Shurhold is an American company that makes a range of boat care products under the slogan “one handle does it all.” The idea is that instead of having a boat hook, a deck swabber, and all kinds of other long-handled kit cluttering up your lockers, you have one (quite expensive) stainless steel boat pole, to which you can add brushes, mops, squeegees, etc as needed - and there are also fittings to convert it into boat hook, paddle, crab net, gaff hook etc etc.
It's an attractive idea, and the products are well thought out and of extremely high quality - but at prices to match.
However, Shurhold's Dock-a-Reni is a patented plastic gizmo that, thanks to a cunning Velcro-adjustable fixing strap, actually fits any boat pole, not just their own.
It's a sort of remote thumb that you fit on to the shaft of the boat hook about 18 inches below the business end, to hold a loop way beyond the reach of your own thumb when docking.
It makes it very simple to drop the rope over a piling or cleat, and then you simply pull back the boat hook to release the gadget, and pull in the line to tighten the loop and swiftly secure the boat.
It's designed for use with a running loop, but in places where you can't use one (in a lock for example, where the cleat may end up out of reach making it impossible to release a tightened loop) you can also, with a bit of practice, use the Dock-a-Reni to drop a doubled warp over the target, keeping both ends on the boat.
It one of those clever ideas that are so simple you wonder why nobody's thought of it before. But Shurhold has taken out a string of patents to make sure nobody else copies it now!
The Dock-a-Reni retails for $9.99 in America, but as yet there is no distributor on this side of the Atlantic.
Many of Shurhold's products are available from British chandleries, however, including the impressive Hoze Nozzle, which illustrates the quality of the Shurhold range. It has a die-cast zinc body with a soft black vinyl grip - comfortable to hold and durable, an all-brass valve stem and permanent adjusting nut, and includes a hold-open clip and stainless steel spring.
The item is substantial enough to withstand life in a locker, and will not corrode. It sells for £6.
For more information visit www.shurhold.com
