Inflatable Spearing float designs & inflatable boogie boards

[Mr. X]

I've been thinking about float design recently. Although I prefer the idea of solid floats, inflatable floats are usually more practical for me, as I often walk in some distance to the coast. As I was mulling this over today, the phrase "inflatable boogie board" popped into my head - and Google provided some examples of products already available:


The high-end:
RipItUp Sports : Boogie Boards, Bodyboards, Boat Towables, Watersports, Ski tubes, Snow tubes , Snow sleds

And the low-end:
[ame=http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/INFLATABLE-BOOGIE-BOARD-LILO-SURF-POOL-KIDS-FLOAT-SWIM-_W0QQitemZ170502946480QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=&rvr_id=&cguid=94310e741200a0aad423bee3ff8ba1ef#ht_1877wt_928]INFLATABLE BOOGIE BOARD LILO SURF POOL KIDS FLOAT SWIM on eBay (end time 20-Jul-10 19:45:54 BST)[/ame]

 

[Mr. X]

Picasso have some interesting and robust-looking inflatable floats in their 2010 catalog(ue) - including an inflatable boogie board type spearing float. I've prepared pictures to post but lost my internet connection last night before I could post - they will follow soon.

 

[foxfish]

One benefit a hard foam board will have over an inflatable would be fixing points, fixing points for spare knife, filleting knife - I just stick them in the foam - fish keep, spare gun, torch etc.
Then there is the problem of wind turning you inflatable boogie into a kite!

 

[Don Paul]

I like the blow up one for two reasons.... 1. cute girls seem to like it.
2. You can always ride it after a long hike to the beach if the water is green
with no vis.
I saw a kids kayak here in the states for a 100.00 US that is just 6 feet long and is poly.

Cheers, Don

 

[podge]

Yer MrX that inflatable body board has a rather tasteful little black number on and a lovely smile mate, you can put me down for one of them at your earliest convenience.:inlove

 

[Mr. X]

Sorry Podge, I was referring to the boogie board at the front of the picture, I believe the cute young girl behind is real, rather than inflatable (although I could be wrong). However, it appears that you can mount the one below, if you really must.

Interesting point Foxfish - perhaps a new sport: kite spear fishing?! [ The attached gear, a few large wheel-balance leads, and the float line & winder usually keep things from getting airborne.]



Here are the Picasso pics. as promised.

 

[Mr. X]

Interesting idea Don, some of the more robust beach toys are not unlike some of the cheaper spearo floats.

Here are some of the other Picasso inflatable floats:

(I'd prefer the key pocket to be on the top of the float, where I can keep an eye on it, where it is drier and where it would cause less drag.)

They are more traditional in design but look more robust than normal (akin to the old RA inflatable floats with schraeder vales). The smooth coverings and substantial metal D-rings are nice features. A key feature I'm looking for, is a away to quickly and easily attach spearguns to the top, rather than underneath or at the sides (as shown above) - so that the spearguns don't get damaged and/or scratched up.

 

[podge]

Sorry Podge, I was referring to the boogie board at the front of the picture, I believe the cute young girl behind is real, rather than inflatable (although I could be wrong). However, it appears that you can mount the one below, if you really must.

I’ve mounted some stuff in my time mate but never a Picasso dive float roflroflrofl

 

[settingsteel]

I’ve mounted some stuff in my time mate but never a Picasso dive float roflroflrofl

good' ol Podge:friday

X- I like inflateables for travel, but IMO a solid floats hard to beat, I've been tinkering around with hard floats for awhile from foam to plastic and as of late seem to be vibing a balsa-core glass type, sorta like the old school surfboards.

 

[Mr. X]

Coincidently I too have been thinking of a balsa wood float. I've hand-carved a couple of large, long dough bowls/troughs recently (there is a proper name for these, which escapes me currently - I first saw them in the USA, old ones) and have been toying with carving a wooden float. Balsa might be good, being light, buoyant and easy to carve although I believe it is very expensive & hard to find in size here (folk normally just make small models with it here), and - unlaminated - its probably pretty weak.

A forum member (in central or possibly south America) has already made a laminated balsa float - might be worth searching for. In fact I think somebody might even be selling them commercially.

I guess those slabs of roof insulation foam would be the lower cost, modern alternative. I think Foxfish and Magpie used this.

 

[Don Paul]

Core Composites

Here is a great link that will give you some data.

