# Poling platform question



## Punkrawqer (Dec 26, 2009)

Welcome to the forum! Nice rehab job! Looks great!


----------



## captd (Feb 8, 2011)

hey man,
glad you made it. the whaler looks nice, can't wait to try it. you should get some good info on this site, it's great. talk to you later.


----------



## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

Welcome to the fourm! I'll take a Johnny Walker Black please.

For the tubing a 1.25" OD pipe seems to be the most common and nearly all platforms are aluminum. You might find a better answer on dimensions over at Continuous Wave since those boys are die hard Whaler fans. Or wait for Brett!


----------



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Who? Wha'? Oh...the poling platform question...again...bah! Humbug!
Weight addin', gear catchin', leg breakin' excuse for a lunch counter!
Where'd I leave that rant anyhow...aha, there it is...

http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1288465180/27#27

                                       [smiley=happy.gif]

Great rehab work on the hull, always did love the whaler smirk.
If you want to pole, pole from the bow...easier that way on a whaler.


Welcome to the forum... 



(opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, and as such, have no real value)


----------



## wrobil (Apr 19, 2011)

> If you want to pole, pole from the bow...easier that way on a whaler.
> 
> 
> Please forgive my ignorance but why is it easier to pole from the bow on  a whaler?
> ...


----------



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

My reasons, as learned over the years from poling a 13, 17 and a 19...

1) Whalers are stern heavy so to float shallower put your weight in the bow, to balance.
2) Due to the underhull entry shape ( VVV ) poling from the bow is quieter.
3) By getting the bow down the vee of the bow acts as a skeg and adds control.
4) Less chance of banging the outboard and making noise.
5) Already a decent deck there, so nothing to add.
6) With the factory bow rail, there's something to lean on for balance.


----------



## wrobil (Apr 19, 2011)

Brett thanks for the info. What length pole would work well with a 15? I am new to this whole poling thing but see the value in being able to slowly work a piece of water.


----------



## out-cast (Jan 27, 2009)

> My reasons, as learned over the years from poling a 13, 17 and a 19...
> 
> 1) Whalers are stern heavy so to float shallower put your weight in the bow, to balance.
> 2) Due to the underhull entry shape ( VVV ) poling from the bow is quieter.
> ...


Great info as expected Brett. But, poling from the bow isn't for everyone......or am I the only one who has a hard time with it? :-[ I tend to not reset quick enough and the pole goes under the boat banging against the rub rail or I end up in a poor track. I have WAY more control/feel poling from the stern platform and rarely hit the outboard.


----------



## winyahjay (Feb 8, 2010)

Nice work on the boat - that's impressive


----------



## captd (Feb 8, 2011)

good stuff. i also think it's harder to pole from the bow, and i have always poled a skiff, never a whaler or cc... good points though. also, it is super hard to fly fish and pole, but the bow is actually a little better than platform for that. but i think the question is for someone who wants to fish another angler... correct?


----------



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Poling from the bow is a learned skill, just like anything else on the water.
Takes time to learn the tricks and quirks of any hull.
All you can do is get out on the water and find what works for you.
With two people on a whaler, poling was still best from the bow,
caster was located atop the bench aft of the console.
All the wiring and cables on a whaler are exposed at the stern
and interfere with feet and fishing gear. With the other person
amidship the hull balances better and the stern doesn't dig in.

Push pole length?
That's been discussed here a few times...

http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1296761654

http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1297174619

http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1222121547


----------



## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

gramps gotcha right with the tubing diameter and use aluminum if at all possible due to cost and less weight. there is no real answer on how high to make it but obviously you want it high enough so that it doesnt interfere with the tilting range of the outboard but the higher you make it the higher your center of gravity and the more tippier it becomes. as far as push pole lengths go the longer the better, you'll be able to push farther without having to constantly re-plant itwith the longer poles


----------



## wrobil (Apr 19, 2011)

I was more wondering the size in terms of square footage of the platform? is 36x30 inches a good size or what do people like?


----------



## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

My brief experience with Whalers leads me to believe that poling from the stern is a lesson in frustration. Polling from the bow might make some boats track a little squirrelly in the wind, but I doubt that you will have a problem with a Whaler. Vees, semi vees and mod vees track pretty good going backwards because the vee acts like a keel. A very light, flat bottom hull might track poorly when poled from the bow in higher winds, but a very light, flat bottom hull will be hard to pole in a high wind no matter where you are standing. In the end, the improved steering makes up for any losses to tracking in my experience.

Most common fishing boats are stern heavy and pole terribly from the rear except for those rare times you want to pole straight downwind without steering (kinda sounds like drifting to me). If a boat is made to pole and balances level, this problem is addressed in the design and poling from the stern with a buddy on the front deck is very easy. You still often have to pole from the bow when fishing alone in order to counter balance the outboard. 

When you pole, you steer by shifting the stern of the boat sideways until the bow points where you want to go. A heavy sterned boat will not easily slide its big ass sideways and pivot on the bow, so the "turning radius" gets really big. If you pole from the bow, the bow pivots around the heavy stern easily and points the stern where you want to go. As an added perk, your outboard won't interfere with pole placement. 

Half the length of a pushpole exists to balance the other half, so figure out how much you need to reach the bottom from the center of your chest and double it. Walking the length hand over hand is a perk of a long pole, but I wouldn't buy a pole that was much longer than my basic formula because it will get awkward. You can go with a pole about 2' longer if you have feelings of inadequacy, but I'd never go shorter. 

The center of my chest is about 4.5' above the ground and I like a 14' pole when I am pushing from water level, i.e. in a pirogue. This is most comfortable in 1" to 3' of water, but you can cross the occasional deep spot up to 6' without too much difficulty. I use a pushpole around 16' when pushing from the deck. When I am 3' above the deck on a platform, I want a 22' pole. If you are 5' tall or you regularly pole in 6' water, your choice of pushpole length will change.

Nate


----------



## wrobil (Apr 19, 2011)

Thanks Brett and Nate for helping me understand why a whaler would pole better from the bow. It took a little while I'm a bit of a slow learner. With my set up I could place the fisherman on the seat behind the CC and pole from the bow. It should work well. I will report back after some time on the water.


----------

