Put together my dive board [Archive] - Spearboard.com - The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Boating Social Media Forum

Styric

10-08-2008, 04:32 PM

Thanks for the response. The netting has a bungee frame so it stretches nicely but stays tight when not stretched allowing for less snagginess. It is mad to organize SUV trunk space. I am hoping it doesn't get in the way. I have a game bag in case it does. Just trying something new.

Sgt.Byron

10-08-2008, 04:37 PM

Add pack straps to it for hiking up and down cliffs. You will appreciate them especially when you are hiking up with abs on your back.

Styric

10-08-2008, 04:44 PM

Add pack straps to it for hiking up and down cliffs. You will appreciate them especially when you are hiking up with abs on your back.

Thanks. Yeah I added 1 strap diagonaly like a book bag. I was trying to poke less holes in the board to keep from waterlogging it. I will see soon enough if that works out. Saturday wooohooo!

Cheers!:beer:

Daryl Bulloch

10-08-2008, 04:47 PM

Do the bar and other stuffs clip into the netting or are they just tucked under there? Also, is there any way to attach the gun to it for getting past the surf zone?

Styric

10-08-2008, 04:57 PM

Do the bar and other stuffs clip into the netting or are they just tucked under there? Also, is there any way to attach the gun to it for getting past the surf zone?

I am currently working on the gun attachment. I will keep you posted. The knife is my braining knife and that stays attached to the netting. The ab iron stays with me:D for some leverage if you know what I mean. I will attach the game bag once in the water. I like the netting because it allows for bigger fish or a bunch of small to medium fish.

Styric

10-08-2008, 04:59 PM

Mostly i can just stuff the hell out of the netting without actually having to attach anything.

Fis_Hunter

10-08-2008, 05:24 PM

I attached my gun to my board using a loop of rope to hold the butt and a piece of pvc about 6" long with a bungy cord attached. When you stretch it it holds the gun in place.

Fis_Hunter

10-08-2008, 05:28 PM

http://spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=68827&page=3&highlight=nor-cal+open

Page 3 you can see the tip with the PVC

Styric

10-08-2008, 05:57 PM

That cheapo gun I have is quite the challenge to work with. Great idea I will have to look into it. I couldn't see quite how you had it set up.

Tino Bernazzani

10-08-2008, 06:29 PM

I use the motorcycle helmet cargo net ($5) zip tied to my board to keep my gear/catch in place.
I also use Army Surplus Alice Pack straps ($10-20) for the long hauls to and from the dive sites.
Here is a pick of me on the way down the hill for a divehttp://irishbeachhouse.com/Fishpics/coast1a.jpg

Styric

10-08-2008, 06:38 PM

Thanks Tino, I think I might just go with velcro for attaching my gun. The strap I harvested from a heavy duty backpack seems to be working well so far. My biggest concern so far is my cheapo board. It almost seems like the zipties might pull through with too much weight. I like your washer setup I might have to go that route after the maiden voyage.

See you up there!

cmburch

10-08-2008, 07:06 PM

I replaced the plastic piece the wrist leash attaches to with a Home Depot stainless eyebolt, 2 large SS fender washers and a SS aeronut. I have broken the plastic pieces on a couple of my boogie boards.

I make sure everything camera, gun, caliper, Ab iron, stringer, etc. is tied or clipped to something. I have lost stuff that I had bungied or had in a bag before.

I also have a piece of yellow line with a small weight so I can mark a good area to return to easily in low Vis conditions.

Calif_Diver

10-08-2008, 07:44 PM

i see you guys have these boards, i use a round tube float im sure you know what im talkin about , whats the advantages of the board?

cmburch

10-08-2008, 07:51 PM

I find it is easy going over kelp, somewhat streamline for long surface swims, and doubles for the kids to use in the surf. Also it was what I had for boogie boarding.

deckhandmike

10-08-2008, 09:02 PM

Don't bother with a braining knife for rockfish. Carry it on your person in case of entaglement.

U/C Spearo

10-08-2008, 10:22 PM

Calif Diver

That dive board is nice to jump on and start moving out. If you ever have to come in on the rocks with some pretty big surf, it's nice to lift that board up a little and bounce off stuff. I also carry a small marine radio in mine, just in case !!! I just found it more functional then my old tube,moves well in the water.

Be safe

Trimbandit

10-08-2008, 10:33 PM

I have lost stuff that I had bungied or had in a bag before.

