Loud wooden pole

[MrPoling]

This winter i refinished my pole. It is a 10ft, 1 1/2 inch diameter softwood pole. A "HomeDePole"

For the last several years I'd used it without a shoe. After trimming the rough end and refinishing I attached a copper cap.



It worked great, gripping the rock well. But I was surprised how much louder it was. On rock you can hear the shoe strike resonate through the pole.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a quieter shoe? If nothing else I'll just splice a few inches of oak dowl on the end.

 

[MyKneesHurt]

If you can get the cap off again, a rubber washer between wood and metal may do the trick.

 

[kahel]

or you can also use such end caps from walking poles

 

[Steve in Idaho]

or you can also use such end caps from walking poles

I should try that sometime, but I think a rubber end cap won't last long in the rivers I pole.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I honestly don't know how to make a pole with metal shoes quiet. The bolt spikes are noisier than the conical bronze shoes on one of my poles, but then it's a heavier pole.

 

[yknpdlr]

 

[Cruiser]

You can buy rubber chair leg caps in various sizes, would likely be well fitted and suited to that use.

 

[riverstrider]

It's gotta be quieter than an aluminum pole, right? But unless you want to sneak up on wildlife around the next corner or not frighten the fisherfolk trying for some peace and quiet on the river, noise isn't much of a factor for me. A rubber foot is a good suggestion, but probably won't last as long in rocky rivers. Maybe tape up the foot with duct tape, and just replace it when needed?

 

[Tsuga8]

The clanking noise is my least favorite part of poling.

One solution is to go back to shoeless and keep trimming off an inch every time the end gets to smashed up and frayed. My first pole was just a spruce snag, cleaned up but with no shoe. Worked pretty well my first season. 10ft is already a little short to keep trimming though.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

The clanking noise is my least favorite part of poling.

One solution is to go back to shoeless and keep trimming off an inch every time the end gets to smashed up and frayed. My first pole was just a spruce snag, cleaned up but with no shoe. Worked pretty well my first season. 10ft is already a little short to keep trimming though.

I wouldn't throw it away. I have an 8.5 footer that I keep in the Solitude for when I navigate the occasional shoals in the Snake. It's short enough to stay out of the way while paddling a medium length solo, but long enough to be useful when needed (and avoid grinding a paddle). If I ever put together that trip up the Lewis River into Shoshone Lake (one of those cancelled by covid), that pole will go with me - probably again in the Solitude.

 

[Tsuga8]

Agreed, there are circumstances where a shorter pole is fine or even preferrable

 

[Pseudonym]

I bought two poles from Peavy Manufacturing in Eddington, Maine. Both came with a steel band installed about one inch from the end of the pole, which I presumed was to prevent the pole from splitting. I've mostly used mine in salt water with a sandy/mucky bottom, so I can't offer much valuable insight as to noise.



It does occur to me that if @MrPoling's shoe was installed so as to leave just an 1/8" of wood proud of the end of the copper sleeve, the pole end would be more quiet but the copper band would likely still serve to slow the erosion of the wooden tip, and forestall any catastrophic split.