I have only been rowing in the tyee pool under club rules for four years, but I have learned a great deal and have acquired a lot of gear. I have 11 of the original plastic lucky Louie shovelnose plugs. Side by side with the standard Louie, they are quite distinguishable. The shovel most often referenced, is the 5 1/4 shovel although it is reported that a 6 inch plastic shovelnose was also made. A collector friend of mine says he has one but I think he plans on having it buried with him.
Minser did also make a wood plug with a shovel like face. I think this was called the Chinook, but it is not typically what is meant, when the club members refer to a shovelnose. The wood plugs do have an advantage though, in that there are carvers out there replicating them right down to the thickness of the paint and you can get them in standard or glow colors, including Tomic colors, such as 602 and pearl pink. I have 12 of these.
Replicating plastic plugs is a different matter. The weight and balance of the original Louie shovelnose plug is hard to match. I am trying a couple of approaches to replicating the plastic shovel hopefully for the start of the 2019 season. If you cannot find an original shovelnose Louie in good shape, do not hesitate to buy a few that are not in great shape and see if you can find someone to professionally re-seal and paint them. When Tomic is not too busy, they have been known to do so, as will some of the hand carvers. You will be impressed with the quality of the workmanship applied to resurrecting the classic plastic shovelnose. I have four of these.
Prices for the vintage 5 1/4 Louie shovelnose vary. The least I have paid is $40.00 for one in reasonable shape but which had been repainted by the owner. When I find a few more like this, I will probably have them stripped and professionally repainted. The most I have paid is $150.00 cdn for a perfect condition shovelnose, but recently I have noticed them going for a bit more on Ebay. Just recently I saw a shovelnose red gill sell for $177.oo usd.
Be highly suspicious of plugs advertised as the Louie shovelnose. Many sellers do not know the difference or are advertising their plug based on pictures they have seen or just out of wishful thinking. I have returned many false shovelnose plugs.
Beyond the Louie shovelnose, there have been other options. After Minser stopped producing the plastic shovelnose, Rex Field in Comox, produced their own version. It is rumored that some of the guides actually preferred these over the Louie shovelnose. I found two of these this winter that have never been fished.
There are other vintage wood options. Lyman in the interior, made a shovel version of their own wood plugs that were popular in the pool. These are getting harder to find as well. One of the complaints in the club about these plugs, is that the paint would crack and there was inconsistency in the shovel face. I have four of these plugs. Remember though, wood plugs are relatively easy for the hand carvers to replicate or repaint and they are easy to experiment with including by varying the degree of shovel.
I will leave spoons for another day.
Bruce P.
I would stay clear of chemical strippers as they could harm the plastic underneath. Probably ok on wooden plugs but unnecessary, Scotchbrite pads and/or sandpaper would be enough to clean them up and give the new paint something to adhere to.