I think everyone learns that lesson the hard way. For me it was a digital camera and waterproof case. :D

cmburch

10-08-2008, 10:45 PM

I think everyone learns that lesson the hard way. For me it was a digital camera and waterproof case. :D

My camera is positively buoyant. I have dropped custom made Ab irons.

thereefgeek

10-08-2008, 10:58 PM

i use a round tube float im sure you know what im talkin about , whats the advantages of the board?

A tube is nice for stashing a lot of goodies like abs, dead fish & urchin (careful the spines). I dove with a tube for years and it's a nice place to haul out and take a breather in the middle of a dive, but towing those things through heavy kelp is a pain. Built a board a couple seasons ago and gave away the float.

Think of it like driving the broad side of a barn down the freeway at 65. It's possible, but it ain't exactly efficient. Try a board and you'll never inflate another inner tube again.

Styric

10-09-2008, 12:22 AM

I also have a piece of yellow line with a small weight so I can mark a good area to return to easily in low Vis conditions.

I like that. Good tip. Do you have a float attached or do you use the bright yellow string to stand out in the kelp?

cmburch

10-09-2008, 03:28 AM

The yellow line is thin floating rope tied to the SS eyebolt on my boogie board. It is in a small bag for easy stowage. Others use their float lines or ropes with kelp carrots or small floats.

Essentially some marker so they can easily work an area versus going down in a different location each time. I also sometimes just loop or attach the wrist leash around some bull kelp and follow the kelp down.

Some are worried about kelp now due to the 2 entanglements this year. A good buddy may not be able to help quickly if the other buddy disappears in low Vis and would just notice that it has been a long time down and maybe within a 10+ yard area where last seen submerging. I do not always Ab dive with a knife and would not depend on it to free myself from kelp. I can easily break single strands with hands or teeth if need be. Or just back up a little and untangle oneself.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22351

thereefgeek

10-09-2008, 07:43 AM

The vast majority of drowned divers are recovered with their weight belts on.

The most important piece of disposable gear is strapped to your waist.

cmburch

10-09-2008, 10:01 AM

Not all situations warrant dropping of weight belt. An Ab diver was found without knife or weight belt stuck in kelp by knife leg sheath arms reaching upward close to surface. It may have been better to assess the situation and calmly reach down or back-up to relieve tension on kelp to free oneself. Dropping the weight belt may have made matters worse by being more buoyant and fighting to surface rather than determine the problem, look, back-up and/or reach down.

IMO "Be ready to drop weight belt if needed" is better than the drop belt thinking. This is from the State Parks kelp link which is not necessarily correct for all situations, but is good in general.

Ron S

10-09-2008, 10:37 AM

I guess I'm just whacked, but I started with a board and then switched to a float tube. I don't mind pushing the tube on long surface swims and I found the board to not have enough floatation for my lazy a$$ to haul up on to look around.
The best thing I've ever used, hands down, is a Carlson Board, used for swiftwater rescue. It's like a boogie board on steroids, but they run about $300 new. If I ever find a used one at a good price, I'm gonna snatch it up.
Ron.

cmburch

10-09-2008, 11:51 AM

I like the idea of the handles on the Carlson Board. I wonder if the newer Costco boogie board foam will suck up water if I drill holes through it? I have older Morey Boogie boards that do suck up water if the covering is gouged.

Diablo Loco

10-09-2008, 05:15 PM

Styric,

I haven't been on SB for a while and decided to take a look and see what is going on. Then I saw this thread. Here are some pictures of my ab float. Maybe it might give you some ideas.

Diablo Loco

10-09-2008, 05:17 PM

Here are some more pics

Diablo Loco

10-09-2008, 05:19 PM

A few more pictures from when I first started the project

Diablo Loco

10-09-2008, 05:22 PM

last ones. Notice the speargun holder that is blue. Held in place with bungies to adjust to the different types and sizes of guns. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Styric

10-09-2008, 05:33 PM

Diablo Loco

10-09-2008, 05:42 PM

WOW! Nice work man. Very comprehensive. Thanks for all the pics. I am going to have to revamp my board after this weekend. How well do the washers help the waterlogging of the foam? Do you recommend a sealant?

They are SS washers. I would definitely recommend a sealant. I used a drill to make the holes, squeezed some clear silicone in and then put the bolts through. I put silicone under the washers, tightened them down and then wiped the excess away to make it look clean. Using the bolt and washers allows me to carry much more weight than if I were to use anything else. less likely to rip the board. Without a sealant, the board will get waterlogged and be much heavierwhen carrying it, not to mention that it will ruin the board.

