Whetman Krab Stick

 

What the Krab Stick Does

The Whetman Krab Stick converts a karabiner already on your boat or PFD into a hook for contact rescue — reaching a pinned boat, a casualty, a line or an anchor point without needing to put a rescuer in the water. The male end wedges into the karabiner's gate recess (curved side out, logo side in); the cord is fixed to the opposite bar and wound taut, so that the force of contact releases it and closes the gate, securing the connection. It's a small, low-cost addition to a rescue kit rather than a standalone piece of equipment.

Green or Orange — Which One Do You Need?

The Krab Stick comes in two colours, and the colour tells you which karabiner it's built to fit — not a cosmetic choice. Green is designed for locking/HMS-style karabiners, including the Whetman HMS Screwgate, DMM HMS Autolock, DMM Spectre 2 and DMM Alpha Sport. Orange is designed for wire-gate paddle karabiners, including the Whetman HMS Paddle Krab. Pairing the wrong colour with the wrong karabiner type is a genuine failure risk in a rescue context, not just a wrong-purchase inconvenience — check your karabiner's gate type before ordering rather than guessing.

Built for Contact Rescue, Not Just Reach

The point of the Krab Stick is to avoid putting a rescuer in the water to make contact with a pinned boat or casualty — extending reach with hardware you're already carrying, rather than adding a separate tool to remember. It's designed to be used as part of a wider paddle-hook rescue system alongside other Whetman rescue equipment.

Before Every Use

Whetman's own guidance is to check the Krab Stick for wear and damage before use — treat this as a standard pre-trip check alongside the rest of your rescue kit, not an optional step. Like any small rescue-kit part, it should also be kept out of reach of children when not in use.

Who It's For

The Krab Stick suits a paddler who already carries a karabiner as part of their rescue kit — typically someone who's completed rescue training (a Paddle UK White Water Safety and Rescue course, for example) or a club/instructor outfitting group kit. If you're still assembling your very first rescue kit and don't yet carry a compatible karabiner, it's worth adding once you do rather than buying it in isolation.

Ordering

Confirm your karabiner's gate type against the compatibility list above, then choose the matching colour — browse the wider Rescue Kit range if you need a compatible karabiner alongside it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Krab Stick actually do?

The Whetman Krab Stick converts a karabiner already on your kit into a hook for contact rescue — reaching a pinned boat, casualty, line or anchor point without needing to put a rescuer in the water. It works by wedging into the karabiner's gate; the cord is wound taut so that contact force releases it, automatically closing the gate to secure the connection.

What's the difference between the green and orange Krab Stick?

Green Krab Sticks are built for locking/HMS-style karabiners (the Whetman HMS Screwgate, DMM HMS Autolock, DMM Spectre 2 and DMM Alpha Sport); orange Krab Sticks are built for wire-gate paddle karabiners such as the Whetman HMS Paddle Krab. The colour tells you which gate type it fits — using the wrong colour with the wrong karabiner risks it not seating or releasing correctly.

Which karabiners is the Whetman Krab Stick compatible with?

The green Krab Stick fits locking/HMS karabiners — the Whetman HMS Screwgate, DMM HMS Autolock, DMM Spectre 2 and DMM Alpha Sport. The orange Krab Stick fits wire-gate paddle karabiners, including the Whetman HMS Paddle Krab. Check your own karabiner's gate type against this list before ordering, since the two variants aren't interchangeable.

Should I check my Krab Stick before every trip?

Yes — Whetman's own guidance is to check the Krab Stick for wear and damage before use, the same as any other piece of rescue equipment. A worn or damaged Krab Stick may not release correctly during a contact rescue, so treat this as a standard pre-trip kit check rather than an optional step.

Can the Krab Stick be used with the Wizard's Sleeve?

The Krab Stick is designed by Whetman as part of a broader paddle-hook rescue system, intended to work alongside other Whetman rescue products such as the Wizard's Sleeve. `[VERIFY]` — the Boathouse's own Wizard's Sleeve page currently returns a 404, so this answer describes the manufacturer's system design only; do not imply current Boathouse stock until that's confirmed.

Is the Krab Stick suitable for a beginner paddler?

The Krab Stick itself is simple to fit, but it's genuine rescue equipment, so it suits a paddler who already carries a karabiner as part of their kit or has completed rescue training (such as a Paddle UK White Water Safety and Rescue course) rather than someone building their very first kit. If you're still developing foundational skills, it's worth adding once you're carrying a compatible karabiner, not before.