A Safer, Custom-Fit Way to Handle a Canoe Mast

It is always a good sign when a customer comes back with a new challenge. A local canoe business we had worked with before on their outrigger design got in touch again, this time needing a safer, easier way to handle the mast of their canoes.

Step 1: designed around their exact mast

After a few rounds of back-and-forth we landed on a design built specifically around their mast diameter: a two-part clamp with solid, comfortable handles on both sides, and recesses for rubber inserts so the grip stays secure on a wet, smooth mast.

Step 2: printed in-house

Once the design was signed off, we printed the parts in-house. You can see the textured rubber inserts sitting in the clamp faces, which is what actually stops the handle slipping when someone lifts a wet mast.

Step 3: on the boat, doing its job

And here it is where it belongs: clamped on the mast, ready to lift. Removable when it is not needed, secure when it is.

It is a good example of what we enjoy most about this work: taking a simple, practical idea and turning it into a purpose-built tool through the right design process, rather than trying to make an off-the-shelf part fit.

If something in your workshop, boat or vehicle is awkward, unsafe or just annoying to handle, tell us about it. There is a good chance we can design something that fits the job properly.