Voit - Swimaster boxes and John Steel, the artist

[Akimbo]

Some how, some way they were granted a license to produce the Arbalete

Is it possible that the Arbalete wasn't covered by any US patents? If so, there would be nothing to stop anyone from making an exact copy and selling it in the US.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@Akimbo,

The translation of the French term "Arbalete" is "cross bow." When Rene developed his unique spear gun in 1940 it was the first and only one to be rubber sling powered which propelled a WOOD arrow (aka Shaft ) It was a distant cousin to the bow & arrow and even closer to the cross bow since it could be carried cocked .

I suspect that there was an arrangement with the US importer of the Arbalete between US divers and Voit to locally manufacture the gun -- or like the original Aqua Lung regulator had a WW 11 French patent which had numerous loop holes which allowed Rene Bussoz of Rene sports and later US Divers to acquire US patents and have the DA and subsequent regulators to be manufactured in US by B&B in Chicago.

The Voit Arbalete was unique- bright blue barrel and same kettle cured slings but in bright blue (the use of Surgical tubing was several years in the future) The handle had a unique coating on it which allowed the two haves to cement them selves together after one or two submersions. In short the Voit copy was a total spear gun disaster.

The Champion Arbalete was dropped by US divers in favor of the in house Sea Hunter line designed by Tom Jones, but was picked up by Harry Resignos Sea Tec/inflatable systems as a companion to the Sampson gun which he had acquired from Ron Merker and the Aquatic Center.

Harry was president of DEMA and since I was a consultant to Sea Tec ,I was invited to attend DEMA as his guest with the stipulation that I would be a chaperone for Rene Calvalero... What a honor! I could not speak French - he could only speak a few words of English but we got along as two old friends.

However, it was embarrassing when uninformed salesmen would ask it he was a diver? or did he have a dive shop in France? ( I detest uninformed divers! Just no excuse !) All too soon DEMA was over and I never had any further contact with him but did have contact with his daughter Carroll who acquired control of the company upon Renes passing--but that is a story for the dark of the night over a cool one...(or a telephone conversation)

Now you know---the rest of the story - almost!

Cheers from CenCal--supposed to be 75 and of course sunny today

SAM
@MAKO Spearguns -- Dano FYI and historical file

 

[scubaho]

Here are a couple more boxes with the Steel art.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Two interesting products...

The Divers Buoy often used by Mike Nelson of Sea Hunt as a surface marker was the forerunner of the current SMBs. A very desirable historical piece of dive equipment

The Wind A Line--- use that and soon you would look like a bowl of spaghetti -- line every where -- I have often questioned who ever designed this item and why ? However GREAT that ONE survives and it is in your collection

What is interesting is John's painting on each item---

Sam Miller, 111

 

[JMSCalifornia]

Voit - Swimaster boxes and John Steel, the artist

In the early days of recreational diving underwater photography was a science and art of the future..so most early Skin Diver Magazine (SDM) covers were either top -side pictures or paintings of underwater activity...All but one SDM cover paintings were by the late great John Steel, whose SDM covers depicted various diving activities, but mostly about spearfishing, since that was the major activity during those halcyon years of yesteryear. The other painting appeared in a 1959 issue was by the late Laguna Beach artist and world record BSB spear fisherman Jack Dudley titled "The night dive" Willard Voit who owned the LA based Voit Rubber Company,which was later relocated to Harbor Blvd in Orange County California, was a fan of John's paintings. He purchased a number of the paintings and the rights to the paintings to use on his diving products. Voit also released a limited number of 20 X30 inch posters to advertise his products in the shops of that era. These painting are currently impossible to find and the posters, if located, are very collectable and generally very expensive to purchase.

