DIY Lifeguard rescue can float buoy for spearfishing

Backcountry. It is a very simple process. You cut a two inch hole using a hole saw. Keep the plug. Hammer a weight into a long ingot then place in the can. I added glue here to hold it
Mix a small batch of foam and pour it into the can. Allow it to set around the weight. Mix a but more and add it to tr can, moving the can slowly side to side to allow the foam to make it into te handles. Keep adding foam until about half full. Wait. If needed add more foam but it should fill the cavity. Replace the plug. Done

What questions do you have?

Hey-- Thanks Lunker--- Liked your Post #20 on how you built yours... I must have missed what sorta Weights you used? At the moment--I am Land-Locked--- so I would go to a Bait & Tackle store or Academy Sports for weights--- what suggestions for weight would work? I understood that you used GLUE to hold the Weights in place? I am guessing you put glue on them 1st--- then shoved them into the 2" hole?

Also-- what is the purpose of the Foam if you have Air for buoyancy? Not a physicist by any means... Was just curious what the Foam brings to the game that Air did not?

Foam prevents the can from being crushed by water pressure when it gets pulled down

The weight I used was a dive weight and covered it in gorilla glue and then dropped it in and pushed it into place then poured more gorilla glue on it and let it set in that place. Then I went I to the foam step.

Do you have smelting equipment? I would do a nice long two and a half pound weight in a ten inch long bar

You can also put lead shot in a sandwich bag and electrical tape in into a hotdog like shape that will fit into the hole. Just get it in along the center line of the float as it lies on the garage floor or yard when you pour the mixed foam into the hole.

The floats Terry Maas and I made were part of a 3 float system with two of the floats having 2''pvc champers
containing line packs or small parachutes. One of the float held our flares and orange smoke in case we were lost while diving 100 mile offshore.

Cheers. Don

Quote from Don Paul

You can also put lead shot in a sandwich bag and electrical tape in into a hotdog like shape that will fit into the hole. Just get it in along the center line of the float as it lies on the garage floor or yard when you pour the mixed foam into the hole.

The floats Terry Maas and I made were part of a 3 float system with two of the floats having 2''pvc champers
containing line packs or small parachutes. One of the float held our flares and orange smoke in case we were lost while diving 100 mile offshore.

Cheers. Don

i highly recommend having the flares on the float . its a very big ocean and you get away from the boat fast .
phil

Quote from phil herranen

i highly recommend having the flares on the float . its a very big ocean and you get away from the boat fast .
phil

You got that right.... I was '' misplaced for a hr at Cortez Bank 20 years ago in big seas and current, outside kelp stringers and south of the can. The boat had relocated to the 9:rolleyes1: to check conditions. I was happy to know I had a mirror and Solas parachute flare along with orange smoke and dye in case a boat came near.

Prayers worked that day

Cheers, Don

Don- do you have some specs on the parachute you used? I was thinking about a deployable chute off a ten foot bungee with a lobster sized float off the back of my lifeguard can to house the chute. Do you think it is any better than a float chain with two inflatable floats off the stern of a hard float? Starting to think about a trip for big pelagics sometime in the near future..

Quote from ddonnell

Don- do you have some specs on the parachute you used? I was thinking about a deployable chute off a ten foot bungee with a lobster sized float off the back of my lifeguard can to house the chute. Do you think it is any better than a float chain with two inflatable floats off the stern of a hard float? Starting to think about a trip for big pelagics sometime in the near future..

My chute was a 20'' Jim-Buoy stuffed in one of the LF cans. I would not us a chute as it can really stress the gear on a hard run.
Today I would do a Tommy Botha type board with a 1 atmosphere float of a 100 bullet proof bungie.
The less floats the better when your getting in and out of the chase boat.
Cheers, Don

Great thread! Tons of useful info! A bit of backround before my question.

I got complacent thinking I could stop anything in my locals waters, with my current setup, so off I went.
3 banded 55 inch wood gun, 5/16 tahitian point, 70 ft float line with 10 feet of bungie on either side and a 35l inflatable rob allen bouy. Rigged non breakaway

Landed many big fish with that set up and never felt even slightly underpower in S fl.
Fast forward. Finally get a call to hunt hoos semi locally. My ego got best of me and I figured, if i could hit it it would be in the bag, not, lost the fish of a lifetime, and not by spooking it, or missing it.
Had a 70+ lbs wahoo within 10 ft of the end of my gun, and nailed it perfectly! I was at about 50ft in bluewater when I hit it.
I paused amd surfaced. As I headed for air, to my horror, i saw the float, at 40ft racing down toward the bottom compressing down as it went, Out of panic, and inexperience, I grabbed it, thinking Id clip my belt reel to the back of it, rather than possibly losing my gun In that instant, the flopper broke off the shaft and my prize was gone. The first wahoo I see underwater ever!
murphy got the best of me! In retrespect.
My float was full but not totally packed, I should have had a slip tip, The fish was certainly close enough for trying a killshot instead of a window pane center mass.

I have a few questions, what is the effect of depth on the spearfishing dedicated inflatable floats? , I had never had anything pull one down like that, its unerving to see the, crush as they go down, but they are very easy to transport. Seeing it crush made me panic!

I have a dream of hunting marlin some day, I dread seeing a 3 float setup racing past me to depth, Has anyone, done a last ditch float, like don describes, with line inside?
My idea is to have a float that will be the last in the string, perhaps smaller, riged to breakaway, it would have a reel recesed into the bottom loaded with say 300ft of 500lbs spectra, that way if the first 3 floats get dragged down, then last ditch float would deploy, stay on the surface longer and give a chance for another reel or float to be attached to rig. Having it breakaway would mean line would be stowed 99% of the time. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

In local waters where hunting with one bouy, a small, last ditch float, on the back of a single main float could someday be the diffrence in landing a one in a lifetime fish or not! Streamlined is key.

What mix of floats would you recomend for hunting serious tuna, taking into account, having to travel on a plane to get there? What order would you rigg them up in?

I was thinking: gun, 20ft bungee, 50ft, ski rope, 20ft bungee, 1 hard 11 L, 5ft bungee, 1 more 11L hard float, 6ft bungee, inflatable 35L and a last ditch float (as described) on the back. Most conections via cats paw, to cut down on extra hardware.

Seems like overkill but this is a trophy once in a lifetime fish set up.

Any input greatly welcome

I will try and get a crude prototype and pick for more clear illustration of what i have in mind

I have a look for the other hard float thread from earlier this year ....
This stuff here is dated and unnecessary for tuna and billfish.
Think south African Tommy Botta board and bungi system or a couple 1 atmosphere blow up dolls.....I'll be back.

Cheers, Don

PS...here.http://spearfishing.world/floa…arge-game-fish-float.html

Thanks Don! So the consensus is: one big ass float? Im trying to think I would pack that monster for travel.
Smaller hard floats and multiple blow up dolls would make it easier to tote around.
Its scary to see the infatables shrink as they get dragged down.
Whats this bulletproff bungee you speak of?

The 100ft bungess are great and all but cost is a serious factor for me any rec are greatly apreciated.

Taking all that into account how would you rig for that marlin today if you could do it over? As that is my nightmare scenario. Thanks!