The Zhike Gravity Hook, left, and the Lixada 4-Claw Hook work in different ways and both performed well.
Photographs by the author
Lixada 4-Claw Hook
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If the water is not deep, jump overboard to retrieve the valuable item.
There are circumstances where taking a dip makes good sense: warmish water, good visibility, reasonable depth, no current, and snag-free bottom. I lost an anchor in a slough that might have been less than 10′ deep at low tide, but it had a current, cold water, poor visibility, and a bottom littered with waterlogged driftwood. It wasn’t worth the risk.
My son lost a replica non-firing flintlock and pewter tankard with a bit of a marline loop on it. We were at the yacht club where our small boats had been moored for a Pirate Festival. The two pieces tumbled out of his hands from the dock and kerplunked into the drink at space 13 into what I was told was about 12′ of murky Delta water with soft mud bottom.
I asked a local hand if the club had a long boat hook. He produced one that must have been 14’ or more long. My nine-year-old was pretty bummed about dropping his kit, so I figured it was worth a shot. I inverted the hook and holding it vertical lowered it straight down. I slid the hook left about 4″ and touched something solid. Stopping immediately, I rotated the hook from six o’clock to nine o’ clock, and lifted straight back up bearing a weight of some sort. The pistol and tankard broke the surface the hook having snagged on the marline. Dad got lots of hero points that day. Even the club employee was impressed. That tankard now bares an inscription commemorating the day.