In the 1950s up to some time in the 1960s Voit & Swimaster boxes were covered with a picture painted by the great late UW painter John Steele. At this point in time I don't have a good handle on when Voit - Swimaster began or when they stopped using Steele paintings on their boxes

I was checking some of the boxes that contained a "Wide view mask" this AM and I suddenly realized that box art was a lost art. Modern packaging is as cheap as can possibly be made to show case and protect the product as contrasted to the boxes and packaging of the past when the boxes were timeless works of art.

I made an executive decision which was unopposed since I have the solitary vote to sacrifice one of my Voit/Swimaster boxes and display it on my den shelf. So when I look up from my computer there is a Voit Swimaster box of a diver, who was a friend of mine, holding a Voit gun and horsing a turtle into a boat

I have two original John Steele paintings and several original posters and one Voit poster which is identical to the diver horseing the turtle into a boat and which appears on the box. One of my original paintings depicts me as a 20 year old diving on a 27 pound sheepshead fish at Catalina attired in the diving costume of the day; homemade Sturgil mask, green Churchill fins, wearing a WW 11 GI sweater for thermal protection and aiming a modified Champion Arablete spear gun at the terrified fish...(Oh the horror of it all! Spearing a fish to eat!) According to John's wife, Carol, this painting, because of the color and the expression captured by John of a terrified fish, was an all time favorite of both she and John. When I took delivery of the painting many many years ago my wife, Betty took a quick snap shot of John setting in front of the painting and the AP. My wife sent a copy of the snap shot to John and Carol. She liked the picture so much that she asked if the the snap shot be used in the Eric Hanauer article about John and his paintings in a 2001 anniversary edition of SDM, which of course we granted.

Several years prior to John's passing I was visiting with John chatting away about old times and the mutual friends who were no longer with us. He mentioned several models he used in his painting who were diving in the big reef in the sky; Al Tillman, Ron Church and several other less prominent personages. I have a separate collection of all the SDM/John Steele covers which I shared with him. According to John it was the only complete collection of all his covers he had ever seen at one time. On one of the last visits prior to John's passing into the big reef in the sky I had John inscribed each cover to me and to identify each model as to name, location painted, the price he sold the painting, and current owner of the painting. A treasure trove of information which I guard with my life.Those who are interested in collecting vintage or old" Voit boxes they can be found on rare occasions e bay and a possible slim chance a SDM Steele cover might show up and a very very slim chance a Voit poster my be listed.

You can also find a picture or two in Eric Hanauer's book "Diving Pioneers" as well as the cover of the book which was also painted by John of Eric swimming aoung the California kelp with his trusty Rolliemarine underwater camera.

I never released the painting of me for an SDM cover, so the only place it can be viewed is in SDM Anniversary issue which should be easy to locate on E bay..Or visit me and see it up close and personal as a number of divers have....

SDM

Here is one of his SDM covers:

View attachment 439459
View attachment 439460​

 

[Akimbo]

I think this was also done by John Steel. It appeared as a two-page spread inside the Skin Diver Magazine in 1974.

 

[Popgun Pete]

@Akimbo,

The Champion Arbalete was dropped by US divers in favor of the in house Sea Hunter line designed by Tom Jones, but was picked up by Harry Resignos Sea Tec/inflatable systems as a companion to the Sampson gun which he had acquired from Ron Merker and the Aquatic Center.

SAM
@MAKO Spearguns -- Dano FYI and historical file

The design roots of the Sampson Gun.

 

[Popgun Pete]

For sure the Sampson as a “eurogun on steroids” is based on the Hurricane "Corsair" as the Hurricane dates from at least 1949 when it was displayed on the rollergun patent using a cocking lever. That would mean the “Corsair” is actually even earlier than 1949. The Sampson appears in the later sixties.

The pistol grip Hurricane gun appears because few liked the angled grip Hurricane without its shoulder stock.

The deleted shoulder stock was of a tubular frame form and added to the gun's ability to float after the shot. If you take the blue rubber butt pad off the butt on the angled grip handle you can see the mounting holes for the shoulder stock are still there.