Best Float choice

[jurrasic]

I am new to spearfishing and have read the threads on floats, the one I fancy is the omer atoll bouy looks a nice size to warn boaters that I am underneath and also good storage to carry things. This will be used in UK south coast. What are peoples thoughts on this and are there better choices of floats, like less drag, does it blow over etc.

 

[portinfer]

That is a nice float.

Spend what you can afford.

I made one from building insulation, wire, gaffer tape and some rope I found - infact all of the stuff was found except for a can of orange fluoro. spray paint. Total cost ? About £4.

I don't care if it gets bashed by rocks etc. You can shape one any dimensions you like and attach eyelets for bungee that you can buy from any chandlers for about 55p per metre (might be cheaper where you are ).

At any rate making your own gear is fun. I think the Omer float is about £40 ?

Might be worth having a go at making one ?

You could even buy a flag and then make a mast on the float to make it more visible.

A mate bought an inflatable one from apnea in Jersey and it is very good. THe line that comes with it tangles as it is tto thin but he bought some black elastic bungee cord (about 10m I think) and that seems to work better and tangle alot less. I think that was about £20 - the torpedo double skin inflatable. THe inshore Omer floats look very good - again depends on cash...

Cheers
Ed

 

[Oldsarge]

I got one of those inflatables and agree the line that comes with it is too thin. Black elastic bungee cord, hmmmm? I like the idea. Must go shopping.

 

[grahamfoster]

As portfinder suggests, making your own float is a good idea and you can actually make something better than is available to buy. This is a float I made based on a cheap boogie board - known as (tounge in cheek) the 'Superbouy'. The straps run round the board and can be slackened to allow it to be worn as a backpack and tightened for steamlining. The bungee and d rings on the deck allows all sorts of kit to be carrred - both whilst diving and when your walking to the water. This was the main motivation to make it actually - a way of managing kit for long walks to shoredive sites. The reel makes managing the line much easier and it used to have a diver down flag untill a recent cap-size incident in the surf!

There are a couple of things that could be improved. A mesh pocket under the bungee webbing works much better; clip on straps would be less hasle; the bow sometimes digs in and coud do with more volume. These issues will be addressed with the next incarnation - the imaginitively named 'mk 2 superbouy' currently on the drawing board.

By the way, the Apnea shop in jersey are about to order diver down flags on thier own if anyone is interested.

 

[jurrasic]

Still not sure which float to use hope a few more people will respond, like the idea of the body board but dont like the space they take up so that was why I liked the infatable float. Your answers have thrown up a few new questions.
what rope to use on the float ?
Use a reel, winder or not ?
Hold the rope, anchor the rope, clip it to gun, use a break away on belt or are there any other ideas.
I could not find any long lengths of bungee on the internet as mentioned by portinfer.

 

[Erik]

I use a tire tube in a round scuba float ( http://www.tridentdive.com/page118.htm ) It has attatchment for D-rings and 2 zippered compartments in it. I hang my stringer of the float and the 18 metre float line to the gun handle. Plus I can keep a thermos and some water in the float, my sandals for entry/exit, and car keys. The float line is stowed inside the float compartment. It's the cats ass!
The main reason I bought this float is so that I can stow the fish inside it when exiting, to avoid the questions from people on the beach.
Whatever you use, I would highly recommend that you buy a proper float line with the clips on it. I tried a lot of different things and they were all crap and always tangled.
Peace,
Erik Y.

 

[ben]

I made my own too! just a simple white boat fender, with hole at each end. One end attaches to my float line which is 15m of 6 or 7mm poly tube with dynema line core which is sealed and therefore floats that attaches to my gun. Its not a breakaway or anything, its just because i dont want to be permanently attached to a cord in case it snags. On the other end of the float i attach my stringer and other stuff.

If there is a big swell or surf or lots of fish on the stringer I have a plastic stopper about 1m back from the gun which i can clip onto a wichard shackle (quick release) on my belt. This way i isolate the movement of the float from the gun.

When done or if im fishing in shallow water i can shorten the float line by wrapping it around the fender and securing with a bungy cord......

Works for me!

 

[Alison]

Whatever you use, I would highly recommend that you buy a proper float line with the clips on it. I tried a lot of different things and they were all crap and always tangled.
Peace,
Erik Y.

Most definitely agree! I made mine out of clear pvc tubing from B&Q, some nylon parachute cord, 2 swivels and some silicone sealer, there are instructions on Bill Kitto's site they never tangle and never get punctured

Start with 5/16" outer diameter clear vinyl tubing the desired length of your floatline. 50 to 75 feet is a good length. Attach a vacuume cleaner to one end with a near air tight seal (usind duct tape). Get kite string and vacume it through the tubing. Attach 300 lb test tuna cord, 1/8 in nylon or dacron line, or 2mm/3mm spectra to the kite string and pull it through with the kite string. Attach 6mm barrel swivel to one end of cord with 2 crimps spaced at lease 1/2" behind swivel and at least 1/2" apart from one another. Attach the other end of cord to a stationary object. Insert silicone rubber into end of tube and dip it into hot water to soften the end. Pull the tube over the swivel until it passes the swivel rotation line. Tie constricter knots between swivel and first crimp and between two crimps. This holds the tube onto the end. Now relax the line inside the tube and repeat at the other end to attach the swivel. Put 1/2" heat-shrink tubing over each end and heat carefully to shrink so as to protect the knots from abrasion. Trim tube around swivel line so the swivel will turn properly. Attach clips to ends as desired. Long-line clips and pigtail swivels both work well.

