What is this?

[Recy]

I found this in My boat, what is it for?

[Ziggy]

A spinnaker pole or whisker pole fitting?

[Recy]

The attachment hole is only 20mm.

[SVTatia]

To attach a pole as boat hook...to lay/pick lines around dock posts?

[Recy]

There is just a plain hole and nothing to to lock a pole in the hole.
I found it in the anchor box.

[RaymondR]

A special tool, the purpose of which you will only discover after you have thrown it away.

[billnz]

wife saver / thats what they call them , easy mooring line pick up.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

To attach a pole as boat hook...to lay/pick lines around dock posts?

I think thats likely, but how is this one rigged? The bolted on tab looks like it could be a trip mechanism but how to set it up is not obvious. Could not find one like this on a search.

[skipperpete]

Emergency manual operating attachment for an electric windlass. [emoji848]

[Sojourner]

Looks way too beefy to be anything for docking on the end of a pole... no one wants to be swinging 5 pounds of rough metal around on a 3m pole trying to hook a line...

[StuM]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

Emergency manual operating attachment for an electric windlass. [emoji848]

Yes, Goiot winch. I had the same question a few years ago when I bought my current boat and found the same thing.
From the manual: http://goiot-systems.com/wp-content/...ndeau-3121.pdf

[Recy]

Problem solved thanks for your inputs this forum is really good.

The ratchet should of course be pointing backwards and not forward as it is in the Picture.

[belizesailor]

Well I'll be damned! Would have never guessed that. That bolted on pawl now makes sense!

[Sailmonkey]

I have always wondered what the teeth were for in those windlasses!