Spearguns

[Mverick]

I ended up buying a XHD on FredT's advice. One of the big reasons I bought the JBL was that if it fails it wont fire. I don't want to GIG my buddy. Or my Boat or ME or somebody else's buddy. So I'll stick to the JBL.
I was going to buy a Riffe from a guy in Louisiana if I remember right but I hate buying a small gun for a high price. Even though it was a better price than anybody had offered it for. And I ended up getting a larger JBL anyway. I'm always over gunned. I go squirel hunting with a 7mm rem mag...... Just kidding........ .22 or a .410 is fine for squirell. Buddies use a 20 gauge.
Oh by the way, FredT if you look at this again. I had my backplates from you LINE X coated and it is sweet. Added a little texture to the backplate so it sticks on my back nicer. It's sprayed in the slots and holes and didn't have to clean them out. Could run the webbing through and didn't need to use retainers as the webbing stuck to the coating well enough, since it's textured in the slots too, that it doesn't slip. And it doesn't tear up the stapping either. Extremely happy with it. You ought to have one done for yourself and I bet you wouldn't go back to clean plates. Line X is more consistent than Rhino and the others on the market. It also cures in 5 seconds or less. Complete cure is around 24 hours.

 

[devjr]

Fred, when you said the big JBL guns "shoot low" it brought some ancient memories back into focus. Jack Prodanovich, who designed that gun, spent hundreds of hours in a pool shooting at targets. He and his buddy, Wally Potts, were perplexed by the tendency of the metal (and wood) guns to shoot low. These inventors tried a lot of things including opening the muzzle and using a stiffer arrow, but when the answer finally came, it was from the lips of champion archer, Howard Hill. He was of the opinion that the point of thrust for the wishbones should be repositioned upwards.

Subsequently, Jack and Wally designed a "tab" or "fletch"(it has many names) which was welded to the top of the hardened maraging shaft. It took the place of the wishbone grooves and stop ring which were eliminated. This invention solved the drop problem. From that time, in the 1960's, all of Jack's and Wally's (and my) guns employed that feature.

At different points in time, Riffe and Scubapro copied this, but their designs were not quite the same. Jack/Wally's tab design allows three wishbones to be hooked to the one tab giving maximum stretch. Its broad angular shape is strong enough to allow this and, in my opinion, to also function as a foil which acts upon the rear of the shaft to keep the nose up and the arrow level on the longest shots.

I'm a bit lazy, that's probably the reason that I've never built my own gun. However, the need to custom make the arrows could not be ignored. That's why I always spent the time and effort to make my own.

IN MEMORIUM: Wally Potts, friend, self taught engineer, machinist, and peerless spearfisherman, died recently at the age of 83.

 

[Sara Smiles]

hi,
I have started teaching my two nieces to snorkel and fish - coral identification. Rachel is 7 and very good snorkeler and fisherman
took her to a tropical reef and she was in awe at all the colored fish, blue tang, parrot fish, sheeps head etc. She even saw a 3 ft. ray. Rikki is 6 and is not a very good swimmer yet needs more work. Rikki however drives the waverunner and boat, where Rachel the more feminine one vehemently wont drive the wave runner. They are from Michigan and I try to give them good ocean nature experiences every time they visit in Feb and Aug.
Its nice to pass on the knowledge and fun and the awesomeness of the ocean.
Sara Smiles

 

[devjr]

Sara, my kids were my "crew" from a tender age. Lotsa fond memories. They're in college now.

It's great that you have access to such ideal snorkeling areas. Warm water helps too. Make the most of it.