Posts by makoa

Quote from Akira dkt

Aloha Makoa,

Ive looked over the vengance, rage and KV series. Yet to shoot a Rage, but IMO. these shapes are suited to more BW hunting.

While KV are very dense with mass toward the muzzle to accommodate 3 bands and a thick shaft, the vengance are very light and generally only accommodate a double band setup. (still a very nice gun) but i feel that the shape doesnt do very much for the diver in a reef gun, that a regular rail barrel will do. the shape does add volume to the gun, but not much in the way of tracking or actual mass. the belly is also positioned near the handle and in terms of and floatation it functions more like a hybrid rear handle setup.

I have yet to try out the rage, barrel looks nice, even wider than the KV. I believe it is a dedicated roller gun. This barrels belly and cuttle shape is positioned toward the center of the barrel, it looks much more hydrodynamic than the KV or the Vengance.

As far as floatation of guns after a shot... I like my guns to float muzzle down. but with carbon guns with reels,, this is hard to achieve, especially when neutral buoyancy with shaft in is priority.

My technique for making my speargun visible is using high viz, (neon green or yellow) reel line. you can see this stuff a mile away and at depth, really good for locating a gun adrift or a fish in a hole.

Any who. hope this helps,

Dive safe,

Josh

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I like the mass even when reef hunting. I've taken omilu under ledges and out in the open as well as kahala and uku when reef hunting and have always been glad that I had my DIY hybrid with a little more mass for those long shots. After converting my 140 SV to a 110 roller (I never liked a long blue water pipe gun for maneuverability reasons) I began using that gun exclusively once I got the band stretch/preload/ etc dialed in. Maybe if I was headed out to the Ono lane I would take one of my wood or hybrid ET guns, but on this last trip to Mexico I realized that every hunt we went on, with exception of shallow/shore reef hunting for nenue, kala, etc, I only took my 110 roller and landed everything I shot at from small palmilla, to thick jacks at max range, uhu's, kaku, cerra mackerals, nenue, everything. I know the SV has more mass than the thinner carbon barrels which is why I chose that barrel. I'm still wanting to try the cuttle bone shape in a roller. Kiley at Aimrite said the rage is only made as a 125cm roller....too long for my preference in a roller. I still think that the benefit of a roller is best in a shorter barrel, 110-115 max. After that I would prefer my hybrid for tracking and maneuverability.

BTW, what did you shoot your monster mu with? :thumbsup2:

Aloha

Makoa

Quote from Dan

For what its worth cuttlefish shape puts the bands inline with the shaft.

Yes I like how the bands sit on the KV, seems to have less band vibration when tracking.

Muzzle up

Anyone own and shoot an Aimrite Vengeance? Rick has added a new shape in addition to the King Venom and is coming out with the Rage (it's out but not marketed yet) which is different yet. All are cuttle bone shaped. I love the KV we have as it floats horizontally without the shaft and with a reel. I know several manufacturers and builders that have added this design and I don't know why all pipe gun builders don't. I remember standing in Rick's garage/shop in Na'alehu years ago when he showed me his new barrel design that would allow a pipe gun to float horizontal when loaded with a reel...it became the King Venom. My Super Venom roller has become my go to gun for all around hunting and I'm thinking a vengeance 110-115 would be a step up for the reason that it will float horizontal instead of handle down when fired. This is a personal preference and I'm wondering if it's really even "better" since a horizontally floating gun is not as easy to see when you're mostly face down in the water and can see a gun better when the gun is floating muzzle up and the handle/butt end extending way below the surface. This is mostly true in rougher seas.

I'm interested to see what some of your opinions are. Speardiver to come out with a cuttle bone C3 barrel anytime in the future?

Aloha

I know here I'm headed next! Nice!:cool2:

The coolest homemade sling I've seen. Made by a Mexican diver we met. Loved using this. The guy makes these arrowhead style points for pargo.

Our Mexican hosts...family really.

Very nice virgili! I've noticed the difference between the greater barracuda of Florida and the Caribbean are very different from the heller's barracuda in Hawaii, Mexico and the pacific the way they tend to be solitary and like to "hang out" as opposed to the ones we have that swim in schools and don't seem to hang around but swim through and are gone. I love barracuda raw and it is such a mellow tasting fish. That's one fish I never cook but use for sashimi, ceviche, and Hawaiian poke.

Great video...maybe I should have you edit mine!:laughing3:

Aloha!

Well said.

Da cooler

MAV....Mexican Adventure Vehicle

Epilogue 1

EPILOGUE:

So we pulled out of .......... Last weekend for the drive north to AZ. The last two days of diving were off the hook! We hit an off shore spot in moderate seas, poor viz, and cooler water (cold water has moved in). We got into schools of barracuda (very pricey fish in Mexico and the best sashimi/poke IMHO) and cerra mackerels. I ended the day with to big barracuda, 4 cerras (dad still shoots da biggest of course), three jacks, a dozen palmilla. Total between us was 8 cerra macks, five barracuda shot, three descent jurels (jacks), and some palmillas. The last day, same spot, the water turned dirty, and the schools were nowhere to be found. But da boys went deep for a kui full of descent reef fish. My 22 year old and I ended with three jurels, palmillas, one small pargo (I chased a toad of a pargo through several holes for about a half hour when he finally disappeared), a couple of ojo de perra, uhu, and three of those rainbow runner looking fish (can't remember what the Mexicans call them). All in all we ended the trip totally worn out, freezers full of fish for our Mexican hosts, super stoked for all the fish we shot and adventures in the water we had. We're definitely wearing battle scars from this trip (reef rash and still dissolving urchin spines in our bodies! To end it all, I almost got stabbed by a guy in Puerto Vallarta when I stepped in to help a store clerk subdue a guy stealing from her store! Crazy! One guy got his arm slashed and I escaped without my blood being spilled by the guy with a filet knife of all things!

Can't wait until the next trip....for now it's repair gear and try and recover from three months of Salt Life Living, charging hard while we could.

CHEEHO! Aloha,

Makoa

The view from topside:

Had to add this picture of Kaleomakoa, my 11 year old. This was a rough day, the same day the panga broke loose from its anchor line...(so that's what they mean when they say "small boat advisories"...:laughing3:) Fills a dad with waterman pride witnessing his youngest son slip beneath a rough surface and effortlessly glide into the abyss in search of prey!

Right on Hank. Sorry I haven't gotten over Kona side since he's been there. Plenty guys who dive there though. I'm sure he's got to know some. I know exactly where he's at. We dive close by there in the Ono lanes right off shore! My boys and I are thinking about helping our Mexican friend start a shrimp tank down in Mex. I'll have to get some advice from you another time.

Aloha!

Walking the streets of .......(our secret)....with some of our catch. A Jack and Ojo de Perra.

Madregal and Ojo de Perra. Cera Macs too

Panga dive

Yes, I have had the same experience with cobia as Hank. A meal well earned. Not sure how they would compete with native species though. Roi are decimating native reef fish in Hawaii, lion fish in other regions, striped bass in lakes and Colorado river decimating fresh water native species. Seems like non native species, once introduced to a new environment begin to dominate as predators and local species of fish begin to diminish. It will be interesting to see.

Hank, good luck in Vietnam. I was in Thailand this summer and almost went to Vietnam. Love that part of the world. Hope your boy is killing it over Kona side. We should be headed home to BI for a few weeks this summer and will make sure to give him a call.

My son Kawika with a few roi shot over Kona side. I used to eat them...good grouper meat...until they got known for ciguatera. Too bad. Now we shoot every roi we see and throw them in the garden for fertilizer.