Is there a way to tie off SMB reel with no chance of unravelling?

[WhiteSands]

Hi
I need some advice on how to do the above.

Some background:
I mostly dive dry and my drysuit has pockets which I use to store my SMB + reel.

Occasionally I dive in my wetsuit. Locally the only good tec shorts costs $200. Too much for me to spend for very infrequent use. The only other ones I like from Dolphin Scuba seem to be permanently out of stock in my size.

So I tied 2 bungees to the 2 holes on the bottom of my BP, and secure my SMB there. I clip off the boltsnap attached to the reel to my butt D-ring.

Problem is, I've had the line unravel on 1-2 occasions, where the line slipped over the reel "walls" and came loose. The bolt snap was still in place.

Are there any techniques to prevent this from happening? Thanks!

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Have you tried a double ender (a boltsnap with two ends)? One end traps the line against one of the holes in the reel, and the other is clipped to your pocket bungie.

 

[victorzamora]

Was the bolt snap clipped off to the cheater-loop in the spool and then through the holes in your spool? If so, you're not wrapping your spool tight enough, simple as that.

If it's not still clipped through the cheater-loop when it unravels, although it doesn't seem to be your problem, then you have another issue. That's that your double-ender is clipped off the "wrong way." Clip off your double ender so that the gate opening thing points to the line-side of your spool.

 

[WhiteSands]

Was the bolt snap clipped off to the cheater-loop in the spool and then through the holes in your spool? If so, you're not wrapping your spool tight enough, simple as that.

If it's not still clipped through the cheater-loop when it unravels, although it doesn't seem to be your problem, then you have another issue. That's that your double-ender is clipped off the "wrong way." Clip off your double ender so that the gate opening thing points to the line-side of your spool.

Thanks! I think I might have clipped it wrongly. I'll take a picture tonight and try to post.

Btw which part is the cheater loop?

 

[DevonDiver]

The spool bolt-snap can come open, even if 'properly' secured. That'll cause the spool to drop free and unwind below you - a hazard and inconvenience.

There's a bunch of videos on Youtube showing alternative methods for stowage. Some use an elastic band around the spool, others thread the end of the line through the side of the spool and clip the bolt-snap to it there.... and many variations of that.

 

[tursiops]

thread the end of the line through the side of the spool and clip the bolt-snap to it there

This.

 

[Peter_C]

Typically you will have a large enough loop to pass the spool thru. I found if I clipped the double ender into this loop it sometimes unraveled. The solution which is pretty easy is to tie a small loop into the end of the bigger loop, and clip to that. I haven't had my spool unravel at all in the last few hundred dives.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

You really don't have to keep the two together.

 

[boulderjohn]

The XS pocket shorts I use cost about $90 retail. I wear them with whatever wet suit I want to use for the occasion.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned, take about 20' line off the spool/reel so when it swells it's less likely to slip over the side. Most times they come loaded with too much line.