Home made float

[Padaxes]

Hi guys, Im in the design stages of building my own float.

Its going to be shaped foam and fibreglass (like a surfboard) about the size of a bodyboard so i can rest on it. racks for two spears on it and have two straps on the top so I can carry it like a rucksack.

My plan is to have a removable container sunk into its deck and a chopping board. Along with some clips etc for equipment and obviously attaching my leash.

I thought I would post here and see if anyone had any advice , or any ideas for features that will be useful that I havnt thought of, after all everyone here has loads more experience than me!

Its for Uk waters and small fish.

 

[jtkwest]

great idea, i had the same. what foam will you use? that is the dilemna. i was thinking to use a bodyboard/paddle board. like the kids use at the pool, and just shape it, then cover it with glass, i have been trying to come up with a way to attach the loop, probably just embedd a loop or something in the glass

 

[Padaxes]

My plan is to get a nice big offcut from a surfboard blank manufacturer. Im thinking about glassing in sockets or screws or metal loops havnt finalised that, my mate is a surfboard shaper so im going to get his advice.

 

[Mr. X]

There are several threads on this sort of thing. I think Magpie did one (perhaps shaped foam & fibre glass?). I came across an old polyurethane(?) foam sleeping mat at the weekend & wondered if rolled up & covered somehow it might make a reasonable float. I was thinking of putting a short speargun down the centre but that would be awkward to retrieve, so perhaps it would need to be glue & a slot cut from top to centre-hole, so a second speargun could be place in it & drawn relatively easily. Not sure if I can be bothered carrying 2 guns to the sea though!

 

[foxfish]

Fiberglass sound like a great idea but will your float stand up to the knock & bangs of spearfishing? Fiberglass is heavy too, I know some surf boards are light but they also suffer bad from dings, I think you would need at least 2x2oz layers of glass + a water proof top coat to survive any length of time?
Foam is popular as a float, I used an old boggy board just reshaped it a little & added all the necessary fittings.
I have noticed that the surf schools over here now use full 6' foam long board for rent & lessons, I would think one like that would be a great base.
http://forums.deeperblue.com/attach...431678-diy-boogie-board-float-p1020885-1-.jpg

 

[Spear0Joe]

I agree with foxfish, my mate is always moaning about dings and pressure marks in his surfboard, check a thread by milkman on home made float, he did a brill job.

Joe

 

[chrisreynolds]

http://forums.deeperblue.com/diy-homemade/81693-winter-blues-bodyboard-float-belt-stringer.html

THIS IS MILKMANS HANDYWORK

 

[Padaxes]

That IS good! Better than my boogyboard float , same principal just much better execution!

 

[Lenny]

I have had 2 similar ideas, I thought of makeing a really thick one, that perhaps one could sit on or something, or turn it into a compartment. I don't know how possible it is as i said i was just thinking.

Some suggestions:

You could make the deck(top) slightly hollowed out with a cargo net over it, kinda like most of the boggie board floats, but if you have a hollow, your stuff wont stick out as much which will make it much easier for you to rest on top of it comfortably.

I don't really see the point of glass fibering a boogie board, all you are doing is just adding more weight to somethging that already works fine.

Let me know what you foam you use, and how it works.

My plans are to make something bigger than a boogie board, (i'd like to be able to paddle out on it) but smaller than a kayak because i would like to be able to carry it on my back. It's sounds a bit crazy, but i think if i can get it right it would be really cool. I was thinking of either making it from scratch useing a similar technique to yours (hense my interest in this thread) or perhaps modifying a small paddle ski (building in compartments and gun clips etc.)

