Combination gaff and boat hook

Claim 1

A combination gaff and boat hook comprising: a rigid elongated rod-like element; a gaff element secured fixedly to one end of said rod-like element; a sheath for said gaff element adapted to be removably positioned thereover and to be connected adjacent one end thereof to said rod-like element to form an extension thereof, said sheath being shaped to present a boat hook at the other end thereof; a slit formed in the side wall of said sheath element adapted to permit the passage of said gaff therethrough during sheathing and unsheathing therof, said sheath providing the housing for and defining therein an arcuate through bore dimensioned and configured to receive said gaff element therein; and a lock nut for removably positioning said sheath over said gaff and for coupling said sheath to said rod-like element, an interior recess being formed in said nut configured and dimensioned to rotatably receive a peripherally extending enlarged head on one end of said rod-like element, the longitudinal axis of said lock nut being coaxial to the longitudinal axis of said rod-like element, and an interior portion of said lock nut remote from said one end of said rod-like element being adapted to threadedly cooperate with threads formed on the outer surface of said sheath on the end thereof adjacent to said one end of the rod-like element, the rotation of said lock nut being adapted to selectively couple said sheath and rod-like element with the sheath in position sheathing said gaff element.