Trimbandit

10-09-2008, 05:46 PM

[QUOTE=Styric;801724Do you recommend a sealant?[/QUOTE]

The boogie boards I have had were all closed cell foam.

Styric

10-09-2008, 05:48 PM

That makes sense. Board cost like $40. $40 for me is gas to the coast. Gotta protect my floating investment. Thanks again.

Diablo Loco

10-09-2008, 06:25 PM

The boogie boards I have had were all closed cell foam.

I am not sure if mine were closed cell boards. I bought them at Costco. It cost something like $28 plus tax. I used the sealant, just in case.

Calif_Diver

10-09-2008, 06:50 PM

well i kinda like the tube , i do use it to rest on. but i also have had it flip over in waves and lose a few abs be4.i see alot of people on top of the tube while swimming out , i dont do that takes more energy to kick on top of the tube i think ,i usually just swim out and push the tube in front of me ,but i probably wont be doin that to much since getting a boat .

FishFighter

10-09-2008, 06:51 PM

The boogie boards I have had were all closed cell foam.

What type of closed cell foam? Most high-end bodybaords are made of DOW(especially useful for cold water) Arcel, and Poly Pro. You can find cheaper boards made of Polystyrene or cheaper foam-cores. Unfortunately DOW (usually more expensive) water-logs like crazy if there is a de-lamination of the surlyn bottom or other type of hard bottom. It also water-logs with the more holes you put into the board (zip-ties). No matter how much sealant you use (silicon, hot-glue, sponge-rez) it will eventually water-log. For some reason the cheaper polystyrene/polypro boards that sell between $30-$60 seem to be better for making dive boards and water-log a lot less. I would say pick up a bunch of body-board plugs(which will not allow water to pass into the board) instead of zip-ties and adhesive. Bryan has those cool horseshoe cleats that he has done his board with and could have probably gotten away without the sealant but in his case using sealant was o.k. To help prevent de-laminations store the boards on the nose and not the tail.

Calif_Diver

10-09-2008, 06:52 PM

hm wonder why i cant see diablos pictures

thereefgeek

10-09-2008, 06:54 PM

Wind_in_his_hair

10-09-2008, 06:59 PM

Nice set up.

thereefgeek

10-09-2008, 07:01 PM

The boogie boards I have had were all closed cell foam.

Don't know, but inside of mine looks like the little foam beads in a bean bag chair all pressed together into a board-like shape. I've never had a floatation or water-logging problem, but those $300 river boards look super sweet.

http://www.carlsonriverboard.com/index.html

thereefgeek

10-09-2008, 07:06 PM

hm wonder why i cant see diablos pictures

Go to your User CP and set your Edit Options under Thread Display Options to Show Images (including attached images and images in [IMG] code) Check mark the little box.

Ron S

10-09-2008, 07:17 PM

Don't know, but inside of mine looks like the little foam beads in a bean bag chair all pressed together into a board-like shape. I've never had a floatation or water-logging problem, but those $300 river boards look super sweet.

http://www.carlsonriverboard.com/index.html

I've used the Carlson boards in up to class 4 or maybe low 5 whitewater and we've beat the livin' piss outa them and they've held up great. I'm around 180 pounds and in calm water between rapids I can sit on top, straddling the board, and it still floats. They're longer, wider, thicker and denser than any boogie board I've seen, and have rocker, which makes them fast, and allows them to slide over kelp really well. They're just so darned expensive though...
Ron.

thereefgeek

10-09-2008, 07:28 PM

They're just so darned expensive though...
Ron.

Yep It's hard to justify to the wife a "boogie board" that cost more than my gun.

Calif_Diver

10-09-2008, 07:29 PM

thanks geek everything in the cp was ok but i can see pics now thanks

Silentspear

10-09-2008, 07:33 PM

I want to just take my friends soft top long board and strap stuff to it. Do you guys use anchor thingy's?

Trimbandit

10-09-2008, 07:35 PM

Yep It's hard to justify to the wife a "boogie board" that cost more than my gun.

The solution would be to purchase a more expensive gun :D

Diablo Loco

10-09-2008, 07:39 PM

Damn Bryan, does that thing still float with all that stainless hardware?!?!?!

I'm just kidding man, it looks great, and everything you'd need is right there.

Rich (Styric) don't sweat, I'm bring a bunch of zip-ties and bungee tomorrow. I don't want you getting hung up on the kelp!!!

Actually, it does great. You don't even realize the difference. And I weigh 240lbs. Ask U/C Spearo about the one I made for him.

