This weekend my daughter and I took down the mast of Grasshopper II - our 1994 Hunter 26. The mast was down safely, I was busy getting all of the lines and tackle arranged so I could move the mast forward for storage thru the winter. I removed the Jib Halyard and the Main Sheet from the Lever Arm (not sure what the proper name is - the metal pole that goes in the mast) and then DARN - it fell down to the cockpit and then right off the stern of the boat into 5' of cold water. :{ I briefly considered diving in ... but no - there has to be a better way. My questions for the members of this forum: a. Am I the only one who's done such a stupid thing? b. Is this pole magnetic - can I use a magnet to attempt a retrieval? c. Any other ideas on how to retrieve such an item from the bottom (short of diving in) d. If retrieval fails - has anyone purchased one of these from Hunter? Would you fabricate one yourself? Thanks all! Tom Grass Grasshopper II Hunter 26 #174
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Best to get wet.
It's called a Gin pole and a magnet should be attracted to it. If not, contact hunter on line and they'll put you in touch with their supplier. 2 years ago they were very helpful when I snapped the mast while raiing it (forgot to attach the 2 stablizer wires and the wind was gusting at the wrong time). A real sailor would have thrown his daughter overboard and has her retreive it. Good luck
It's called a Gin pole and a magnet should be attracted to it. If not, contact hunter on line and they'll put you in touch with their supplier. 2 years ago they were very helpful when I snapped the mast while raiing it (forgot to attach the 2 stablizer wires and the wind was gusting at the wrong time). A real sailor would have thrown his daughter overboard and has her retreive it. Good luck
Gin Pole
Tom - I believe that the pole that you are asking about is the gin pole. Don't ask how it got this name, I don't know. I just know what it is called. What year is your 26? I had a '94 H26 that was dismasted, and when the spar was replaced it used a different gin pole than the original. I still have it, somewhere. I believe that it is aluminum, so using a magnet to get it out isn't likely to work. You could try using hooks and dragging for it. If it is truly only 5 feet of water, if you hook it, you could at least stand it on end to where you could reach it. Otherwise it might be wet suit and diving or is it somewhere that you could mark and come back to find in the spring? (Water probably still too cold.) As an absolute last resort, if it is gone to the bottom for ever, let me know. I'm up in Chicago and have a spare pole laying around somewhere that could use a new home. T J
Tom - I believe that the pole that you are asking about is the gin pole. Don't ask how it got this name, I don't know. I just know what it is called. What year is your 26? I had a '94 H26 that was dismasted, and when the spar was replaced it used a different gin pole than the original. I still have it, somewhere. I believe that it is aluminum, so using a magnet to get it out isn't likely to work. You could try using hooks and dragging for it. If it is truly only 5 feet of water, if you hook it, you could at least stand it on end to where you could reach it. Otherwise it might be wet suit and diving or is it somewhere that you could mark and come back to find in the spring? (Water probably still too cold.) As an absolute last resort, if it is gone to the bottom for ever, let me know. I'm up in Chicago and have a spare pole laying around somewhere that could use a new home. T J
Not magnetic
I believe the gin pole is stainless steel, which is non-magnetic. So just how cold is the water?
Ron Mehringer h26 Hydro-Therapy
I believe the gin pole is stainless steel, which is non-magnetic. So just how cold is the water?
Ron Mehringer h26 Hydro-TherapyPay a diver to retrieve it.
A good wet suit should hold him warm for the 10 seconds it is going to take him to earn $50. If you wait till spring you will never find it. I would not count on Hunter to provide parts for a 12 year old boat. I have dropped glasses, cell phones, tools and I have realized that anything that is not tied down will eventually fall overboard so I would recommend you tie a line to that pole. I use fishing line to tie down pins and small gadgets.
A good wet suit should hold him warm for the 10 seconds it is going to take him to earn $50. If you wait till spring you will never find it. I would not count on Hunter to provide parts for a 12 year old boat. I have dropped glasses, cell phones, tools and I have realized that anything that is not tied down will eventually fall overboard so I would recommend you tie a line to that pole. I use fishing line to tie down pins and small gadgets.
Gin Pole
Not sure if H26 and H260 Gin Pole is the same, but I recently asked Hunter for a replacement and it was $80. I'd get pretty cold for that price. Rental of a wet suit a our local dive shop is $10. If you can't bring yourself to dive for the pole, I'd go with the Hunter supplied pole rather than a local source. Good point about the Spar. There have been various suppliers for the H26/260 series I believe so I'd make sure you have that info when you contact Hunter. BTW
Not sure if H26 and H260 Gin Pole is the same, but I recently asked Hunter for a replacement and it was $80. I'd get pretty cold for that price. Rental of a wet suit a our local dive shop is $10. If you can't bring yourself to dive for the pole, I'd go with the Hunter supplied pole rather than a local source. Good point about the Spar. There have been various suppliers for the H26/260 series I believe so I'd make sure you have that info when you contact Hunter. BTW
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