FLOAT OR NOT TO FLOAT

[searcher40]

Hey,
Been checking this great site out for a couple years now,just registered the other day.I'm getting in to shallow water detecting,and was wondering has anybody made a float for their land detector.I have some fresh water beaches to check out,water is mostly calm,i have a few ideas to make a rig,i have a Fisher CZ-7a and love it,thats what i want to use,just lookin for some thoughts,
thanks.

 

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[Jason in TN]

Welcome to TN. I would not take any detector in the water that you have not made water proof. Any detector can be water proofed.

 

[Sandman]

Many years ago I made a float for my old Garrett which had a seven foot cord so I could use it in the water. I had a plastic bag over the detector so splashes or my wet hands wouldn't ruin the thing. I was in fresh water too. After a short time condenseation builds up in the bag and the detector would go nuts till I tore open the bag so it could get drier air.

Most detectors that can be hip mounted can be suppended from your neck and make fine freshwater machines. Case in point is the Sov GT with the WOT coil.

Good Luck...

 

[rjnail]

SM. i had the same trouble with my old ADS GROUNDHOG. floated it in a cooler and the bag was the trouble , had a 10" weight coil made up with 9 ft cable, was a great machine. you can also try mounting it on a hard hat. seen alot of folks with thier machine on top the head.

 

[Dinker]

ok Mr Swinginmydfx you peaked my curiosity. How do I waterproof my DFX? That is my big concern about beach/shallow water detecting.

 

[Sandman]

I know of no way to convert a nice DFX into a water detector. One little leak and you've got an expensive paper weight. It's much cheaper to buy a water detector from a major brand.

 

[Mike Silver -gold]

When I first started water detecting there were no water detectors. So I read up on two guys from the Cheseapek bay area. I built a float[their plans]. It had a bike tube and wire mesh, with a wooden box to float my Whites detector. I found more rings with that, than I do today. But there was no compition than. I got gold every trip out. Miike.

 

[rjnail]

you might be talking about . Bob & Frank, they had two vids they made was very good, met frank when i was at south beach, but they where using a white's pi back then.

 

[dahut]

You might want to keep this information in mind. Most freshwater hunting is not done in more than chest deep water. You can make a headphone rig for for your CZ and mount it across the back of your headphones, like a noggin backpack. Admittedly this would look sorta stupid, but would suffice. Much easier than fiddling around with a floating detector.

"This came up on another forum and I thought it might stir some ideas for others. I've been frequenting one particular beach nearby so that I might become and "expert" on it and I have found these things to be true:

1. Most goodies have been found in ankle to thigh deep water.
2. Most goodies have been found within the roped off area.
3. Most goodies have been found in the central zone of the swim area.

There have been exceptions, of course, but this is the pattern I have found at my local freshwater beach. Keep in mind that there is no tidal action at the lake, so items in a fresh water swim area stay where they fall. It's best to learn how that happens and apply it wherever you are. In keeping with item 3, learn where the most people congregate. This is an old "rule," but has stood the test of time.

Be a People Watcher
Something you should do now and then is turn your detector off, grab a cold beverage of your choice and spend some time on the beach observing your "target audience," as it were. I try to do this sometime during every hunt.

I especially like to watch the "hotties" (for obvious reasons). They dont remove their jewlery all the time when they shed their clothes (not much, in fact) and so where they go, many goodies go, too. Eventually, a gaggle of these "beach sprites" and some hopeful suitors will gather and begin scrambling and scuffling about. The influence of hormones during these rituals plays a big part in many losses. When you hear a young girl shrieking at the beach, pay attention!

The other group to pay particular attention to is young males, sans hotties. They wrestle and sport around, throwing balls and frisbees and engaging in all sorts of strenuous activity - showing off for the aforementioned hotties, of course. In so doing, they lose keeper items. This applies to males in general, in fact.

After careful observation of people in action, I think much has to do with the fact that you can't really frolic well in really deep water, so most losses occur in mid-torso depth, and shallower, water.

The really shallow rings remain an emigma to me. They are invariably ladies rings, which lends credence to the theory that moms with little kids lose them while splashing in the ankle deep water with their tots. Stay at any lake beach long enough and someone will lose something, usually hollering about it for all to hear. I have YET to hear some mommy with her kids cry out about losing her ring...

While it remains true that any ONE thing can be anywhere, these are my observations for MY freshwater beach. YMMV."

 

[Mike Silver -gold]

Rjnail, yes it was Bob trivalian and Frank Carter. That was quite a long time ago. I have some of their books, and thier vidio diamonds in the surf. Real nice guys. I talked to them on the phone,years ago. They offered to take me out. I sure wish I would have took them up on that offer. Yes in their vidio they are using Whites PI 1000s. Mike.