Flopper tips with Multiple wings , Good or Bad ??

    I keep getting requests for Pole Spear Tahitian style flopper tips with 2 wings attached to the shaft with 2 different pins.


    I get replies back like " 2 are better than one" . "eye roll"


    Call me stupid, but I don't see the tactical advantage of two wings spaced up and down the shaft. If 2 are great, why not 3, or 4 or 5 wings.


    2 wings on the same pin for more contact area with fish, I can buy that. but the other way, only one wing can be engaged at a time, unless the second wing is hung up inside the fish.


    Thanks in advance. -John

    Hey mate, good question and one I asked my dad back in the day.


    I take it you mean double flopper with one Hawaiian and one Tahitian style, as in one on the bottom and one on the top?


    It was used before slip tips in Europe and was generally used for big soft bodies fish and thin
    fish like John Dory, or if your in warmer waters a queen fish would be an example.


    There are two schools of thought on this topic though, one is you need a heavy shaft to penetrate the fish enough to engage the second flopper. The other is never to use a heavy shaft because the heavier shaft will cause the fish to rip and you will loose the first flopper for sure and maybe even the second.


    I have never lost a fish using a double flopper, but I rarely loose fish using a Tahitian or Hawaiian flopper either.


    I would just like to mention I'm no expert with pole spears, I only have Ann aluminium jobby that I use for squid, flatfish and other easy targets.... But I think that if you are chasing BIG fish with these pole spears then a sliptip would be a better option. If you think about the amount of force that will be acting on that pole spear when you horse a big fish up to the surface there is a good chance it will snap.... You can get detachable tips that are double floppers but I don't see the point.......


    However if the fish you are hunting are not likely to hole up on you and you have a float line then I reckon a double flopper would be ok, reefies would use the leverage and snap you off or rip off.


    It's all relative to what your hunting bro, if its monsters stick to a sliptip. Maybe tell us more about the size and type of fish you are targeting??


    About the twin flopper spears, two barbs on one pin, I don't mind them, but they are generally for euro mech not South African but I'm sure you can get them for S.A shafts. They are supposed to shoot straighter as the weight is evenly distributed, but I don't notice a difference. I use them on my 105 seacsub for small fish and for free shafting.


    You asked why not 3 or 4 or 5? The simple answer is the more floppers you have the more penetration you need and the more penetration you need means the more weight you need which increases the risk of the soft, thin or powerful fish ripping off. It compounds itself with more floppers, I hope I explained that clearly enough:confused1:


    The double flopper shaft is more popular in Europe for that reason, where a big European fish is generally an average sized fish for Aus, S.A, U.S.A and so on.


    Hope that helps...
    Rusty

    Edited once, last by Rusty: Change of wording ().

    I assume it for redundancy.


    I imagine a shaft like comes on the AB biller Floridian guns. A small flopper on top very near the tip and a larger flopper just below that.


    I always assumed it was to have better retention in cases of poor penetration. The little flopper could deploy or maybe grab the fish interior in the event the shaft only penetrated 2-5"

    i like to spear fish

    The front flopper is a small 1" flopper for hunting species where penetration might be an issue. For example, plucking cabazon off a reef or halibut on a mixed bottom. The rear flopper would give you holding power on sheepies or wsb maybe YT . Its really for multi tasking.:toast:

    Thanks for the detailed comment. I'm just making the parts, and not sure what the Diver/customer is using them for.


    A Small wing near the tip and a longer wing behind it, and at 180 Degrees from the first wing. Say spacing the second the second wing to start like 1 inch behind the end of the 1st smaller wing.


    I figured it was about "Fish type / shot placement", but did not know for sure.


    I've had some divers want strange stuff to me, but they seem to know exactly what they want, from their experiences, and Fish Losses.


    A Slip tip is the way to go for larger fish. Yep agree.


    Thanks again for the information and clarity. -John

    I forgot to post pictures from before.


    The Coast Guard Diver was happy with it. He wanted replaceable end points he could sharpen with a battery powered hand drill on location, where he was stationed.


    I also made him a little mandrel to chuck the points on and a sanding block. Not sure if the block was ergonomic or not, seemed to work for me. I just made it out of scrap material kicking around.


    He also got a A2 tool steel point, not heard back about rusting, but didn't draw the hardness back to much. It either stays sharp or it shattered on a rock.


    When you heat treat A2 you put it in a Sealed Stainless bag and throw a piece of paper in there to get rid of Oxygen. But anyway at 1750 F the Stainless bag is translucent and you can see the orange tip inside. Pretty neat. I'll get a picture next time I make some.




    Quote from LunkerBuster

    Very cool. I also think this hand sharpener is a great little rig


    It was quick part , I was thinking one side for coarse paper and other for fine. The finger grooves: I was not sure to do it like I did or to rotate 90 degrees. All about how you want to hold it. Thought a cross would be too much.


    Maybe if the whole deal was made out of larger stock, might be a little better.


    1 inch belt sander at home way to go.


    I use my 1" sander and Scotch Brite wheel on grinder the most of all my tools. I also mounted an old DC motor that came off of a exercise machine, Variable speed and not too fast, Got a drill chuck on there where I mount a carbide deburring tool for internal holes.


    Here is the Cheap Harbor Freight belt sander only $39, and you can get it for less with 25% coupon deal. You can't use the zirconium belts on it, but not a bad deal for limited use.


    1 in. x 30 in. Belt Sander


    Using a bench grinder, you tend to take off too much material and wear your tips out faster.


    Edited 3 times, last by Linghunt: spelling ().

    Dan, It's just cheap and I really like 1 inch belts. I got a bigger one similar to the one you showed, but I don't use it too much.


    The belts are cheaper for 1 inch and you can transverse across the belt for even wear easier.


    I got a Kalamazoo but it's over $200 (not in most folks budget), $288 on Amazon, $259 at Enco (Model 1SM) Got a 1/3HP motor and can run it all day. It take 42 inch belts so you can use Zirconium, these last a long time on Stainless, The Aluminum Oxide don't last long.


    Problem with Kalamazoo is Work Table is a little wimpy. I tossed mine and make a thick Aluminum one with a cross groove in it.


    I got a couple Delrin plate that slides back and forth on Top for belt wear. The Delrin plate can have fixture holes for alignment too (part to part).


    Note the side threaded holes where I can add stops and fixtures for like tapering rubber tubing. I know you like the Grinder for that.


    BEFORE PICS:




    AFTER PICS: I didn't have any on computer of the Delrin slider plate.





    For that price you don't get a stand either, I had to make one.

    Edited 2 times, last by Linghunt: spelling, deleted comment on Tilt, does 45 degree ().

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