Keeping spool (with SMB attached) from unwinding underwater

[PfcAJ]

“How do I fix this without doing anything to fix it?”

 

[Pkishino]

Yeah.. Always surprises me when people stubbornly refuse to listen to reason and knowledge..
Nearly every spool I've bought and seen requires you to remove a good chunk of line before it an be used properly.there is just too much line on it to use the holes efficiently. Second, having it attached permanently to the dsmb is fine, but having the option via boltsnap to remove it makes things easier in a myriad of situations. The ISE video shows a good technique. Instead of attaching the double ender to the spool, which will sooner rather than later get dislodged, have a small loop at the end, thread it through a hole (yes, once you remove some line this can be done even in drygloves), then attach DE to loop and wrap so you lock it This will not ever accidently become undone..

 

[Storker]

“How do I fix this without doing anything to fix it?”

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[Zef]

OP, why such a rigid paradigm about how your DSMB is set up? You seem to express urgency about the timing to deploy your DSMB...why?

Perhaps tying a loop of 1/8 inch bungee to the strap at the bottom of the DSMB that can be stretched around the circumference of the spool would work to keep the DSMB and spool contained together but still allow the rapid deployment you want. The line will still need to be clipped of with the double ender to a hole in the spool.

A possible modification would be, instead of a piece of bungee, you can by elastic ribbon used for sewing/tailoring/crafts and make a loop of it (tied/sewed) around the DSMB strap and stretch that around the spool, you can buy a width that approximates the width between the sides of the spool so that the line covered preventing it from unraveling....this will still allow you to rapidly separate and deploy your DSMB.

Or accept that you might need to modify your paridigm a little. You state you sometimes dive with a reel for wreck diving. I assume that is because you are penetrating the wreck. That kind of diving requires the diver to have the flexibility to be able to think their way to safety should the s&*t hit the fan before exiting the overhead environment. If you have posses that flexibility then you should be able to think your way through your issue with your DSMB.

-Z

 

[mallbritton]

This is my reel and SMB. As you can see I've tired off the string to the double ended snap bolt, and when I store it I roll the string on the reel, wrap it around the snap bolt, and clip the snap bolt to the reel. That's what the holes are for. I clip the end on the SMB to my BC, with the clip inward, and when I deploy I clip the snap bolt to the plastic D-ring on the SMB and hold the reel between thumb and finger as it unreels.

 

[Bierstadt]

I have a mesh pocket/bag from DGX that clips to the bottom on my backplate and holds the spool and smb. Not sure if I will keep using it, but it's another idea.

 

[johndo88]

I’ve dropped it to the bottom of the deep side of the quarry before and all the line unwound. It’s attached well to the core.

That's exactly what happened to me the first time I tested my spool (accidently let go of it).

 

[Marie13]

@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

Bingo! This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Just rigged it up. Did use a loop of bungee to hold the spool to the SMB so it doesn't dangle as much.

 

[divad]

Bingo! This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Just rigged it up. Did use a loop of bungee to hold the spool to the SMB so it doesn't dangle as much.

What is the little carabiner hooked to under the reel?

 

[outofofficebrb]

Here is a decent video that presents an option for you:


-Z

I’ve done 120 dives or so with his method and my DSMB stored on d-ring. It’s solid. No unraveling.