 

[Alison]

Oh forgot
heres a good place to buy clips, mono crimps etc in both the UK and the US
Check out the tips page for how to crimp etc

 

[jurrasic]

Clear vinyl tubing looks good, will have a look at B&Q. Bill Kittos site has good explanation and the Leadertec site has some useful bits as well thanks for the info.
Perhaps we should set up a link to various websites with useful information related to spearfishing, freediving etc.
What length floatline do you use for up to 45 foot depth, though most of the time I will be shallower I.E 10 to 30 foot ?
Does the inner core have to be a braid or can I use 300LB monofilament ?
Think I will stick to the Omer atoll bouy unless some one puts me off, though I would like to hear from some one that actually uses one.

 

[dave]

For UK diving there isnt really any need to put a core inside the vinyl tubing, as it is never going to have to stand up to the stress of a tuna pulling on it! Just seal the ends and form loops. Another option is to use PVC coated washing line (again just seal the ends)
Personaly I prefer to use 4mm floating rope, as it has less drag than the (thicker) pvc tube and I dont find tangling a problem (it also has the advantage that I can tie crustaceans up in it as I never carry a bag)
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk

 

[Erik]

What length floatline do you use for up to 45 foot depth, though most of the time I will be shallower I.E 10 to 30 foot ?
.

60' line is fine. I have a carabiner ziptied on the line at the 30' mark that I connect to the float when I'm doing shallow stuff, just so I don't have to chase the float around to string my fish up.
Peace,
Erik Y.

 

[donmoore]

PVC tubing, with nylon cord inside, is really good around coral. But Alison, I have managed to puncture one, but they hold up better than anything else I know of. You wouldn’t believe how much I have wrapped them around coral when diving the inside of an oilrig. Some large fish will wrap it on purpose if you don’t get a killing shot. Some times it takes several minutes just to unweave it from the rig legs and cross members.

Any kind of bungee, rope, etc. won’t hold up to this much coral contact.
don

 

[Kev]

Have a look at the cressi-sub float its a good size, made of very tough PVC and has a double bladder. Because its made of PVC the colour does not fade. I have been using one now for the last three seasons and I can find nothing wrong with it. I have used Omer Bouys in the past and they are fine, however the material they are made of fades very quickly, within a year you have a float that is almost white. Looking at the Atoll bouy it does look a bit flat ( although i can never tell from internet pictures.) I don't no if this type of profile will be very visable or particularly easy to drag through the water.
I got my float from Portland Oceanering and they offer a very good service, I am also sure that Neil Howarth of APNEA in Jersey sells them.

 

[pikappetapi022]

I made my own float line out of a 50ft section of hollow braid polypropylene line. I put a long-line swivel clip through one end and formed a loop by pushing the trailing end into the middle of the rest of the line. Since it is hollow braid line the butt end fits in the middle great it when pulled on from the trailing end it cinches down on it shelf (It's the same theory behind the old kids toy "the chinese fingercuffs"). To ensure it won't pull back through I sew waxed thread through the line from the loop to were the double line ends. On the other end you have 2 options, make a open loop to attach your float to, or, you can attach another long line clip. Since I use a RA with a long line clip already attached to the handle I use a loop on both ends of my primary line and have a clip on my float. It was cheap and easy to make, works great, floats, and hardly ever tangles. The only thing it doesn't do is stretch but for $5 what do you expect!

 

[grahamfoster]

I use a leader of 2mm mono which is much less tangley than that terrible stuff that seems to come as standard with every float. I have about 5 or 6 meters of it - when I need to go deeper i let out the reel. I don't think the reel system would work very well with a normal float though - needs solid base and would make a lot of drag if you let hang loose.

 

[jurrasic]

Thanks for all comments on the best floats and ropes still a bit undecided about rope but then a lot of you use different ideas so I guess there is no perfect solution to the perfect float and rope.
Keep me posted if any one does have the perfect solution to ropes and floats.

 

[dave]

In the 1954 classic "Modern Spearfishing" Vane Ivanovic has this to say about floats;
"Nothing, of course can beat a tireless and enthusiastic girlfriend who will follow you in a rowing boat wherever you go, take the fish off your spear, keep them in the boat and render this service the sweeter with a stream of admiring exclamations" rofl
cheers
dave
www.spearo.co.uk

 

[jurrasic]

Afraid my wife said "Any sensible wife or girlfriend would be off shopping"
So its back to a float unless there is any willing lady who will follow me in a boat

 

[jurrasic]

I have purchased my clear pvc tubing from www.attwoodaquatics.com there price 25p per meter. Look under heading pumps and bits.