European screw-on wishbones - 16mm v. 18mm v. 20mm - Omer v. Picasso v. ....

[cmburch]

I have the Mako adapter. It has a round bulbous end that fits into the bulk rubber.

MAKO Spearguns - Euro Muzzle Adapters

I was going to purchase the SpearoTek adapters, but I thought the round end of the Mako would hold better in the band than the tapered end of the SpearoTek.

Mares' caps fits the adapter threading fine.

Picasso's caps are very tight after about 3 turns.

 

[Lazuli]

I found Imersion threads to be incompatible with Cressi wishbone threads, and Cressi wishbone threads a very tight fit on one half of an OMER circular sling. All seems a bit random really (one reason I ditched the screw-in scene!:t)

Some pics for you X where you can see the Dyneema system I've adopted:

 

[Mr. X]

Nice pics. The metal rings are interesting, is that something you made with a bead?

Sounds to me like maybe Picasso & Cressi are the same, finer thread. And, maybe, Omer/Mares/Beuchat are the same coarser thread(?).

Like the side line guide on the Cayman handle. Had to route my line round the line release on the other side when I was having problems getting the wishbone to stay in a few weeks ago.

 

[spaghetti]

Mr. X back to your question, well I don't know wether the Mako adaptor might fit both Cressi and Omer. Could be they made it an "intermediate measurement" between Omer screws and Cressi's, so that it might fit on noth (even if not perfectly) but I'm just guessing: I havent' tried those bits of kit so I'm just talking theoretically.
However, if you mean to use those adaptors for your Omer XXV, I must say that they (Mako adaptors) look quite heavy, and the XXV is a very particular gun: it's buoyancy balance is very delicate, and I guess those thingies might impair the balance...

 

[Mr. X]

You are right Spaghetti, the weight would spoil the super lightweight ethos of the Omer XXV. I was just curious and mentioned it to SpearIt so that they were at least aware that their might be an issue.

At the moment, I'm using the original Omer screw-in bands & the caps from the Omer wishbone with the dyneema & washers from the Picasso wishbone -> slight reduction in mass. Plan to move to bulk rubber + push-in & tied RA dyneema wishbone later (next season). Not sure yet how that will change the mass. Removing the metal & plastic muzzle wishbone will reduce the weight & complexity somewhat but there will be more rubber "in play" (which is a good thing, I think). Hoping I won't need a stick-on rail.

 

[Mr. X]

BTW I was toying with the idea of trying to get one or two 6.3mm, double-notch, RA "universal" spears for the Omer XXVs. RA's spear for the RA 70 is likely the same length as Omer's spear for the Omer XXV. Was thinking the RA grooved or pinned notches [UPDATE - pinned only available on 7mm+ diameter spears]:

Rob Allen spearguns, railguns and other spearfishing and freediving accessories.​

... combined with the dull brown finish might be useful: I was conscious of the fish seeing my speargun last time out, in unusually clear conditions. I normally like the big RA barbs but, again, perhaps inappropriate for the superlight XXV. Although I see they offer various sizes now:

[BTW what do the Italian spearos use for wetsuit lube?].

 

[cmburch]

I use these adapters for my Dyneema wishbones:
MAKO Spearguns - Stainless Steel Wishbone Inserts

I also use Picasso screw on Dyneema Wishbones.

Mares offers the clip style Dyneema wishbones, but I have not seen them in the US.
Mares - Pure Instinct

 

[Mr. X]

Re. beads/wishbone loops: Those Mares beads look good - I wonder if that's what Lazuli used? Pastor kindly showed some images of his beads, which were simple drilled beads that he'd passed thick (3mm?) dyneema through & knotted; simple but affective.

I've also seen knotted loops of thick (3mm?) dyneema used too - with no bead - the knot itself (probably an overhand knot doubled surgeon-fashion) acts as the bead. I was thinking of trying this, although I have some "nylon" RA tear-drop beads. I've also seen wishbones that just have stopper knots (no bead) at the ends - possibly from Riffe?

 

[cmburch]

Dyneema thicker than 2mm will not fit easily in my Picasso shaft notches.

I also thought of this, but opted for the SS inserts that I could easily change the Dyneema.
http://www.neptonicsystems.com/insertion%20tool.htm

 

[Lazuli]

Re. beads/wishbone loops: Those Mares beads look good - I wonder if that's what Lazuli used?

Yep that is them, although I purchased them in the generic Subprof Dyneema Wishbone Mounting Kit . They are a nice bit of kit. Light due to the plastic spherical bead and strong stainless steel for the loop. Ideal if you use a 1.8-2mm Dyneema rope wishbone.

 

[mundial]

MR-X
as i told old man dave
you can take a 6.3 shaftwith sharkfins
take a seatec one a great spear to use
hard & flexible
you dont need to mes up with shaping the notch for dyneema

good luck

 

[Mr. X]

Thanks for the tip Mundial , I think spearo.co.uk carry Seatec spears of some sort - I recall somebody in Bristol mentioning they used & liked them.

I went for a dive Saturday & the hybrid set up worked well (screw-in bands, muzzle wishbone stop removed, dyneema wishbone). It felt much easier & safer to load. As well as polishing the grooves I gave them a spray with dry silicone lube (an idea I got off the RobAllen.co.za website). No more fraying, abrasion or friction . Didn't see any fish to shoot unfortunately - just a couple of small pollock & small wrasse .