Ron S

10-09-2008, 10:30 PM

The solution would be to purchase a more expensive gun :D

Shoot, ya beat me to it. The thing to remember too Rich, is that if you want that $300 board to seem inexpensive, you gotta spend ALOT more on a new gun.:thumps:
Seriously, I remember a post a long time ago in which somebody on the board found a used Carlson board on e-pay at a good price. I suppose they're out there.

Namor

10-09-2008, 11:20 PM

There are a number of sponges (bodyboards) that are made for big guys and they range in price.
My favorite source for sponges is ebodyboarding.com
The have a section on their boards page with models for large riders.

Jeremy

thereefgeek

10-10-2008, 08:04 AM

The solution would be to purchase a more expensive gun :D

O.k., I had that one coming ;) I'm a cheap mo-fo so I'm building it.

I haven't started my build thread in the All About Guns, but I'm almost done with the handle/trigger, and I'm picking up my new 60" shaft from the FDS on my way up to O'Cove.

cid2

01-26-2009, 10:49 PM

thanks to idea's gathered on spearboard I put together my own body board dive float! Total cost ~$60

items used:
1x body board (37 inches long, just longer than fins)
1x motorcycle cargo net
1x mesh bag
1X dive flag
4x window pulls
16x screws (8/32 thread, length=2.25 inches)
16x Tee nuts
1x tube of silicone sealer
1x 7 feet of webbing (for backpack straps)
3x clips for webbing

pics:
http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~bellos/temp/DSCN6158.JPG
http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~bellos/temp/DSCN6159.JPG
http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~bellos/temp/DSCN6161.JPG
http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~bellos/temp/DSCN6151.JPG
http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~bellos/temp/DSCN6152.JPG
http://www.phys.uconn.edu/~bellos/temp/DSCN6153.JPG

mikelb

01-26-2009, 11:32 PM

Diablo Loco

01-26-2009, 11:36 PM

thanks to idea's gathered on spearboard I put together my own body board dive float! Total cost ~$60

Nice looking board. only one thing you need to be aware of is that the 4x window pulls, 16x screws (8/32 thread, length=2.25 inches), and 16x Tee nuts, are going to rust and go bad pretty quick. They are not SS. The screws are made of zinc and the window pulls are made of steel. Just so that you are aware this will become an issue very soon. But a nice looking board still.

Diablo Loco

01-26-2009, 11:38 PM

Diablo Loco....nice, nice board! Now that I've seen your board, I'm going to have to start over as I'm putting together my first ab board. I'll be coming up there this season! Thanks for the input. Best.

Thanks for the compliment. And its my pleasure to assist the fine members of the board.. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. :thumps:

deckhandmike

01-27-2009, 12:24 AM

That flag might be more than a hassle than it's worth due to it's large size. Safety is important but I can say I have never had a boat buzz me while ab diving. Generally just waving your dive board is as effective. Often heavy surf will destroy any flag you got on your float on the way in. Just a thought.

U/C Spearo

01-27-2009, 12:32 AM

I can tell, diving in the swells up here the only way i've been able to see my board is because of that flag. Kinda two fold, someone can see you and you can find your board. I usually swim out on my board and then just pull the flag out and install it, no real hazzle. Just my 2 cents !!

Diablo Loco

01-27-2009, 12:44 AM

I usually swim out on my board and then just pull the flag out and install it, no real hazzle.

And that is how I designed it. Never gets in the way. :thumps:

LBI SPEARO

05-07-2012, 03:35 PM

In lieu of pad eyes and ss hardware, I used electrician pvc cable holders, nylon nuts, bolts and washers.

cmburch

05-07-2012, 04:49 PM

Problem with nylon. It does not hold up well under UV. May degrade and fall apart in less than one season. Polyethylene and polypropylene products may work better. The white/clear nylon nuts and bolts from Lowes and Home Depot do not last very long outdoors.

Diablo Loco

05-07-2012, 06:27 PM

In lieu of pad eyes and ss hardware, I used electrician pvc cable holders, nylon nuts, bolts and washers.

You need to show pictures of the board. I would like to see how you chose to do your design and materials.

Problem with nylon. It does not hold up well under UV. May degrade and fall apart in less than one season. .

That's the reason I used SS instead of nylon. But I gave nylon a try once. The washers on one of my boards were nylon, but in order for them to last longer, I painted them on both sides to extend their life. I have had the board for about 4 years and the washers are still like new and have not broken or cracked. :thumps::toast: