Posts by Stonecutter

So I'm down here in Belize and I finally got my speargun in the water today. My question has to do with ballast. With the shaft in, the gun sinks as expected.

What I didn't expect, is that it sinks even without the shaft in. I did change out the original handle frame with a different one, but I don't see how that could be the problem, as it is lighter than the original...the frame is identical too. All I did was put an AR 15 grip in place of the teak handle.

The gun an Andre euro RH 120 if that is any help. I'm new to spearguns and any information on what to expect would be helpful...I was under the impression that the gun should float after firing.

Thanks in advance.

Matt

I'm not sure but I received both things in time for our departure from NY. Aaron kindly surprised me with a couple T-shirts for my son and I. We are now in Belize getting sorted out and I'll post up some pics once I start using the spear and your tip. Thanks again!

I've already started making small changes. I like the wood handle on the Andre gun, but I wanted an alternate just in case. I don't like the look of standard AR-15 handles, so I modified the Andre AR frame to work with an ergonomic grip made by Leapers. Now I can simply swap out the handles by simply unscrewing 4 screws. I'm not a fan of the high polish, so I sanded it down to change it to a matte/brushed finish.

Hey thanks for the info. I'm still in NY right now....we fly out on the 3rd of May. The gun and associated gear is in SC in a sporttube-my friends are bringing it down with some other bags. I'll get it all a few weeks after I get there, but I'll have my pole spear, mask, fins etc with me so I'll have something to play with!

I ended up getting a float-line , float and line clutch. The gun came rigged up with 16mm bands and two wraps. Since I don't have anything to compare to how these bands are to use, or whether I like one wrap or two, I'll just shoot it this way for now.

I've gotten some great advice that I really appreciate. It'll give me something to reference as I get more experience and start tweeking my setup.

I got the paralyzer John, it looks great! Aaron sent me an adapter for the spear as well. Everything's packed for our trip!

Oh yeah...rockfish, not blackfish. That was a great trip for us...so much fishing. We also bagged a nice blacktail buck on a three day island hunt. When we got back to Sitka we went over to the dock and bought some dungeness right off the boat for surf and turf.

Sorry I missed you Hank....we don't arrive in Belize until May 3. Happy hunting!

Oh, seeing your user name, he's a story for you. Some years back my wife and I went up to Sitka, AK to visit my cousin...he's been up there since we both graduated highschool a million years ago. Anyway, we chartered a boat to fish for silvers and halibut. During a slow time, I lowered my bait to black fish depth just to catch something and in short order, I was reeling up a decent sized blackfish. Suddenly, my line stops moving and it feels like I hooked a big carpet of seaweed or something. Once I got it to the boat, we see this huge lingcod with my blackfish sticking out of its mouth....he couldn't expel it. So I scored some nice cod fillets along with our salmon. Local guide called that a hitchhiker...pretty common thing to happen but it was a first for me!

Btw, had a look at your site and your spears look excellent. I really like the knurling on the handles...smart idea.

No, I'm a detail guy that's good stuff. My grandfather was a professional tool maker until retirement, and my brother followed with tool making, then molds....until he began his career in professional shooting sports.

Here's a great example of outstanding customer service and commitment to quality.

Aaron sends me a text a couple days after I received my spear and said a couple customers have paralyzer st hat have bent too easily. He explains that he was using tines that were annealed and not hardened.....so he is making me another head. I haven't even used the spear yet, and he could have easily let me go off to Belize to find out the facts for myself. This kind of service wins loyalty and return business. Aaron is top notch.

I'll post some pictures in a couple weeks....we are in SC and I didn't have time before I left. But it's an awesome little spear. 5' custom 2 piece and I ordered an extra band, flopper and the paralyzer.

I just received a custom two piece spear from Aarin crist of Crist pole spears. I can't say enough how fantastic his customer service is. He had great input and was willing to give advice without pushing me into something that wasn't ideal.

Originally, I wanted his top of the line spear, the Zeus. But after discussing pole spears here on the forum and with Aaron, I decided to opt for a lighter weight Phoenix, which is more suitable for what I want it for....bugs, lion fish and small reef fish. He was extremely helpful through the whole process.

The spear is super high quality and I'm sure it'll serve me well. I'll post up some pics soon.

My Business - Home

Impressive products. I like the modular aspect of the spear and the quality is plain to see. My Crist spear us coming in next week. I highly recommend working with Aaron from a customer service perspective. I'll post up some pictures when I receive the spear.

Quote from Cookie

I have a Crist...... It is a monster..... no regrets but is too much spear for what I do. It is real slow. It has its place but to me it should not be your one pole spear for all.... in Belize . It is the .50 cal. of pole spears, no doubt. and the craftsmanship cant be beat.

Nor cal.......... I bet it is perfect

Brian

I've got a 5' 2 piece Phoenix being custom built for me right now. It's a lighter pole spear...much more than the Zeus model. Stoked to get it!

So guys, I finally settled on a gun. A teak Andre Euro 120...psyched!

Quote from Marco

Sorry for the delay. I don't get messages anymore...

14 mm bands are easier to load and you have less recoil. Additionally, with the small ID bands, you get almost the same power as with the 16 mm.

If you're a begginer, a reel has much more chances to fail/tangle/go wrong. A floatline is simple and you just have to release your gun and surface when you shoot a fish.

I have tried double wrap and FOR ME there is not a single advantage; I am not able to hit anything that far away, plus, you give the fish more chances to hole and tangle. Single wrap anytime for me.

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10-4 Marco. Float line it is!

Work of art

I'll pass. I've always preferred new gear over used...maybe it's an odd thing.:crazy:

I like the look and description of the Andre 120 enclosed track euro too...

I have been to the ulusub site, but I didn't see any way to get price or ordering outside of the info email, which has come back undeliverable. I'll inquire about them.

I'm all ears if anyone has anything to say about the Speardiver teak gun.

Quote from Wayno

I was actually thinking about suggesting a wooden 120, for reason that you can power it up with more/thicker bands than a pipe gun. There's an Andre 120 for sale on SB that I think would be a good choice, I have a bigger Andre that is my go-to bluewater gun and I really like it: Andre Gold 120 - Spearboard bubble blowers drama forum If you don't want it, let me know and I'll probably make an offer.

A couple guys I dive with swear by Ulusub and they're comparable in price and style to Andre, so that might be another good option.

Don't let me stop you Wayno, go ahead and make an offer. I am interested in the Speardiver teak gun, but there's no information in the product description. I did find the thread about the gun, but it's an old thread....I suppose all the relevant information is there.

I've just got the new guy jitters I guess. From what I could find on the forum, it seem like a super solid gun. Wood is really what I wanted all along, and I'm glad I didn't jump right into buying something else.