Cheap float?

    Interesting thread on SB, where a guy made a float using some sort of sleeve made of a reflective fabric, and inserted two 2 liter soda bottles. Here's the original website: http://apox.ru/content/view/931/1/


    Somebody pointed out that the bottles might crush at depth, and someone else pointed out the interesting possibility of adding a little vinegar and baking soda inside each bottle to generate a bit of positive internal pressure before capping off. I must admit, if you could get the amounts right, this seems like one of those "elegantly simple" ways to do it, vs. any kind of inflator valve.


    It seemed like an interesting idea. You could construct a sleeve of heavy duty material, as long as you wanted, and add as many bottles as you wanted. About 4-lbs buoyancy each. Potentially, at least, it could be a dirt cheap float. If the fabric sleeve were durable, just replace the soda bottles now and then if they leak. If the float were comprised of 4-6 bottles, there would even be a fair bit of redundancy if one bottle leaked.


    So what would be the disadvantages of a long, narrow float? Seems like it would tow easily through the water. Should exert very little drag on the fish if he made a fast run, and would rely only on buoyancy.


    What is the downside?

    well , what we did , was to take a valve from a bike's tube, then put it through the lid , seal it and then pump it as much as possible to give it buoyancy, then rig it with four wires from front to back , a swivel in each end and that's it. we didn't paint it or anything 'cause we didn't want to be seen .

    I don't like inflatable floats. They ride too high on the water and create too much drag in wind and waves. With that said a 2L plastic pop bottle was my float for my first year spearfishing. I didn't see it as a means to land big fish, just security for my gun. If you went out there with the intention of taking big fish that will run hard and take your float down I think it would be foolish to use the plastic bottles.


    I used the Riffe inflatable float for four or five years after that. The Riffe float is one of the best inflatable float available. I stopped using it in favor of hard foam blown floats.

    I certainly wouldn't argue that this arrangement was the equivalent of the Riffe inflatable float in terms of quality. And the solid bullet nosed floats could be stacked in the same way to make a float of any desired buoyancy.


    My question was really more along the lines of preferred float design. Regardless of how you did it, is a long and narrow float design a good thing or a bad thing, and why?

    Quote from Tin Man

    I certainly wouldn't argue that this arrangement was the equivalent of the Riffe inflatable float in terms of quality. And the solid bullet nosed floats could be stacked in the same way to make a float of any desired buoyancy.


    My question was really more along the lines of preferred float design. Regardless of how you did it, is a long and narrow float design a good thing or a bad thing, and why?


    Yeah,
    but could you mix a solid bullet nose float with lime and rum???????:D

    Quote from Tin Man

    My question was really more along the lines of preferred float design. Regardless of how you did it, is a long and narrow float design a good thing or a bad thing, and why?

    I think that buoyancy in a compact package is always better to reduce drag. Drag is the main factor.

    Though in my long days. I have used the 2 gallon jars, the ones for vegetable oil. Coke bottles 1 liters. i used them like Pargo just to secure the gun. Never thinking on the big fish that might drag the gun away. With that been said. My first big fish that did this, next day the first Riffe float was order:D. I didnt lost my gun but was scared for a second. Now i just like a float that can do the work for those big fish. :thumbsup2:
    But i dont hunt big game fish. For that i might have to get me a good float system. Or improvise one.;)

    I was thinking about this while in the shower :D. If you got a 3" piece of pvc tub slightly larder than the thread of the bottle, and did a female thread(on both ends) then drilled a whole in the center for a stem valve, you could screw two bottles into the pvc and then inflate both to 50 psi or so....

    Quote from Toledo970

    I was thinking about this while in the shower :D. If you got a 3" piece of pvc tub slightly larder than the thread of the bottle, and did a female thread(on both ends) then drilled a whole in the center for a stem valve, you could screw two bottles into the pvc and then inflate both to 50 psi or so....


    That´s funny i can´t help thinking in " female threads " while in the shower my self ... then drill a hole and so on :D

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

    A good ole car tire with a mesh is a dirty cheap float, and could be used as a diving platform as well. The key is not towing the thing but anchore it somewhere in the reef as a point of reunion.

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

    I really think that, since a float is in the "safety" end of your gear, it has to be a solid and reliable source of safety and peace of mind. There is in my opinion, no other piece of gear (with the exception probably of the knife) that must be real reliable and sturdy. The thing is ... Is it possible to get all the features of a good float without the high pricing? Is it worth to save some bucks on it?


    Think for a minute, speargun at least from 250+ to 1500k +
    Shaft, shooting line and tip 150 +
    Float line (here is an example that a great f.l. could be done DYS cheap without compromising quality)


    The question is would you rely on a cheap float to save your gear and possibly your life? Maybe there is a possibity to save on this too though.

    I'm a Speardiver, not a freediver

    ^Hahaha


    You're right though. But I'm always fascinated by super-'ghetto' ways of making floats.
    This one does look like it would disassemble itself going through the first big wave!


    That being said, I'm sure there's a smarter way to use plastic bottles to make a decent float. This should be an interesting project... to make a nice float with bottles just to see if it's possible!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member to leave a comment.

Register a new account
Sign in now