More Jackite Pole Hacks

Here are a few more things I have learned, based on my experience using Jackite telescopic poles.  Although some of this might be fairly obvious stuff, hopefully, this will be helpful to some.

Dealing with Stuck Sections

About four months ago, I had the top two sections of my 31-foot pole become hopelessly stuck.  After trying several things, I stumbled across a solution (at least for me).

My wife came home from the store one day with one of those rubber pads that are intended to help you grip and remove the lids from stubborn jars.  A light went off in my head.  I bought a couple of them at the local dollar store and by using them to help me get a grip on each of the two stuck sections, I was able to twist them enough to get them unstuck.  A few months later, I again had two sections that became stuck.  I went right for the grip pads and was able to instantly get them unstuck.  I now keep a pair of these pads in my backpack for when I run into this problem again in the field.  As a bonus, these pads work great under your paddles or straight keys to keep them from sliding around on the table.

Just a piece of advice.  Don’t try to use pliers to get fiberglass mast sections unstuck.  You’ll create a bigger problem for yourself.  Don’t ask me how I know this.  Just trust me on this one.

Maintenance

This is sort of related to the stuck section problem.  I use my Jackite poles quite a bit and they can sometimes take a beating when camping or at the beach in a salty environment.  Dirt and debris might be contributing factors in getting sections stuck together.  Just a theory on my part.  I found that regular cleaning of the pole sections seems to minimize sticking problems.

Every other month or so (if I’m being diligent), I completely disassemble the poles.  Then, I spray a little WD-40 on a clean rag and wipe down each piece of tubing.  I wipe off any excess WD-40 with another clean rag and re-assemble the pole.  It seems to work for me.  After spending a week at the beach, this procedure is mandatory for me.

Bottom Cap Shock Absorber

When collapsing a 28-foot or 31-foot pole, the lower sections can sometimes come down so hard that they knock the bottom cap loose.  To counter this, you can cut a thin piece of sponge and place it inside the bottom cap.  I actually used two layers of that dollar store jar lid gripper material in mine.  Just make sure whatever you use doesn’t interfere with the threads in the cap.  This should help absorb some of the impact if you collapse the pole too quickly or if it comes down by itself in a strong wind.

I hope some of this is useful to someone out there.

72, Craig WB3GCK