DIY Gaff (FREE PLANS)

[Downeast Thunder]

FREE PLANS in pdf format (BOTH IMPERIAL & METRIC DIMENSIONS) – Download Info Below.

A gaff is a simple tool used mostly aboard boats for “gaffing” or hooking fish. Sometimes for gaffing fish freshly caught and bringing them into the boat, and at other times, for gaffing bait fish out of totes when re-baiting traps and such. There are other uses aboard ship as well, but such a tool is also very handy around the shop or home.

Gaffs come in a wide variety of sizes: There are long ones and short ones. Some have skinny handles and others are fairly large and heavy. Some gaffs have very large hooks while others are small.

The gaff I made for myself over 30 years ago is still alive today. It was something I made in a hurry with scrap materials and a “store-bought” hook I already had in stock in my wooden boat shop.

I use my gaff all the time around our home, farm, and shop. I’ll show you how you can make your own in this video. Once again, I used scrap materials already on hand. Only this time, I used hand tools instead of power tools (except for the drill), and I made a hook instead of using a store bought one.

I’ve included a free full-sized template so you can form and shape your own hook and make your own gaff.

Here’s the link to the FREE (for conventional tools) PLANS download page (in both Imperial & Metric dimensions):

https://www.downeastthunder.com/2019...ff-free-plans/

Many thanks to all my subscribers for participating, commenting, liking, and sharing my videos. I very much appreciate your continued support of my YouTube channel. It’s a lot of fun for me, and I hope this trend continues.

Here's the video:

[ranald]

My first one I made was under supervision/demand from my big brother (who wasn't handy at all). I purchased (with MY pocket money) a very large fish hook (for sharks I think) .I had to straighten the eye which with porta gas type bunsen burner and claw hammer & was not a great success. So i had to chisel a hollow/wedge notch into the broom handle and tack it in before binding. This kid about 7 was not the best with a chisel, as a neighbour could testify, as he previously had to remove one from my foot (fortunately I had missed all bones etc and the chisel went right through till a couple of inches of it were sticking from my sole fascia: it didn't hurt as much giong in as it did coming out.Funny now.
My dad had shown me binding on split cane so it was bound with twine also, but not neatly if my grey matter serves me right but it was the" ants pants". It was a couple of years till we actually used it to grab the giant(to us kids, about 5' )eel. As usual my brother instructed me to jump in the creek with the gaff and a heshion bag to retrieve the monster. So much adrelin that I didn't have to change my pants but just dry them of creek water.

[Downeast Thunder]

Thanks for relating your story. Couldn't stop laughing!

[ranald]

Thanks for relating your story. Couldn't stop laughing!

My BIG bro was quite te stand over merchant, His primary school clothes were still too large for me to fit at end of my high school era=told mum to give away (no one threw anything away in the 60's if it was still good). Funny memories sparked by something totally different!
I have a few of my homemade gaffs still even though I'd dont fish=as you say good for other things/jobs.

[DIYer]

Thanks Downeast Thunder! We've added your Gaff to our Miscellaneous category,
as well as to your builder page: Downeast Thunder's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Gaff by Downeast Thunder

tags: hooks, hand tools