# Guava tree? Guava fork?



## BugDopeforENP (May 29, 2013)

Do any of you guys or girls know where I can find a Guava tree around Tampa? Does any buddy have any cured forks? Thanks in advance.


----------



## backwaterbandits (Dec 15, 2006)

I grew up in St. Pete and we had a bunch of Guava
trees back then. My grandmother made jelly from 
them every year. About 1962 give or take a year,
there was a real hard freeze that killed them all...
I haven't seen a guava tree since around here...
May have new ones since then around Tampa...I
don't know. Some of the guys down south may be
able to come up with something for you...
I assume you want a fork for an old school push
pole?
Good Luck with your quest. Dave


----------



## habanalure (Feb 6, 2012)

Ask any Cuban or Puerto Rican in the area and I'm sure they will tell you where you can find one.
How big of piece are you looking for?.
I have a guava tree in my backyard but in all honesty I haven't looked at it in a while.
I assume its for a push pole?
I used the forks for sling shots as a child.
Good luck!
HabanaJoe


----------



## Recidivists (May 9, 2011)

Keep your eye out for some lignum vitae, as well.


----------



## BugDopeforENP (May 29, 2013)

Thanks, yes it is for a push pole. I have an old Pole Cat, also thought it would be a little something unique to add to the new skiff. I need a piece that has a base of an 1.5" or greater and about 8" of fork. Have any of you guys done this before?


----------



## Dillusion (May 21, 2012)

> Thanks, yes it is for a push pole. I have an old Pole Cat, also thought it would be a little something unique to add to the new skiff. I need a piece that has a base of an 1.5" or greater and about 8" of fork. Have any of you guys done this before?


Flip pallot and another older guy have been making guava fork feet for push poles for a decade.


----------



## Ginclear (Aug 11, 2013)

A traditional guava fork Flip Pallot style push pole foot would definitely 
be cool . I would love to have one , also . The simple fork design is also 
very functional . It doesn't stick in the mud , so it pulls free easier , It doesn't 
pick up a ball of mud , so it's lighter and more maneuverable . When reversed 
it is a more user friendly handle . And there are other advantages as well . 

   So if it's function your after , check out Carbon Marine's Skiff Gear fork 
push pole foot . It's reasonably priced , lighter weight and stronger than 
a natural guava foot . It was designed by fly fishing guide , Scott Sommerlatte 
to mimic the ultimately shaped guava foot .  I have one . It works .


----------



## kfa4303 (Jun 25, 2012)

Here's a cool article on how he came up with the Guava foot in the first place. 

http://www.amisun.com/archives/2007/09-26-07/outdoors.htm


----------



## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

Just to give you options, what about a crepe myrtle fork? It is very dense and heavy and is very common in the Southeast. Any landscaper should be able to hook you up with some. When I did my fact checking online, it seems to have many of the same characteristics as guava wood and is often used for the same purposes, normally slingshots. Guava is a member of the crepe family.

Nate


----------



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Nowadays mangroves are protected anywhere that you find them... which is tough since they make a great natural fork for one end of any pushpole.


We used to cut a green fork then bake it at 300 for 40 minutes or so to dry it out, then use masking tape in two narrow bands (1/2" tape) so that the end going into the pole fit well, then epoxy it in place....

To give you a perspective, back in the mid seventies you could buy a pushpole blank for around $30... They weren't very good poles (pretty limber and not nearly as light weight as modern pushpoles) but they were very durable and got the job done.


----------



## BugDopeforENP (May 29, 2013)

Well no luck on finding a Guava tree or lignum vitae yet. I did find some Myrtle but I don't think the people in the subdivision would care to much for a shot gun blast or the roaring of a chain saw ripping through the middle of their trees. Are plug eating mangroves protected by law or is it just frowned upon. Mangroves seem to be most readily available.


----------



## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

> Are plug eating mangroves protected by law or is it just frowned upon.


It's only illegal if you get caught


----------



## Rediculous (May 5, 2012)

I used to use a 20' bamboo pole, I just cut a "Y" from an oak branch and varnished it. Worked great. Never seen a guava tree before. What, is it a super cool looking wood or something?


----------



## BugDopeforENP (May 29, 2013)

Well I found some Crepe Myrtle Y's. I will be starting on a few this weekend. I will post some pictures.


----------



## shallowfish (Jan 2, 2007)

Guava is a dense and very hard, durable wood.
What size diameter are you looking for the base of the fork?
My mom has a tree in the backyard. We're in Miami and I may be able to get what you need.
Let me know...

Below is a pic from a guava orchard.


----------



## swampfox (May 9, 2007)

Nate beat me to it. Crepe Mrytle is a great foot. I did one in a Moonlighter glass pole for my Noe many years ago. And it was the bomb! I replaced the noisesey alum foot. That is another BIG bebenifit to wood. You don't get all the crunch from oysters and coral. That dense wood absorbs all that. I broke my pole in the glades a while back.And when I was repairing it. I started eying the Myrtles in the back yard . I gonna ditch my plastic foot for some wood. I would suggest getting a few. And let them cure naturally. For a month or so. They will move a bit during the drying process. It lasted me over two years of use with no issues. it went with the boat when I sold it. i was actually thinking of salt curing em. like how they do those strong hard ass telephone poles. the green ones. I used too have to hook climb poles. When I was lineman for ATT. Everybody hated those salt green poles. Your hooks would only go in a quarter inch or so. Check the hook marks on a pole next time you see one. they are not deep. Not very comforting when you are 60' in the air :-/. My plastic foot is more like a triangle on the end. And that reinforcing cross bar will hold a lot of this SC mud . I read that article Sotiri posted. I never new Moonlighter had that history. Almost made me miss that old flexy glass stick ;D


----------



## THX1138 (Dec 20, 2016)

Cool read. This what I'm looking for if anyone can help. Thanks!

Lou


----------



## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

THX1138 said:


> Cool read. This what I'm looking for if anyone can help. Thanks!
> 
> Lou


I made a point and a foot out of some scrap plastic stuff - the material is the dividers used for public restrooms lol

If you are interested, let me know what size and I can send you some of it once you are back stateside. It is a bit of a pain to shape up though since it is a flat sheet, but definitely do-able. I can send you some pics of mine later today as well...


----------



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Great to re-read this old thread.... I only mentioned that mangrove was protected - because I've read it is... Certainly enough of the stuff around (and it doesn't smell too bad when you're baking it out to ready it for epoxy....).


----------



## shallowfish1 (Feb 25, 2011)

backwaterbandits said:


> I grew up in St. Pete and we had a bunch of Guava trees back then. My grandmother made jelly from
> them every year.


Same, though my grandparents were located in Lithia Springs outside of Brandon. Guava-based dishes, including guava jelly, were a big treat for their (and previous) generation. Sad how that piece or history is pretty much lost. I'm lucky in that I have a guava tree growing by my front door...though it's under an old live oak so it doesn't get enough sun to bear fruit as often as I'd like.

Wish I'd known about wooden foots. I just bought a polycarbonate replacement for my original (which is somewhere in a mud bank in the Louisiana salt marsh). I'm intrigued by the hyper-lightweight newfangled pushpoles -- and now by wood options - but my thick old fiberglass model saves me the trouble of working out.


----------



## Southern Drawl (Aug 25, 2020)

Dusting off this discussion. I am in the process of making a few of these out of Crepe Myrtles. Going to see about the salt curing process. I will post pictures as it progresses. Thanks for all of the info above!


----------



## MikeChamp12 (May 17, 2021)

I dabble in woodworking. Mainly run into mahogany, tamarind and buttonwood here in Islamorada. I’m interested in how yours will come out.


----------

