Large Game fish float

Marco that was exactly how I was rigging my first buoys!!! But looking at the vid I think the fishing buoys were used as the 'clutch buoys' I need to figure out a clutch system if I dont get a board built or modified by July for my tuna trip

Update on my blue water Do It Myself float rig.
I had rigged two large hard lobster pot/net floats together as my primary floats(they have about the same mass as a RA 11L hard float)

The Idea being for Tuna/Marlin/Sailfish that I would be targeting this summer that I would run from the shaft my 100 ft bungee to this float rig, then 50 foot bungee to anther rig like this and from the second float an 100ft float line to my terminal float rig which is a massive float that no monster could take down.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gdGRFa2nL.jpg
Now having no experience with any blue water rig for big fish I asked some respected veterans their advice(Don and Marco)... Don immediately voiced concern about the floats collapsing at depth if they were taken down by a hard fighting fish and showed me some awesome alternatives that were quite DIY for me, but I decided one day to crush test the float I had initially decided to use out of curiosity, laziness(to build a Botha type float) and just plain cheapness :D. There was a chorus of your retarded on the boat(we are not a PC crowd and not known for being gentle with feelings out at sea away from wives and kids :laughing3:) as I rigged the anchor to one float and 200ft of rode 40 miles off shore on a particularly rolly day...I do know how to win a popularity contest :crazy:... Then there was that little anchor wont take down that float, sadly the anchor did take down the float, slowly at first but definitely faster after about 125 ft of rode and was pretty much anchor weight at 200 ft.
Here are the pictures of it immediately after being pulled back onto the boat and side by side comparison of a normal one to the crush depth float..FYI it did return to normal size and buoyancy after a short time at one atmosphere.


The two above images also show how I decided to rig them together, I used two square hard wood blocks with holes through them as stops and then a figure of eight knot(high terminal strength knot) and then instead of a bowline as my ends I went with constrictor knots as there breaking strength is substantially higher than bowlines.

Now I have done this I need some wiser engineering minds to tell me what they surmise from the test.

cool :cool2:

the volume difference (due to the crush) don't seem to be big or am I missing something?

Could you share what were Don's "awesome alternatives that were quite DIY" (or just point the post were they're at )?
thanks

The picture at the start of this thread is a board that could easily be made by modifying a boogie board or making a fiberglass shell(mold) around some Styrofoam to the dimensions that Don posted and then removing the foam and using the expandable liquid foam of the density he recommended, then you could remove the fiberglass shell and have a great foam board to fight big game. I would have put on the jam cleats like they do on the SA boards as I have access to a crap load of heavy duty sail gear for free. But that's just my idea to build what I saw.
I also think that the float did incredibly well but I dont know enough to be sure about it so was hoping for some experienced feed back.

Quote from marginatus

the volume difference (due to the crush) don't seem to be big or am I missing something?

Could you share what were Don's "awesome alternatives that were quite DIY" (or just point the post were they're at )?
thanks

Bump for more discussion.
Any one else builg these big game boards? Ideas on packing them for air travel?

any leads on a source for the floating bulletproof bungie?
Whats the ideal amount of bouyancy?
Don if you had it to do over, how would you rig your floats?
Thanks!

Don, if you had to do it over, would you try for a brain shot? Im a big fan of lateral line placement, had very very good results, mid body.
Recent experiences similar to yours, with easy shots on big fish, where i actually celebrated the capture in my mind before seeing it all somehow unravel, has me reconcidering my default target zone on closer shots on once in a lifetime fish.? Thanks for all your input. I value it!

For further or fleating shots, it does make more sense to target the spine, btwn the anal and dorsal fin, I feel its the most stationary part of fish, but when it all lines up, and you have the fish youve dreamt about 8ft from gun tip, Im giving serious thought to trying to get the brain through the collar bone, does that make sense? Or would you stick with the instinct that works of zeroing in on that part know are familiar with conecting with? I like to preprogram my mind so to speak, so the fish doesnt sense you deciding how you want him in your freezer and bolt.

Thanks.
Carry on

If I can add my .01 cents worth, I am no Don but I watched this Sunday gone an over 300LB Silky shark Take down this rig for sometimes up to 10 min in an hour long battle. Reguarly shoot 40+ plus Wahoo with them, and my buddy has taken Marlin over 400 Lb on them as well as 150lb + Yellow Fin... I used a 50ft then 100 ft and finally the 100 + the 50 Bungee, to much weight to lug around and a lot of resistance when the fast fish like Wahoo explode in their first run, and finally now I just use 150 foot float line with a 1000lb test spectra core and the simple floats... works great! and it took down the big shark.

Also, I can tell ya that center shot wahoo will more than likely get off. I also like to preprogram my shots (game plan)before I get into the water.

So just the single float you have tied up was enough for that shark. Impressive.

Thanks! Thats exactly what im looking for!
The cost of a true bkue water setup has my head spinning.
Some day if neptune deems it fit and an 800+ blue presents a shot, I will only take the shot if its clean and my grear is the best that I can make it.
So far, have a 35 l gen 1 rob allen blow up doll;) scary to see it crumple as it goes down.

Leaning towards 75ft rife bungee, to an 11L hard float, to 15 ft bungee in bag, rubber banded to another 11L, to and 25 ft bungee, in a bag, rubber banded to a large tuna board, and a small bouy with a recessed reel with 500 ft of spectra rigged to break away. Sounds like over kilk, but I dont want my story to end, with, my bouys were dragged down never to be seen again.

My hoo was toast, but my exuberance got the best of me.

Any one have experience with some new, 60L inflatable 3atm floats? Havent seen anything good or bad about them. Seem like a good float. Claim to be zodiak tough

Any lead on bulk floating high strengtn bungee would be hugely apreciated!