It's beautiful. If you're made it yourself, you're an artist (hawaiian gun makers seem to be very talented indeed).
My only perplexity is on the bright colour. In Europe we don't use bright colour guns, they seem to scare away our shy european fish. But I guess this is no issue for bluwater hunting with your big fat hawaian fish?
Mahalo Spago and all, for the kuds and words of encouragement. Considering experience and skill of the folk on this island, it is especially generous to seem lumped into the group of 'talented Hawai'ian Gun Makers.'
Months ago, when I first started thinking about an all-around, mid-range gun with some blue water capabilities - some of the big guys were willing to talk story with me and extended much ohana. Darryl Wong met with me at 4PM on a Friday after his work, brought out a bunch of guns, and spent more than an hour stokin' me out with fishing stories and explaining properties of the GR/Magnum Hybrids. Rob White's site at Kona Blue Water Hunter has always been a solid reference. For being a mellow guy, the man has a serious kung-fu grip. Also helpful was the ability to just walk into the main Hanapa'a store - ask to see a 55 Yokooji enclosed track, and study its dimensions. My friend Glen Suzuki, who makes custom spears and guns there, advised me on a number of the basics. In the pictures you see here, he crafted the shaft with special 'fins.' The Alexander 'blueprints' were also assuring. Some of the tougher parts of the build were made easier with his trigger mech, and Neptonic enclosed track. It kinda sounds like a laundry list here, but I'm trying to say the work is a fusion of much collective knowledge and experience. These guys are my teachers - and I'm thankful for that.
This is my first build. It's a prototype of sorts. Hence, the non-stealthy paint job.
Mature, aged, straight-grain teak isn't sold at a number of the basic hardware stores here. I don't even see it at specialty shops. In the last three months of searching, all of the teak I came across (on-island) was young, and burled (or had knot holes) but still selling for US$26-29 a board foot. For reasons of availability, and lower risk (in case of a major goof up), I decided my first gun would be a study in the substitution of mahogany/carbon fiber laminate for teak laminate. Later on, after I had already made the vertical part of the blank, I did come across some mature, straight grain, Burmese teak. You see a bar of that at the bottom of the gun, forming the cross piece.
The gun is also a study of the Heinrich release. Since the pictures posted above, I've been doing some testing in the shallows of Kualoa Beach (10 minutes down the road). When using 2mm/400# Electralume monofilament, my top bight of tag line sometimes slipped off the rear fin. Some mods were performed. A rig that better secures the tag line is below.
Can't say it's whacked any fatties yet, but agree there is much challenge and fun in sneaking up on the skittish smaller fish. We have the uhu uliuli here (male blue parrotfish). They are one of the toughest. If they see you, they swim FAST. Stone one of those and we throw a party.
If anything cool gets stuck on the end - I'll let you know.
