question about rigging seatec spear - why are there two holes?

[harbour seal]

hello wise DB collective,

my buddy and i just received our brand new Seatec Snakes - 80! :inlove:inlove

the spears have two holes, one immediately at the back and another approximately 5cm up the shaft.

i am assuming i rig the shooting line through the back hole, is this correct?

what is the purpose of the second hole?

cheers,
sean
vancouver, bc

 

[speareasy]

You have a choice for connecting your line to either the back or in the front. If you plan to use thick mono, the back connection might not be an option as your mono line will scrape against the walls of the trigger housing and in some cases it can make inserting your shaft in the trigger housing a big problem. The only option then is to tie the mono outside the trigger housing area.

 

[harbour seal]

hello speareasy,

thanks for the reply and the info!

this is my first speargun thus i thought per chance i had asked a really obvious or bone-head question. :duh

the stock shooting line is clear mono 1.5mm to 1.6mm thick, so approx 160lbs i am guessing? it looks like it should be ok to rig off the end of the spear without interference during loading.

however, good to know that if i power up to 200lb or even 250lb mono then i may need to rig it away from the trigger mechanism.

what shooting lines are you guys running for a similar sized gun, e.g., snake 80?

hunting conditions: smaller fish, under 10lbs, often in minimal vis, sometimes in/near strong currents, around kelp, rocks, reefs and holes---at least until we organize some trips up the coast to find some big fish. unless the rocks ravage my shooting line i thought to keep the shooting line on the lighter side for accuracy and quick shots. any input welcome?

cheers,
sean
vancouver, bc

 

[speareasy]

There is never any question about spearfishing that is bone headed. The more info you have the better and safer it is for you and everyone. If you are spearfishing around rocks, you really should have thick mono as the line can quickly get abraded by the rocks. I would recommend 250 or even 300 lb for small fish. Of course it is nice to shoot a thin line as the shaft sees less drag, but then you will have to be changing that line way too often. I have seen some interesting line from Cressi sub, it is black and looks like wire or stiff nylon and is very strong and extremely thin. Personally I just use 250lb nylon and keep an eye on it and change it when it is very abraded. You might be able to use 200 lb inside the trigger housing with no problems, but I recommend you get a drill and put a polishing head with some SS polishing compound and make sure you polish the sharp edges of that housing so that the housing doesn't cut your line. Nothing worse than finally getting a shot at that big fish only to find that it breaks your line and takes your spear with it

 

[stingaree]

theoreticaly there also might be few situations, when a strong fish could break the shaft which would obviously snap in its weakest point - the notches, so if the mono is run through the hole before those notches...yep, no fish lost.

 

[slingshaft]

~~~> Stingaree, Right on man!!!

 

[Mr. X]

Be careful to make the loop at the spear-end big enough. I tried using a small, tight loop once and I found that it interfered with loading and spear release.

I usually used the rear-most spear-hole for max. range but another possible advantage of using the forward hole is that usually it sits in front of the notches in the spear and so "bypasses" the spear's weak spot. I never thought much about that when using a 6.6mm RA spear but think about it more now that I am using a slim Omer 6.3mm spear, esp. as I have filed the grooves smooth to accept a Dyneema wishbone. Maybe I should about using that forward hole one the Omer?

 

[stingaree]

2 "funny" things about Omer shafts:

* the notches are designed for steel wishbones only, so they always require some work so they could comply with (much safer) dyneema ones ... which isn't a big deal.

* unlike majority of other shafts, the second hole for running a mono through is still positioned after the notches on Omer's ... which is weird.

Personally, if choosing S/S spears, then those with second holes before the notches (eg. Imersion) are better I.M.O. as I NEVER run the mono or dyneema through the end hole. Saying that, the end hole rigging is still OK with smaller (less than 3Kg) fish I think.

 

[divebiddie]

Could someone tell me how the monofiliment line doubles back on the muzzle after it comes through the hole with the spear? does it then go to the notck on the muzzle or right back to the white lever that releases it near the pistol? Lookes like either way it would have to fold back on itself on a sharp part of the muzzle and kink and weaken the line. I must be missing something here. Thank you

 

[Old Man Dave]

Basic picture now much used. .

Useful reading http://forums.deeperblue.com/beginner-hunting/64504-dummies-guide-rigging-speargun.html .

Dave.

 

[divebiddie]

Thank you Old Man Dave. I was just worried that the monofiliment would have a kink in the spot where it doubles back from over to under the muzzle. It must not be an issue or they would have put some kind of roller or gently rounded place in the muzzle for the monofiliment to be positioned over, Iguess.

Any suggestion on how long to make the monofiliment for a beginner? ie, how many times it should loup forward and backwards (there is a backwards c-shaped place in the front for extra wraps)

Thank you very much.

 

[Old Man Dave]

The diagram shows what is known as a single wrap. Because the line is tied to the back of the spear it is actually 3 times the barrel/stock length. This is long enough to allow the spear to travel it's full effective range when shot from the gun. Therefore most people use the one wrap system shown. You can use 2 wraps, that is to go back around the line release by the handle and back to the muzzle. I use this on my gun.

The longer length of line used with the 2 wrap system is more fiddly to load and prone to tangles but it does allow a big fish more line to run with or for the gun to be on the surface while a shot fish has buried in weed on the bottom. It does not increase range.

I use a 90cm gun. My line is therefore 5 x 90cm or approx 4.5 metres (15feet). I use 160lb BS mono and have never had a problem. I crimp the ends and it lasts several years. Several manufacturers supply heavier mono as standard but I recommend 150-200 LB BS (not sure what diameter that is).

Any help to you?

Dave.

 

[harbour seal]

... but I recommend you get a drill and put a polishing head with some SS polishing compound and make sure you polish the sharp edges of that housing so that the housing doesn't cut your line. Nothing worse than finally getting a shot at that big fish only to find that it breaks your line and takes your spear with it

@ speareasy
- do you mean smoothing part of the housing on the gun itself? to which areas are you referring, specifically?
- also, thanks for the advice about the mono thicknesses


@ stingaree
- interesting point about losing a big fish to shaft failure! i have sharkfinned shafts, thus the hole at the end of these spears creates the thinnest point on the entire spear, and very likely the weakest point.


@ Mr.X
- thanks for the info about the size of the loop attaching to the end of the spear, i might have tried a smaller loop to start.


@ Old Man Dave
- awesome pic and info about double wraps.
- interesting to see you favour mono on the lighter side. i am intrigued to try a couple different thicknesses myself to see what best suits the gun/fish/conditions around here.



Thanks everyone for the info---always much obliged that you guys are willing to help the newer spearos.

Cheers from Vancouver,
Sean

 

[Dartfisher]

While you guys are answering questions:
1) what is the benefit/difference between using the holes on the rear of my spearshaft or the bridle(i think thats what its called) that freefloats on the spearshaft? The "bridle" sits at the front of the gun before its fired.

2) Is there any reason to have my line doubled over then wraped around the release and back up to the muzzle where it attaches with an oversized rubber band? Is it better to have the line wrapped around the release and muzzle twice?
I bought a kit with mono line from Ocean Rhino. They called it a Speed Load/EZ Stow Kit.