 

[Lazuli]

I was recently contacted by a chap called Marco from http://www.absoluteblue.net
They seem to have a good range of bits 'n bobs for rigging and tweaking one's set-up. Shame the rubber prices are a bit upscale, but then again there has been a worldwide increase in the price of rubber in recent years.

X, glad to hear things are coming together on the dyneema front. Like you say, all we need is something to target!

 

[MCerieiro]

Hi guys and thanks for the input Lazuli!

Bulk rubber as indeed suffered a upscale in recent years, and we need to be careful with some low price and even low quality rubber that is on the market.

Absolute Blue bulk rubber is USA Latex only, it can seems a bit more expensive, but if you think in Performance + durability VS Price, it really worth's the difference IMHO, especially our "Iggy ultra power sandow"

Returning to the main subject of this topic, i agree that the best alternative nowadays is to buy a kit and convert your "screw on wishbones", and i say this based on several aspects, bulk rubber is less expensive, a dyneema wishbone is much more silent, you don't hurt your fingers when unexpectedly the wishbone comes out the spear notch, its easy to carry some dyneema cable with you and in case you have a problem its really easy to change the wishbone cable...etc...etc...

We have 2 pieces that make it easy to convert a "classic" and will last for sure more than the gun.

The Bulk Converter Kit (with a new design) and the Mushroom Wishbone both pieces are made from Stainless Steel and were made to last! - Pictures in attachment i can take some pictures of a converted gun i have so you can see how it looks, let me know if you find it would be interesting!

Cheers
Marco

 

[Lazuli]

Hi guys and thanks for the input Lazuli!

Bulk rubber as indeed suffered a upscale in recent years, and we need to be careful with some low price and even low quality rubber that is on the market.

Absolute Blue bulk rubber is USA Latex only, it can seems a bit more expensive, but if you think in Performance + durability VS Price, it really worth's the difference IMHO, especially our "Iggy ultra power sandow"

Returning to the main subject of this topic, i agree that the best alternative nowadays is to buy a kit and convert your "screw on wishbones", and i say this based on several aspects, bulk rubber is less expensive, a dyneema wishbone is much more silent, you don't hurt your fingers when unexpectedly the wishbone comes out the spear notch, its easy to carry some dyneema cable with you and in case you have a problem its really easy to change the wishbone cable...etc...etc...

We have 2 pieces that make it easy to convert a "classic" and will last for sure more than the gun.

The Bulk Converter Kit (with a new design) and the Mushroom Wishbone both pieces are made from Stainless Steel and were made to last! - Pictures in attachment i can take some pictures of a converted gun i have so you can see how it looks, let me know if you find it would be interesting!

Cheers
Marco

Hi Marco, I like the look of your Mushroom wishbone inserts. Great website as well. Best of luck with the business.
I may well come to you for some Iggy rubber 16mm when my current batch wears out. Also tempted by your floatlines, in particular the bungee one.
Cheers

 

[MCerieiro]

Hi Marco, I like the look of your Mushroom wishbone inserts. Great website as well. Best of luck with the business.
I may well come to you for some Iggy rubber 16mm when my current batch wears out. Also tempted by your floatlines, in particular the bungee one.
Cheers

Hiya,

Well what can i say...one thing i am sure, you will not be disappointed, the Iggy Rubber is indeed very good, soft and very progressive so it make very good and long shots and having this characteristics it is also possible to cut them a bit shorter to have a more "explosive" shoots i am currently using it in all my guns, from my smaller 60 / 75 / 90 cm ones until the 130 and the 165 cm wood.

As for the Bungies and Floatlines everything is made by us in our workshop, we are testing a new Floatline this summer, it will be the "Heavy Duty Floatline" 2nd generation and it is made from 9 mm Synthetic Rubber with dyneema cord inside and a breaking strain yet do decide but at least 320 Kg.

The bungies are a must for Blue Water, but notice its latex so you have to be careful with it however if you are going to the Blue after the big ones you really have to consider it.

Cheers,
Marco

 

[Mr. X]

Mushroom inserts = stainless steel/aluminium Clevis Pins?

Yes, rubber prices have gotten silly in Europe - it's just rubber after all, and shipping costs can be very high from many EU countries. I found the US prices for bulk rubber significantly lower, e.g. Spearitco.com, The worlds largest selection of Speargun Bands and Do-It-Yourself Spearfishing Supplies. While the USA may seem far away, shipping is just as quick and often cheaper. US Companies generally provide very good service/customer satisfaction too (perhaps a combination of their good attitude, competition, business sense and mechanisms like the Better Business Bureau & the Chambers of Commerce) & the quality of American made products is usually good (robust) in my experience.

Marco, not sure what shipping costs are like from Portugal, but if you can "drop ship" direct from suppliers in France/USA to customers in countries like the UK, I suspect shipping costs will be lower than from, say, Spain/Italy/Germany/Romania - which are often shockingly expensive (I use a small company in the UK that resells DHL and Fedex at reduced rates).

If you are going bluewater hunting, it's nice to have a one-stop-shop that can provide all the gear. Those floats & handmade spearguns look cool - not quite mid-handle, neat design.

 

[strangelove]

I am still looking for the screew end tips !

 

[Mr. X]

Marco sells them - see image above!

 

[strangelove]

I was looking for the original plastic ones.