Cheers, Don Paul

 

[Mr. X]

Here is a relatively inexpensive option from French(?) company Imersion, available from apnea.co.uk for £25 + shipping (+VAT?). It looks big enough to carry a speargun without being excessively large/heavy/expensive (anybody using one of these?):

 

[Mr. X]

Here are a couple of inflatables I added to a rather good earlier float thread, which is still active. I really like the look of this Italian Merou float - simple but tough looking:

Merou - Passione profonda - Boe Segnalatrici

***[Anybody know how much this cost or where you can get them?]***​

Here's their regular torpedo float - again a great, simple but robust looking design:

Not a float but, again, a very simple & elegant solution - this time a back-weight, with ball-tag to tuck into your quick-release weight-belt, without risk of hindering its release in an emergency (we like black & we like camo too):

 

[Mr. X]

For completeness, I'll include the Best Hunter float, which I also posted on the aforementioned thread. It's somewhat similar to the new Picasso inflatable 'board' float, above:

I'd only carry a single speargun though and that would be on top, not underneath - that's asking for trouble IMHO.

 

[Mr. X]

And this one for Sporasub. Very expensive yet very cheap looking . Pity. One of the forum members (in the USA, mid-West I think) made something like this (catamaran float) by strapping two torpedo floats together - looked more robust but also heavier.
https://www.apnea.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1123

 

[settingsteel]

Quite a variety of sleds/floats X, different strokes for diff folks, they all seem great in some areas yet lacking in other...which is the float of all floats? Aside from balsa I tried tinkering with cork (as I've had substantial experience making furniture from same), but weight wise balsa steered me towards her. In my investigations, quite a few factors come to play.
1- Tow-ability some of these floats are like towing a small yak
2- Stability although most are pretty stable when you add a flag many have a twendency to flip over, not a cool scene if you got some valuables strapped on
3-Hydrodynamics, if its right on it'll tow easily, but will it slow a fish when he's shot
4-Hardware, yep the positioning of the hardware is essential to attach floatline- shackle, to high or to low, or to weak an anchor point are all catastrophic.
5-Durability material needs to take a beating and still beat fish up
6-Transportability, not just to and from the dock, or from the boat and into the water (which are both important), but how it fairs an airfare are also important
7-Accessory attachments, lastly but quite important, this could be a thread in and of itself, as everyone has their list of must haves on their sled, right? But one must consider this- is your float primarily to drown fish? or is it to tow your dive gear? Kinda impossible to have them both, or is it?
to be continued....

 

[Don Paul]

These are great, but no cup holders ?:friday

Cheers, Don Paul

 

[Mr. X]

This are great, but no cup holders ?:friday

Typical American! (Was it the Caravan that was criticized in the US for not having enough cup holders? The next version had something like 32-cup holders built into it!rofl Nothing succeeds like excess!)

 

[Mr. X]

Nice post SettingSteel. Good summary of considerations. When you mentioned towing a small yak I laughed as I pictured one of those hairy Himalayan cows. Upon reflection though, perhaps you meant a kayak, although I guess the point is that either would be a pain to tow.

That's the main issue that has so far steered me away from from of those bigger dinghy/RIB-like floats from Sevylor/BestHunter/etc. (that and the price, size/weight). Although owners seem to like them (Podge/Scott, are you still liking yours?). I guess they might allow you to store scallops/crabs/lobsters out of the water (which could reduce drag considerably) but then the water keeps things fresh, wet, alive and away from flies.

For me, slowing down huge fish is not an issue - we just don't get them here (and if I was spearing abroad, I'd use my solid 11 litre solid RA float, with a back-up/bungee if necessary - or buy a Tommy Botha float, as used by Miles).

Having to carry the float for the walk-in/scramble-in is a more pressing concern for me in the UK

• * Size & weight (deflated) are therefore a concern for me. (Using a car pump/schraeder/presta valve wouldn't work well for me, it makes life easier if I can just blow the float up by mouth once on the beach.)
  
• * I'd like to keep my crab net out of the water (to reduce drag) & maybe carry a few items (cellphone in aquapack, compass, whistle, small water bottle, a small bag for found angling gear). Similarly 'd like to keep my stringer out of the way until I get a fish, then it needs to be quick deployed (I often dispatch with the stringer's spike).
  
• * A way carry a spare spear-gun on top, such that it is quick & easy to attach/detach, and is protected from bangs & scrapes on rocks.
  
• * Needs to be clearly visible (maybe 75-90cm long), visible above the water surface, with a proper dive flag (alpha-flag for the UK).
  
• * Affordable. Robust - built to last & repairable.
  

I've yet to appreciate a need to fin atop my float but it seems a popular feature with others - perhaps I'm missing something? Does it provide a good platform for clearing your mask/sinuses, fixing your gear? I see one of the larger dinghy-like floats even has a window to allow you to look down while fining - I guess that could help.

 

[settingsteel]

you seem to have it down X, seems like one of the featured floats should accomodate most of that and then some...I don't like to skimp, but just the same don't like to carry an ioda more than what I need...just that the more you carry the more you lose...seems you got your essential pretty streamlined too.
whistle
rolled up carter float
spare spear, rigged and ready to go
GPS
Bug snare (when in season)
rolled up mesh bag (for bugs when in season)

hmmm the cell phone is tempting...nawwwwwwwrofl