Poling

[dboles]

After the streets are clear of snow and before the icecomes off the lakes I get a few weeks of poling and snubbing practice.This is a bit of an unorthadox(?) method but highly effective.I have been doing this for a few years and now post for you all to see!
Dan'l

 

[Dave Wermuth]

NIce Try Dan

But I think MikeCav topped ya.
It IS 4/1/06, right?

 

[dboles]

Yep.Those contraptions are death machines.Hats off to anyone who rides and does tricks.The only thing stopping me from dying in a horrendous firey crash is that pole.

 

[Larry Bowers]

hopefully the ice will come off the lakes quickly,, that way revelstoke streets and sidewalks will not be so dangerous

 

[Larry Bowers]

added artists rendition of poling gone badly

 

[Don]

What is recommended for poles, i.e. length, width, type of wood, possible sources? I just have paddles and need to have a few poles for the marshes of the eastern shore of MD.

 

[dboles]

I think ash and spruce are recomended.
The poles we have made are of Douglas Fir as we can get it in long clear lengths.The one in the picture is a shorter birch version I use for Little Creeking in a 10 ft trapper canoe.They are around 1 1/4 diameter.

 

[Greg Nolan]

I think the closet poles available at home supply centers/lumber yards are usually spuce or fir, and can make satisfactory poles if you can find one that is reasonably straight and straight-grained -- only small portion of those on hand at any given time, to be sure. If you check from time to time, you will likely find one or two. You can whittle down the last inch or so of the ends just a bit and fit (with epoxy and/or a screw) a copper pipe cap with the same diameter as the pole for a makeshift shoe.