Review of SEATEC Gabbiano Elite 90

[Marwan]

well, today i did some schoolboy action...i skipped work and went to the sea for a day of spearfishing..took my wife and kid with me..weather was outstanding, time to try out the new Gabbiano..inflated the kayak, geared up and hit the water....
I must say i loved the Gun..heres my impression:

Pros:
1 - Balance is great, that gun has a lot of stability, not like the very light guns, where the muzzle keeps moving lightly before you take the shot....
2 - Accuracy..i got one fish (only shot the gun once), hit it right in the head exactly where i aimed,pin point accuracy
3 - Line release has nothing to do with the trigger (this always worried me on other guns), its a strange system, but very simple and effective
4 - Side to side motion/tracking was very sweet
5 - No recoil, or at least if there was any, i didnt feel it..
6 - Quite easy to load, with the amber 20mm progressive bands..I had the seatec loader accessory in case, but i didnt need to use it..
7 - Very High quality spear by Seatec

Cons:
1 - Up/down motion feels a bit heavy compared to a regular aluminum or carbon gun of the same size
2 - the 6.35mm spear i would imagine would lack momentum, on a longer shot, so i would say 3m from your hand is more of the effective range..of course this will depend on the fish, i would imagine this gun would be deadly for most med species, maybe except a big Grouper (at least with this setup)
didnt try the reel...

Overall very happy with it, i think it lives to the reputation..I did notice one thing though, it was right next to an omer cayman alu 90 also..the gabbiano is like 10cm longer..which is ironic, since valerio grassi was the owner of omer at one point

[dave]

Originally Posted by Marwan

Overall very happy with it, i think it lives to the reputation..I did notice one thing though, it was right next to an omer cayman alu 90 also..the gabbiano is like 10cm longer..which is ironic, since valerio grassi was the owner of omer at one point

Seatec measure guns slightly differently to many other manufacturers. 90cm is the length from the muzzle to the rear notch on the spear, rather than the total barrel length. Omer used to measure guns this way as well (which is why the old Master series guns were listed as slightly odd lengths, 71, 96 etc)

cheers
dave
Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment

[spaghetti]

I was sure you'd be loving this gun. As I do!
On the range thing, I think you're underestimating. Three meters from the hand is less than the verified accurate range of my shorter Gabbiano 77, armed with 16mm Dessault bands and 6,25mmx115cm Demka shaft.
I bet my left side testicle that your 90 must shoot decently till something longer than 3 meters and a half, something less than four.
However your impressions are correct: the up-down tracking is a not as good as in round barrell guns. And even if I think you underestimated the range of your gun, I think you're right when you say that this gun is not particularily powerful: must be due to bands working obliquely and a bit of drag from the rubber coated rail.
This said: superb accuracy, superb balance, superb recoil (total abscence of), superb trigger (just a bit loud).
Still my favourite gun!

[Marwan]

funny i didnt feel the trigger was loud at all..maybe its my hood but really now that i think about it, i didnt hear any noise...
you are probably correct about me underestimating range..i think it has to do with never shooting a 6.35mm spear before..i could see the spear at the end of its flight...i could not do that with my omer although its setup wth thinner bands and a heavier spear...could be also due to the angle of the bands..would like to try it with a slightly heavier spear just to get an idea...but thanks for highlighting this gun...i really like it

[Marwan]

Originally Posted by dave

Seatec measure guns slightly differently to many other manufacturers. 90cm is the length from the muzzle to the rear notch on the spear, rather than the total barrel length. Omer used to measure guns this way as well (which is why the old Master series guns were listed as slightly odd lengths, 71, 96 etc)

cheers
dave
Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment

Thanks Dave...intersting though, as that distance could vary if you use other brand spears..(the notches are not always exactle on the same length)..the guns length would be constantly variable in this case

[spaghetti]

The trigger is not loud, it's just a little bit. When you pull it you may hear a very quiet "dzing", a metal sound, due to the fact that both the whole trigger mech (stainless steel) and the cassette (the upper part of the handle, anodized alluminium) are made of metal.
I considered coating the inner-upper wall of the cassette with a patch of fabric, but it's not worth dismantling (I dont' dare to do that!), cause the "dzing" sound is indeed very quite however.
By the way, take care of the metal cassette up the handle: it's treated against corrosion, but you must commit to wash it with fresh water after use. Some stains might appear on it, but you'll easily rub them away.