Powerhead

[Dogmatrix]

Guys i need a hand. I would like to purchase a powerhead.
The reason i am looking for one is purely protection.. nothing else.
I don't eat sharks and I don't shoot sharks, cept the fish n chips is probly shark...

I remember hearing somone say they had a powerhead that just slips over the top of their spear tip.. anyone know who makes thease or are they home made ect...

the reason i ask is if using a hawain shaft N tricut point ect i won't have a thread.. so the screw on ones are no good!

hopefully some good suggestions come out of this... otherwise i have to dive with a second speargun off my float.

Cheers

 

[Abriapnea]

Hi Dog , not a pro in this but used to make them with a piece of aluminm tube (length and width depending on ammo used), seal with silicone and lightly crimp . Am sure you will find far more detailed info from our resident tech heads

 

[Dogmatrix]

There was a post about these a while back and in it the disposable ones are mentioned... i would love to get hold of one of these... any idea's who i would go through to get one.. over here you need a license for them... so I will have to get the gun dealer to order it for me... i think anderson mentioned he mught know a manufacturer or dealer... anyhow please get back to me if you know anymore! Abriapnea I am hoping to get a comercialy available one... but if worst comes to worst... you could be right i will have to ask the tech heads to give me some designs

 

[Skindiver]

Powerheads.

El Doggo..

I dive in Northern SA waters and we are fair game for mostly chunky Zambezi's ( Bulls) but also others too. I keep a powerhead in my wetsuit sleeve for incase. I have not speared many fish. I dont shoot protected fish and I'm proud to be a spearo and a freediver. Actually i'm VERY proud to be a spearo and a freediver. I have never had 'cause' to use a powerhead though i could have interpreted things differently on a few occasions if i were so inclined.

To tell you about powerheads after reading Cuban whassits - largest grouper - post, i feel would be simply irresponsible. I know about these things, exactly how to make them, where to buy them ( in my country ) and the laws governing owning the ammo ( in my country ). Id love to tell you why they dont slip off the threadless tri - cut hawaiian shaft....

But I have decided NOT to tell you because of 'Cuban' diver and his type.

Now i am not lumping you in with this lot, i dont even know you, but there you have it. This is just another way that rapists are stuffing it all up for you... and I.

Sorry for all of us.

Skindiver.

 

[narked]

Personally I say tell him. He's made his intentions clear, and if he's simply making it up to get info on these, then we wouldn't know. But I doubt he's after it for anything other than protection.
However, if you don't want it to be readable here by others like cubandiver, then use the private messaging facility or email.

Don't let idiots stop you from sharing useful, hell possibly even life saving, information from genuine responsible spearfishers. It'll just make the situation worse really.

Matt

 

[andrsn]

thanks for your concern, skindiver. i know the majority of us wince when we hear of others acting irresponsibly in the sport we love, but we have to realize that our roles as purists will be more admired as leaders than repressors. deterring the bad apples is way beyond our control.

as for the power heads, dogmatrix... grab sterling's email off my website and ask him what he's got. you can get a slip on one or a pinned on one.

personally, i don't use them. i find them too dangerous and overrated. i plan on installing a small "bayonette" on the bottom side of my gun, cause most of the time i have problems with sharks is when my spear is in a fish(then the powerhead's useless). plus, i think having a powerhead is just an excuse to spearfish irresponsibly. especially when you've got other divers in the water with you.

i like the bayonette because you don't have to mortally wound the shark, to keep them at bay. also, you don't have to reload anything.

respectfully,
anderson

 

[rigdvr]

Like the idea A, but I would probably end up gigging myself:blackeye

 

[andrsn]

cap it!

keep it capped(just like the tip covers you put on your spear) until you need to use it.

andrsn

 

[Dogmatrix]

Thankyou for all the input all. I am not a wacko spearo i am just your average joe who would prefere not to be eaten... i am not interested in chasing sharks... hopefully nor they me. the only reason i am after a powerhead (preferably disposable) is for "just in case". skindiver your concerns are fair enough and i understand fully how you feel. However as anderson has pointed out... this could save my life one day. I am in no way being decietful when i say that I'm not interested in shooting sharks as you need to register powerheads over here.. so there is to much effort to go to in order to get a hold of numerous disposeables.

anyway I hope you rethink and send me the infomation you possess. you don't need to make it public just let me know though the private Messaging system.
all the best

 

[Iyadiver]

Matrix,

In Australia ( probably Sea Hornet or something ), they have a C02 model instead of exploding bullets. I seen and carry both at one time but never use them. After reading a few accidents with exploding bullets powerheads ( I know a bit about firearm ), I think the exploding bullet type is dangerous.

Anyway what hurt the predator most is the expansion of the gas not the projectile. This is why it is best that exploding blanks are used. Sorry I can't remember the brand cause they are not mine, i just got to carry them last time. At least know you know that there is a C02 model which is safer for the diver.

