05-07-2003, 11:37 PM
[cool]I was recently playing around with some PVC, making an extended handle shoe horn for my son, who has back problems and has difficulty pulling his shoes on. My successful invention suggested that I might be able to come up with a suitable tool for assisting with getting fin straps on and off...for float tubers with bad backs, big guts, tight waders or all of the above. I plead guilty to at least two out of three of those.
I have tried a couple of designs, but this one is the simplest and easiest to make and use. I used 1" PVC, but even lighter 1/2" would work just as well. That's what I used for the 3' shoe horn and it is plenty strong enough.
It works by hooking down between your boot and the strap, to pull it on. You just get the lip under the strap, center it in the back and pull the strap up into place. It works in reverse when you get back in. Work the lip down between the boot and strap, and then lever it off over the heel, just like a reverse shoe horn.
I started with an 18" piece of PVC, and cut a straight line about 8" in from one end (with a jig saw. A hack saw will work, but it's slower). Then, using two pair of long nose pliers, I worked the ends apart after heating evenly over the burner on my stove. It takes a couple of heatings and stretchings to get it spread. Run it under cold water to get it to harden faster without returning to the round shape. The last part is heating just the end and bending the lip to about 1/2". Finish by rounding off the corners with a power sander or disc.
![[Image: gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11990;]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11990;)
![[Image: gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11991;]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=11991;)
Any chubby tubers with back problems and tight waders who want more instructions or clarification, feel free to post or PM me.
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I have tried a couple of designs, but this one is the simplest and easiest to make and use. I used 1" PVC, but even lighter 1/2" would work just as well. That's what I used for the 3' shoe horn and it is plenty strong enough.
It works by hooking down between your boot and the strap, to pull it on. You just get the lip under the strap, center it in the back and pull the strap up into place. It works in reverse when you get back in. Work the lip down between the boot and strap, and then lever it off over the heel, just like a reverse shoe horn.
I started with an 18" piece of PVC, and cut a straight line about 8" in from one end (with a jig saw. A hack saw will work, but it's slower). Then, using two pair of long nose pliers, I worked the ends apart after heating evenly over the burner on my stove. It takes a couple of heatings and stretchings to get it spread. Run it under cold water to get it to harden faster without returning to the round shape. The last part is heating just the end and bending the lip to about 1/2". Finish by rounding off the corners with a power sander or disc.
Any chubby tubers with back problems and tight waders who want more instructions or clarification, feel free to post or PM me.
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