Posts by hank

3-5 foot waves in open sea are no problem. But I've been caught in squalls inside the reef with short, steep white capping waves and it was pretty sketchy. But that's rare.
Easy to climb into. I don't have to use a ladder.....yet. DuQuesnay needs us to grab his wetsuit as he pulls himself up.

These are the best pics I have right now. A couple orange trees are in the way.
28 feet long
6 feet wide
About 10 inches deeper than a normal 25' panga design here.
Thick glass on the hull. Designed to haul cargo across to and from Honduras (cargo?...:@...whatever...:D)

It's much heavier than any 25 I've driven. Only gets about 27 knots with this 90 hp. But it planes at low rpms also. Nice smooth ride compared to Carrot Juice.

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That cooler lid will hold your weight? If so, I want one....or two. I have Igloos and naturally everyone sits on them, even though I ask them not to. And they can't handle and get all bent and soft.
Nice, and great plan....size the boat to fit the cooler....:thumbsup2:

Got the Hummingbird Helix 5 fish finder installed and wired up. There was no room to lay it in the console so it would be flush and not sticking up like it is. But the gauges for the ETEC motor took all the space.
So I installed a plexiglass wind/rain shield to protect it.

It's easily removable by unplugging and unscrewing the side mounting screws but I think I'll just leave it in the boat and cover it. And I'm building a "house" for the boat now too. right outside my bedroom window. We have a fence and dogs but there are some pretty bold thieves around here.

I couldn't find any of the little clips that hold the transducer wire in place as it goes from the stern to under the console. So....Gorilla Tape. Amazing stuff. I just cut two pieces, about an inch long or so, folded them in half around the wire, and using the screw, punched a hole through the G Tape and into the hull. You can kind of see it in the second picture.

Jake put a piece of G tape about 4 feet long to ....we thought at the time,...temporarily hold the transducer wire in the Carrot Juice. When I sold the boat, it was still holding solid and it'd been over two years.

So it all works....amazing. I'm a real dunce when it comes to electricity but I got it wired in and all the wires bundled up. Hope to try it out tomorrow. :thumbsup2:

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Ok, nothing like some new gear to change your luck. Dan just sent me a couple lucky knives and masks. But I think the real key to luck will be the new snorkel. :laughing:

Nice little knife. Modified a bit with bungee instead of the rubber holder. Put in a loop to go over my wrist when using in the water.

Got the new fish finder all wired in and ready to go. oh please...oh please....:laughing:

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Quote from Chase

I think where wongs drop the ball is in the fact that they are mass produced to a higher level because of the demand. Of course I still don't understand how or why Daryl let's a gun go in the mail when it is not balanced or ballasted and can't handle recoil any better than a pipe gun...:confused1: And for the price you pay for a wong, the hardware is very cheap IMO. At that price level everything needs to be pinned in, no screws in the stock except a reel if you use one. The trigger mechs and reels that he rebrands as his own are not up to par neither.

Anyways, different strokes for different folks I suppose. Some people prefer a pole spear for the plain simplicity and the fact that you're in the water with a stick. I know that's my weapon of choice for pan sized fish and super shallow water.

::Edit::

Meant no offense to the divers that own wongs. It's really on the builder. Daryl is a cool dude though, met him one time at the expo.

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I think most of his guns are pretty standard as far as weighting. I've owned.....four 55 hybrids and a 63 magnum. And for my tastes, Daryl overpowers his personal guns. That's where Jake got the idea. Daryl teases me if I borrow one of his when we go diving...."are you sure you can cock it"?

They are pricey. But of the five I've had over seven years, there have been no failures on any part of any gun. Daryl gave me about 4 spare muzzles just in case. And he gave me some new softer plastic handles after Sheri Daye had one break and bust her eye a few years back.

And after reading this thread, I went and picked up my Riffe C3s, just by the grip and pointed them horizontally. They're a bit heavier and harder to hold than the 55 Wongs. I'll have to follow up on that under water.

And no worries. No offense taken. I learn a lot about guns on here. I've only shot Riffes and Wongs. I did try a couple other cheap ones but they sucked.

Welcome.

The recoil can be adjusted by using a 9/32 shaft and weakening the bands. Longer or smaller diameter...
I use two 14 mm "Dan" bands, small ID. One is 26 and one is 28 inches. I load them on the back two, of the three holes.
Jake uses 2, 16 mm bands, 24 and 25 inches. I can't. I anticipate the recoil and miss.

Carrying the gun through the water....I'm not sure I understand the comparison. When near, or approaching fish, doesn't it work much better kind of hiding the gun? I hold the gun in the center with both hands just below my sternum. With snappers, it makes a difference. I hid it as best I can and don't extend until I'm ready to shoot. All in one motion. Swimming anyway. Laying on the bottom I rest the gun barrel on a rock or whatever, so it's not an issue.
Yes, the Wong 55 will sink muzzle first when loaded (but so does a Riffe. ??).. but not so much that you can't hold it in one hand and shoot.

