for a righting pole i want to try and use what i have. and that is the bottom section of a broken windsurfer mast. too thick to comfortably hang from with cold hands but sturdy enough to walk along. making a kind of blade for the end that slots onto the main beam where it meets the hull looks easier than making a pivot to hold it to the beam up around the dolphin striker. also with the beam lower it will be easier to walk out along and the blade can act as a paddle for when the wind dies. as to drawing a scale model it is much easier for me to actually go out there and make a test pole with a bit of 2x4 than it is to draw something, and i'll KNOW if it works or not:o)
It is very easy to attach the pole to the center of the beam with a tang hook (using ss rivets). Mine was very robust there.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.whitworths.com.au/products/80630_lg.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://www.whitworths.com.au/products/13029_lg.jpg)
And the stopper knots to add necessary inclination worked just fine, and proved to be very necessary. They are needed to compensate for rope elasticity and also to add some inclination to avoid touching the water too soon (in case of hanging off the pole). For the setup that you suggest, Erice, it seems like more inclination would be needed, because the pole is closer to the water, loosing some lever arm. Plus it seems easier to apply all your weight on the end of the pole by hanging than by walking on it. In the last case you would need a good support (ropes) on each side, which don´t seem to be easey to hide when not in use.
http://www.catsailor.com/pole-install.html The nice thing of this setup (attached to the middle of the beam) is that it is ready to use in seconds. If you don´t have a mast float or sealed mast it might be significant.
The problems in my case were:
1. It didn´t want to remain fully extended, it would rotate when trying to hang or step on it. I figured out this could happen but thought it wouldn't bee too bad. But it was.
2. 85 kg in the middle of a 2m pole can be a lot. Mine didn´t resist.. If you plan to walk on the pole, it has to be a strong one.
One solution I thought for problem N°1 is to have a line attached to the tip of the pole, which I would pass through a carabiner attached to one of the bridles (hull end), and come back to the tip of the pole, to be tensioned manually, without attaching to anything, thus avoiding the pole to remain extended after the boat is righted. And to avoid forcing the dolphin striker, maybe another rope, attached to the middle of the rear beam to limit the stroke of the pole.
