New barge poles

Bought a length of 45mm diameter round handrail to replace my broken barge pole. It is a bit thicker than the old one and, unfortunately, plain pine, so it will need treating (ash is recommended). It comes in 4.2m length so I had it sawn in half - now two 2.1m lengths. The square ends will need rounding off but a cheap solution at £8 from a wood yard. I will probably need to keep indoors when not cruising to protect the wood from water ingress and warping, at least I will have a spare in case the other one snaps. I will try and avoid ice breaking in future due to damage to the pole and the loss of blacking on the hull.