Just my two cents.

Quote from Akira dkt

4. sometimes a dive just doesnt go your way, Ive had dives where after im just like "F diving and F you F'n fish bastards!... but that ideal doesnt last long
5. I think you just need to enjoy being in the water with some really amazing creatures having some great experinces, and eventually shoot them in the face.....but enjoy them first......and hopefully on the plate later.

anyway,
goodluck
dive safe

Josh

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haha. Yep. "how the f**k did I miss that f**kin' fish !!!.....rassle frassin crabble frackin'......"

After the first day of missing shots, I checked the shaft. And Mo and Tino checked and we all thought it was straight. And I checked it yesterday morning before heading out. But today, I changed it for a new one.

Mo was using a Riffe C3 since he started and just switched to a Wong 55. He was deadly yesterday and filled the cooler. Big barracuda, big grouper, 2 nice snappers, some smaller snappers. Same on Friday. Then he told me the last two times with the Riffe, he couldn't hit anything. Maybe I should try his Riffe?

I usually don't think about a shot. Just point and shoot. After a few misses I was like.....WHAT ???? HOW"D I MISS THAT ???

Don't know if any of you follow golf, but in the Masters this year, two time US Open Champion Ernie Els, 6 putted a green. 6 putted ......that's about how I was feeling yesterday. :laughing:

but maybe Dan's going to send me a lucky knife. Or mask.....

I've been diving about 7 times in the last 5 weeks or so.
When I first got back in the water, I was deadly. Stoning or almost hitting the sweet spot on almost everything I shot at.
But the last two times out I couldn't hit a fish to save my life. Hogs, dogs, barracuda, yellow jacks....

We found a nice new spot yesterday and I missed a nice dog. So as I was swimming back to the boat, to move it out the cut to deeper water, I stopped in about 15 feet of water, laid on the bottom and took careful aim and hit a 6 inch surgeon fish dead on the sweet spot. From a good distance.

Then I proceeded to miss about 4 more fish. How do you deal with this? Oh, and later I did get a fish. A small mackerel. Go figure....:crazy:

Porgies. Like the Hawaiian Mu. They do smell a bit like chlorine or something. I was telling the kids what Dan said and when it was raw, it did. But after cooking, it was really good.
This is a challenging fish. At least here....for me. Harder than snappers. You can't look at them. You have to just lie there and hide your face and not move. This was a big one....that Mo got. :laughing:I wasn't so lucky.
Hey, it's not about size....at least that's what I've been telling the ladies most of my life.

Black grouper seem like they can just flex, and bend your spear shaft.

Just got lucky? What'd it do? Jump into your boat? :laughing:

Nice fish. :thumbsup2:

Quote from Oscar

Nice haul Hank. I see one bug in the cooler. How common are these on your reefs? Hand catch? I found them easy to catch in the pacific side of Panama but real tough on the Caribbean/Atlantic reefs because "holes" are much deeper.

They're commercially fished here and the season is from June 25 or so to Januray I believe. Most use a hook on a short stick and snag them from underneath. I honestly am not sure about what is legal here, other than the season. I have heard it's legal to spear them.

Jon (I forget his name on here), Shelly, Mo, Tino....what a day. Jon got this 16 lb dog. Big dog. Tino got a nice mutton and a nice dog. I drove the boat
We hit three cuts. Beautiful walls, Nice.
I got a nice yellow jack and a small mutton. I'm getting my groove back diving. Beautiful, enjoyable day. Yep

Welcome. You've come to the right place. Not a lot of traffic but a great bunch of knowledgable people.

Yes, it has a transom mount transducer. I had a Humminbird, with transom mount transducer, on the Carrot Juice which worked pretty well. When you're above trolling speed it would get interference from the motors and stern wash, but if I slow down, it would give a good bottom picture. It was worse with the twin motors. Now that I have single motor again, it will give a better picture at speed.
The model I had isn't available anymore but this Helix 5 had great reviews everywhere I looked. It's basic. No GPS or mapping upgrades. Just depth and sonar for seeing fish or whatever is down there.

Haha. I didn't get one fish on Sunday. Had a shot on some hogs and small grouper. I was checking out a couple new spots but ended up swimming my ass off because I thought I was on the dropoff. Swam out and realized it was a sand slope that came up the real wall a hundred yards out....150 yards out from where I anchored. So I swam north and south on the wall looking for fish. LOTS of baitfish. potential.

Then I came home and ordered this. Humminbird Helix 5 Sonar with Transom Mount Transducer 409590-1 :thumbsup2:

it really helps when scoping out new spots. Not for finding fish, but knowing depth.

Nice Marco. Thanks :thumbsup2: