Keeping spool (with SMB attached) from unwinding underwater

[Storker]

It's SO much easier to deploy if you can stick one finger through the spool as it unwinds.

This is something I would never do. Imagine this scenario with your finger stuck in the hole...

 

[kelemvor]

This is something I would never do. Imagine this scenario with your finger stuck in the hole...

What you scoff at free water skiing lessons?

I use one with a hole. Just because you stick the tip of your finger through doesn't mean you bury the thing down to your last knuckle. It would come off pretty easily if something tugged on the line with any force. In fact, if you buried the thing that far onto your finger I doubt it would turn... or maybe that's just because I've got fat little fingers. The better to point at you with, my dears. I think either I just got lucky in how I decided to do it, or people are making mountains out of molehills. Not that such a thing has ever happened on scubaboard before.

 

[mallbritton]

I use one with a hole. Just because you stick the tip of your finger through doesn't mean you bury the thing down to your last knuckle. It would come off pretty easily if something tugged on the line with any force. In fact, if you buried the thing that far onto your finger I doubt it would turn... or maybe that's just because I've got fat little fingers. The better to point at you with, my dears. I think either I just got lucky in how I decided to do it, or people are making mountains out of molehills. Not that such a thing has ever happened on scubaboard before.

I agree. I also use a reel with a hole and I've never had any problems using it. However don't I stick my finger all the way through, but hold it with thumb and forefinger through the hole and let it spin as the SMB ascends. If something happens its very easy to just let go.

And yes, I have occasionally dropped the reel but that's no big deal. Untangling the string later is whole 'nother story, though.

 

[Trailboss123]

Take a look at these. I found them quite helpful.


This second one is very lengthy and long winded, but still helpful:

 

[Zef]

Take a look at these. I found them quite helpful.


This second one is very lengthy and long winded, but still helpful:

See post #9.

 

[Storker]

Just because you stick the tip of your finger through doesn't mean you bury the thing down to your last knuckle.

I have no problems holding the spool with just the fleshy part of the tips of my thumb and either index or middle finger against the hole in the spool. What I have a problem with is sticking any finger wearing 5-7mm of neoprene into said spool's hole. Both for practical reasons and for safety reasons.

And although the risk of a boat taking off with my dSMB is minuscule and probably negligible, there's this thing with attaching a positively buoyant thing to a weak part of your body...

 

[Marie13]

OK, let's reiterate from the first post.

1. No cutting off and redoing knots. How it is now is how the spool came, and that's what I'm working with.

2. Spool and SBM will remain connected together. This diving with them unconnected is not part of my vocabulary. If I need to shoot the SMB, I need to do it now, and fumbling to connect the two? Nope. I go for simple, not complicated. I don't need the spool for other things. If I needed to run line, that's what my reel (only brought on wreck dives) would be used for.

I have no pocket(s) so that is not an option.

 

[tursiops]

OK, let's reiterate from the first post.

1. No cutting off and redoing knots. How it is now is how the spool came, and that's what I'm working with.

2. Spool and SBM will remain connected together. This diving with them unconnected is not part of my vocabulary. If I need to shoot the SMB, I need to do it now, and fumbling to connect the two? Nope. I go for simple, not complicated. I don't need the spool for other things. If I needed to run line, that's what my reel (only brought on wreck dives) would be used for.

I have no pocket(s) so that is not an option.

Seems like you've been given plenty of good ideas, that fit within your constraints. What is wrong with them?

 

[tbone1004]

@Marie13
Short answer is with exactly what you have, and leaving them attached, it is not possible to keep it from unwinding underwater. That simple unfortunately. You have a rigid double ender that is going to take all sorts of forces from different angles, and it's going to come unclipped, nothing you can do about it with the line exactly as it is now.
If you made the loop bigger, and put another small loop in one of the sides like we do with cave reels, then it might be possible to make it less prone to doing that, but for one, you don't want to mess with it, and for 2, it's not the best solution IMO.

The ideal solution that I have found is to add a bolt snap to the DSMB. I do it with a quick link, some people don't like metal to metal so you can tie it on if you want to and then use the double ender to hold the line on, and the bolt snap on the DSMB itself to clip. Looks like this. Only mod is adding a bolt snap to the DSMB itself, which I do find to be ideal anyway in case you end up in a scenario where you may not want them attached so you can at least clip the dsmb off directly. Achim has his spool connected to the bolt snap, but I connect mine directly to the DSMB. Personal preference, doesn't really matter IMO, but it's up to you. I would highly recommend adding a bolt snap to the DSMB and use that to clip off which absolutely will minimize the chance of the spool coming undone because it won't have any direct forces on it

 

[Jack Hammer]

Try pulling the line pretty tight on the spool and clip through the D ring then from the inside of the spool with the snap facing out. Make sure when putting in your pocket to keep it together.