Join the topRik team as we discuss one of the most simple and useful products that we tested lately – Boatasy GHOOK. We talk about the problems it solves, the way it works, its advantages and ease of use, benefits for the health of its user and also, we will provide the final conclusion in the end after the we finish our testing.
It’s pretty much impossible to avoid manual work as a yachtsman. For the simple reason that often the skipper has to get things done on his own, and the main tool is the hands of the skipper himself. That is why they better be protected, at least with protective gloves.
The simplest operation - untying the mooring lines when mooring the Mediterranean way, for example, can lead to cuts on the hands from shells stuck to the mooring rope. Even special gloves cannot always protect your hands from such unpleasant wounds, which take a long time to heal and prevent you from enjoying yachting to the fullest.
Is it really true that in the 21st century there’s no some kind of device so that we don’t have to risk our main working tool, at least when removing the mooring cable?
There is such a device! And topRik experts, as usual, after testing this product themselves, appreciated its usefulness in full. But first, let's clarify where Boatasy GHOOK may be most needed.
Subtleties of Stern Mooring
Standard practice in most Mediterranean marinas is stern mooring. It allows you to fit more boats in a limited space without installing long rows of expensive pontoons.
In its simplest form, stern mooring involves dropping the anchor some distance from the dock, backing up to the dock, securing the stern lines, and then pulling on the anchor chain to secure the boat in position. The scheme works when there is enough room to maneuver around. However, in a crowded marina or bay, the anchor chains may end up unraveling when it's time for someone to leave. And this is a real headache. Therefore, most marinas are now equipped with dead anchors with their own mooring ends, which are wound onto the bow cleats of the yacht.
The design consists of a thick rope lying at the bottom, to which a lighter cable is attached - mooring line . The mooring must be fished out of the water the moment you approach the pier stern on. After you have secured the stern moorings to the pier, you need to pull out the mooring and place it on the bow cleat of your yacht.
And What Does Boatasy GHOOK Have to Do With It?
The Boatasy GHOOK mooring hook makes it easy to pick up the mooring line, which is usually covered in seafloor mud and sharp barnacles. Instead of running that barnacle-covered line through your hands at the risk of injuring them, you feed it through the wide, rotating mooring hook wheel.
Boatasy GHOOK quickly and efficiently moves even the most overgrown mooring lines without them touching your hands, the sides of the yacht or the deck. All yachtsmen have had to deal with dirty mooring lines, and you remember how pieces of dirt fly onto the clean deck. Forget it forever!
The plastic G-hook consists of a handle with an inserted 7cm wide plastic pulley and a stainless-steel safety latch. Thanks to the hole in the handle, additional line can be attached to increase the reach of the GHOOK, which is especially beneficial for larger boats with high freeboard.
Testing Boatasy GHOOK in topRik Marina
As you know, we only share our own experience of using and testing the boats, equipment and accessories we offer you. Such a small, but, in our opinion, very useful device as a mooring hook was no exception. On the day of testing in practice, for the purity of the experiment, we used the newly unpacked Boatasy GHOOK.
Marinas of topRik Group are located in Croatia and Montenegro, and Mediterranean mooring stern-to is practiced there. No protective gloves were used for the experiment; our skipper was wearing a white T-shirt, and under his feet was the freshly washed snow-white deck of one of our catamarans.
So here we go. In the photo below: the mooring rope is passed through the pulley of the mooring hook.
The included float cord was used since the experiment was carried out on a catamaran with high sides.
If the sides of the moored boat are not too high, this additional rope doesn’t have to be used. The hook fits comfortably in the hand, and you don’t have to be physically fit to handle the load.
As you move along the deck, as you can see, the cable moves at a considerable distance from the side, therefore, dirt does not get on board, and even more so on the deck.
The progress has slowed down a bit - apparently, our cable is somewhat heavier than the one used in the advertising video. Our expert was not able to run around the deck so dashingly; he still had to make some efforts. Although the reason for this slight delay may be lack of practice with the product. We remind you that the device was out of the factory a minute before the start of the experiment. But the main thing is that the sides, deck, hands and clothes of our captain are still clean and dry.
And here our skipper is already at the finish line, namely, at the bow cleat, on which the mooring rope needs to be secured. And only at this stage will you finally have to pick it up to complete the mooring process.
Conclusion - Based on the Results of Practical Tests of Boatasy GHOOK
The personal experience of topRik experts allows us to responsibly declare: Boatasy GHOOK is a useful and necessary accessory on any boat, since mooring is inevitable part of yachting.
1. Let's start with the fact that this device protects not only the yachtsman's hands from injury, but also his back from unnatural stress - you do not have to select moorings for a long time in an uncomfortable position. Compare the position of the sailor in the photo below with the posture of our skipper during the experiment. Of course, sailors are trained people, but every back has a limit you better not test.
2. Why does the sailor in this photo have such an unnatural pose: not only is he forced to bend over, he also leans forward. And all this so that a dirty mooring line does not stain the side, and debris from it does not fall onto the deck. Who among the sailors does not know how difficult it is to wash the deck and sides of this bottom mud that collects in harbors! With Boatasy GHOOK you won't have to worry about this.
3. Thanks to the rotating pulley, the speed of retrieving the mooring rope is much higher than during manual retrieving. We say this even after a slight hitch, when it took some effort to continue. Don’t forget that sometimes the integrity of your boat and the safety of its neighbors depends on the speed of mooring in bad weather, especially with strong crosswinds.
Finally, a short video, demonstrating the process with and without the device, showing off the product in action:
And, of course, our own testing footage in high quality:
Such a cheap device, yet so much value!
You can always ask the experts of the topRik marketplace any questions regarding this product and other yachting equipment and accessories, and of course, the yachts and boats themselves. All consultations are free.
Just call the phone number you see at the top of the page, use the feedback form (Contacts section) or send our experts an email at [email protected].
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