 

[jtkwest]

check the neptonics website, he has custom fiberglass floats that look really nice. i think the significance is that if you use a foam float for blue water and you shoot a big enough fish to drag it down for a while, it will crush/shrink at depth. that is why most ,(maybe all?) floats have hard shells of some variety or another,(most are plastic that i have seen) some people use floats for reef fishing just for safety, or to hang their stringers or whatever. in that case, you can use anything.i personally dont use a float anywhere but blue water. in which case i use a lifeguard float, filled with closed cell foam to make it crushproof, at depth. this is the same float used by terry maas to take bluefin tuna. he uses three in a tandem with 150ft of line in each, i use just the one, with a 100 ft riffe float line attached to a 10 ft bungee

 

[Padaxes]

Hey Lenny,

Well I may have a part of it with a net over it but im planning on having a removable container fitted into it instead on long dives I dont like having the fish up in the open air Ive had them covered in flies etc before and on hot days im sure it aint good.

As for the foam I was going to get some off cuts from surfboard blanks but they still cost so it looks like im going to use polystyrene and epoxy to glass it. My mate who is a surfboard shaper assures me it will do just fine. The epoxy is pretty tough too.

Mine will be big enough to lie on like a boogyboard as well for resting and paddling.

JTK, im only going for small fish here in the UK so the whole depth crush problem isnt an issue. Im not sure about those neptonics floats mine is going to me more like the seatech nautilus (hopefully!!! lol)

 

[Lenny]

Question 1 - polystyrene is made up of little foam balls, does this not make it nearly impossible to get a smooth finish/smooth shape?

Question 2 - most glues and paints melt polystyrene, how does fiberglass resin/the stuff u useing, react with it?

 

[Padaxes]

Well this wasnt my idea but my mates , the surfboard shaper.

He maintains that it works, I was a bit (and maybe still am) dubious myself.

The traditional fiber glass resin will melt it but the epoxy stuff he uses now (like surftech boards) doesn't apparently.

Its a cheap material so i will try it first and let you know if its not up to the shaping process.

 

[Lenny]

Great, thanks! - It's good to have forums like this where we can share ideas, questions, successes and failures, it helps save each other wasteing time and money on stuff that doesnt work :friday

 

[kanakafari]

Josh over at Neptonics does have some excellent kelp carrot floats to choose from but speking from experience, they are prone to dinging and breaking when utilizing around rocky areas. I have been toying around with some ideas that might be of interest to you regarding the construction and materials required for a LARGER float. I currently use a "kelp carrot" that I made myself from some local hardware items and it floats AND is 100x more durable than those store bought floats. PM me for info. Hell.....you might even kick yourself for not thinking of it yourself. A hui hou

 

[JCooke]

Just paint the inside and shoot some urethene foam into a plastic bottle with a line through it and "TADA".

you can make many sizes 20oz 1LT 2LT 1GAL......

 

[Padaxes]

Hmmm im not interested in simple floats really, mines going to be all singing all dancing

Ive found sheets of polystyrene that are used in building for flooring or insulation, they are about 2 inches thick and really fine so no `bobbly bits` going everywhere , more like the consistency of surfboard foam im going to glue 3 or 4 sheets together using PVA to make my blank.

 

[kanakafari]

Padaxes,

if you're gonna go all out on your float, I would use polyethylene foam instead of polystyrene. Buoyancy billets are great for the core material and cheap. If you can find someone to vacuum form the whole thing for you then even better. If you are gonna do it by hand, make sure the epoxy allows enough curing time to work with it for as long as possible. Do not rush the process and plan it out on paper with several different variations so you can incorporate everything you are looking for into the initial project. Later on, you can fine-tune attachments, flashers, tuna clips, etc.

let me know if you have any questions. I am currently working on a polynesian flat boat made from billets. This will give me easier access to our kelp beds than a kayak and with less hassle of boarding and unboarding.

Good luck with your project.

 

[foxfish]

Hi kanakafari, have you got any pics of your float project?

 

[Padaxes]

Hey Kana, obviously foam would be better , but my mate has convinced me that polystyrene is a good option for those on a budget, hes a shaper and currently making a paddle board out of polystyrene himself so is advising me on matters of shaping and glassing.

Id be interested to hear about your project as well, any and all advice is welcome!