I think Anderson is right, if ur shaft is in the game fish, a powerhead is useless cause you have no method of delivery. Some people carry a stick to use with a powerhead. U might be able to get or make a telescopic one with a stand by length of 50cm or something. A triple stage telescopic stick might get u a total length o 120 cm or so.

I am sure the C02 has no licence required and you need to stab the predator for a few seconds to release the entire C02 content. Body shots are not so good with this one, they assumed. I think the lethal area will be gill and stomach contents.....something like that. So the predator supposedly blow like a ballon at 1800 psi CO2 pressure.

That's all me can tell. Hope u never need one. Cause if there are more than 1 sharks..........hmmm...an U/W UZI or MP-5 ????

IYA

 

[Dogmatrix]

*grins* perhaps that big gun you showed us all a few months back... looked like an M16 and fired a huge bolt.. now that i could use!!!! *grins* yeah you could be right about those CO'2 powerheads I will look into if they need licensing or not... I had a look at a sea hornet but it is only screw on... no slip on. it's 12 guage (doesn't worry me) and it is also $175.00 that seems a fair bitt to pay for a 2 pieces of pipe ad a detonater that I could make myself for a few $$...

*grins* see how we go.

 

[ivan]

hi

My dad has one of those powerheads that slip on to the tri cut point it is a 44 magnum im pretty sure, there is a cable that slips over the barb to keep it coming off and when it shoots the tip dentonates it. he got it home made.

cheers

 

[Shadowkiller]

Hey Dogmatrix

Here in NSW powerheads are illegal and the fisheries officers will go ballistic if they catch you with one. Of course I know several people who dont let that stop 'em..

Personally I would avoid using a cartridge type power head because of the danger to yourself and fellow divers, especially on a boat.

Im currently working out a design based on a CO2 cartridge used for beer kegs. Ive never seen a commercially available gas powerhead but I imagine my design is very similar. All you need is a screwdown top, a spring seperated middle part and a hyperdermic needle type tube to deliver the gas and pierce the catridge top. I'll post it in the Adrenaline forum once my scanner is working again.

Ive got the suspicion that this interest in shark protection comes from you looking into the PNG trip? You would tell me if I was signing up for a shark feeding trip? Wouldnt you?

 

[Wishbone]

I have this video,

A French guy uses CO2 powered gun with an explosive powerhead on cods in the Ivory Coast. He shoots fishes of over 150 kilos and the poor suckers don't even know what's happening cause they're too big to be frightened... The location is some oil rig.

It's awful! Can't really see any other ethical reason for using such thing but for own protection...

Ivan

 

[Shadowkiller]

CO2 Powerhead

A and B are brass disks which are loctited to the needle. The case is stainless steel with a rubber insert to stop the cartridge from rattling around.

Please feel free to threaten, abuse, cajole, encourage, praise or idolise me...
(Any threats or abuse will result in premature powerhead testing...)

So... comments? Advice? Improvements

 

[Abriapnea]

Nice idea SK ; guess the delivery system will have to be pretty robust to penetrate sharkskin , also for two objects moving in different directions (spear/shark)

 

[Shadowkiller]

The hyperdermic needles used in animal surgery are pretty tuff. And razor sharp to boot. So dont go and stick one in your butt...

I guess the idea behind this system is to give the shark a massive dose of pain. Having your skin lift off will do that. Hit the shark in the body cavity and we have a kill...

The trick is to keep the needle in the shark while the cartridge is emptying. And we cant expect co-operation from the shark..
So my prefered delivery method would be via a pole rather than a shaft. Anyway as previously mentioned the sharks are more likely to hassle you while your fish is stuck in a fish.

This is designed as a last ditch option to make a shark go away not as a "turn any fish into a lovely party decoration" type accessory for the avid spearo.

I'll be most interested to see how well it works in the field.

 

[sebastian]

Hi, I´ve been thinking in sharks too, and the day i found a hungry one i´d like to have something usefull with me.

Shadowkiller,

One reform i would make to your design is to apply a barb to the tip, so in wich ever angle you hit the shark, you just release everything and it would continue delivering the gas.


m2c,
Sebastian

 

[Shadowkiller]

Yeah I thought about a barb but Im not too sure how well that will work if you have the powerhead screwed to a $100+ shaft.. Some people are not going to be happy to lose the lot. :hmm

But if you make a "slip-on" type mounting then a barb would be ok. I guess this thing is for use when your life is threatened so people wont mind losing their powerhead under such circumstances.

All you do is loctite or braze (silver solder) the barb end of a fishing hook along the needle shaft (say 1cm from the tip) and bend it out slightly to form the barb.

Ok so we have improvement #1 - The Sebastian barb.

 

[Abriapnea]

Originally posted by sebastian
Hi, I´ve been thinking in sharks too ...

Interesting concept , but one I'd rather avoid ...rofl
Hola hombre , no soy serioso ...
The barb sounds good ; hope you dont mind my little "barb"
SK ,you should try to get some of the syringes we use on elephants ; hippo's and rugby fans .