can be unrolled and rolled back up again before it loses any of its elasticity or rigidity. Only time will tell.
My only fear is that I’ll accidentally leave the hook in the little stowage place as I fling the thing open and jettison it somewhere in the water. The plastic hook end part doesn’t float when it’s not attached to the pole.
