A flag that is less of a drag?

[scubadada]

Yeah, it really does hang down from the flag. Usually in a pile around me. You must be a lot better at dressing the line in slack water...

I'm pretty sure my problems revolve around the fact that I absolutely detest that !@#$%^& thing...

I have a lot of practice .

 

[aquacat8]

I want an ROV flag that follows me with water, my finds, and maybe a snack! If a boat approaches it will act like the robot in lost in space warning them away!

 

[lowviz]

I want an ROV flag that follows me ...//...

Damn!!!

I want one too!

 

[The Chairman]

Floating line would be problematic if a boat wanders by. All you need is for the floating line to get caught in the prop. I'll stick with my sinky line.

 

[lowviz]

The way I rig it, it would be much harder on the boat than it would be on me. (Unless I were at the surface)

Sinky/ Floaty line. Somebody needs to add a subforum under MOF...

 

[Schwob]

Floating line would be problematic if a boat wanders by. All you need is for the floating line to get caught in the prop. I'll stick with my sinky line.

Potentially quite good point that...

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

The idea of having a reel on a float is that it makes the line manageable. If there is a strong current, then you will want to have more line out. If you are diving near a tall shipwreck, then you may want to keep the line shorter so it is less likely to get tangled. What you want to avoid is having a lot of loose line around the diver and the bottom, because of the potential for tangles.

If you are not using a reel and have a fixed length of line or cord, then it will be advantageous to have it float up off the bottom. If you are "managing" the line effectively with a reel, it won't matter too much if it floats or sinks.

Thanks for the positive comments about our hard float and flag.

 

[tarponchik]

I want an ROV flag that follows me with water, my finds, and maybe a snack! If a boat approaches it will act like the robot in lost in space warning them away!

I am sure someone will invent a cordless dive flag fairly soon. This flag with a built-in refrigerated mini bar will be self-propelled, current and wind resistant, and will follow the diver automatically. It will also be powerful enough to tow you, so say goodbye to the long surface swims. And this flag will be also equipped with an automatic radar-guided 20 mm Gatling gun, that will shoot to pieces any boat that comes closer than 100 ft.

 

[Tom Winters]

How I Pimped My Mako Float:

I dive on Diversity in Boca Raton sometimes, and Captain Tony makes every dive team carry a float/flag. I don’t like his floats, even with my own reel. So I use my own rig. Tony didn’t like the flag that came with the float. I found one of his lost flags on a dive in 70’ so that became my new flag.

The reel is detachable, but not that easy to detach. Instructors can, of course, detach it instantly, but divemasters are unable to figure this out so it does not get detached accidentally because they like playing with shiny objects. I just used plastic coated thick wire looped through the nose of the float. It’s held up for a few years now with no problems.

This is what I use to lock the flag pole in place. The stock screw was too hard to grab and got balky after a few wet cycles:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9N2B8M/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I needed a new pole to mount the fluorescent flag, so I went to a fishing supply store on Pompano and got a piece of trimmed fishing pole. The nylon line keeps the flag/pole secured to the float in case of separation.

I don’t like the look of the rubber belt holding the weight at all, but I need the 2-lb weight there for stability. If there were polypropylene bosses inside the float, I would mount a shaped hydrodynamic lead keel with screws and 5200. The rubber belt works, but it and a dive weight look cheesy.

 

[rhwestfall]

I just added some clip points.....

I just use a standard "big loop" to attach the line (reel) to the float.