Rabitech

So I shot a grouper today (with my Rabitech Stealth Pro), and it holed up in a very tight spot.
When I got the shaft out, the grouper not only tore off, but somehow broke off the tip and the flopper!:@

I've never seen anything like this before... the shaft broke at the flopper pin joint.

I earlier believed that Rabitech shafts were fairly solid. Having being shot into rocks and pulled around with larger fish. I guess I'm gonna take my words back. A 7mm shaft breaking at the tip because of a grouper is ridiculous!

Guess I gotta find another shaft now. Recommendations, anyone?

Not uncommon in Trinidad with big groupers and snapper. Use a slip tip and it will never happen again I recommend the new model JBL warhead

I have to admit that I bought 3 shafts from Mako recently and so far I'm happy with them. Probably are made by the same chinese (no racism here) that makes the Rabitech shafts. There might be a bad batch. It happens when there's no quality control.

Shafts are consumable. In spite of that, actually breaking a shaft or a flopper is not that common. Shafts are more frequently bent when subject to the force of a sounding fish. Omer shafts are crap btw. Those are so easily bent. It just take a couple of missed shots around the rocks to ruin´em. Not sure whether they are chinese or not tho.

I prefer spring steel like Rob Allens, very happy with them. Spearmasters rust very fast, haven't tried the Mako.

Quote from Dude george

Not uncommon in Trinidad with big groupers and snapper. Use a slip tip and it will never happen again I recommend the new model JBL warhead

If a strong fighting fish like a grouper holes up, don't you think a slip tip would be more susceptible to a similar fate of failure? IMO, slip tips should be reserved for soft flesh fish(probably blue water) and pole spears. For reef work, it's hard to beat a flopper because of it's versatility and the fact that you can take control of the fish a lot faster with an entire steel rod half way through it versus some cord, be it steel or any other material.

Chase

Been doing it here in Trinidad for the last two weeks, fighting Cubera and other mean ass holing up fish, started with a flopper shaft then when that proved to be a joke as it was made a bitch of by a grouper, I went to a flopper screw on tip, soon had that trashed... now all this time Bequia Blues was shaking his head and telling me he has been doing this for 30 years and to get my head out my ass and use a slip tip like him well I finally listened and now I CAN SAY that for structure fishing of tough fighting fish slip tip is all I will use, my fish last week speak for themselves.
By the by a fixed shaft through a big grouper can kill you, don't know how your fish behave but my experience with a non debilitating shot on a powerful fish is...control?
Edit: Funny the bottom structure in Antigua is like Florida, I have no problem with that bottom structure but here in Trinidad with giant boulders and rock reefs it has been different and far more difficult.

Intersting stuff, George. I found a slip tip here in one of the shops (Mares, I believe?). I might pick that up soon.

As of now, I've gone down the cheap route lol:D
I bought an orca flopper and pin, and went to a workshop to drill a hole for the pin, and sharpen the broken part into a pencil point tip. I hated sharpening tri cut tips, and I always felt that I got one of the angles with a tri cut wrong.

Before:

After:

I'm sure the shorter shaft length may get some getting used to in terms of "shooting from the hip".
I'll find out how it shoots only after some time in the water.

Nice adaptation!

I have always used "Freedivers" shafts in my Rabitech and those have been very tough and relatively cheap.

Where do you get them?

You can PM me if you want.

Thanks.