(after much thought): The Home Made Danbuoy

[Mirelle]

I've been looking at danbuoys, man overboard for the location of, in assorted swindleries.

None looked to me as if they would really work, in that the flags were generally to small - the sort of thing that one might see on a lobster pot off the Naze - and the ballasting and floation seemed to me to be wrong - I would want more "keel" and less "mast" and a bigger flag.

So I thought the thing to do is to make one, and experiment with it, thereby saving eighty quid or so.

Has anyone tried this?

 

[VicS]

Many, many years ago there was an article in PBO on making one. Possibly by George Taylor. Can't remember how the float was made or from what. The mast was made from a section of fishing rod and a chunk of lead was used to ballast the bottom, wrapped in polyester resin and glass tape. So the slick answer to your question is, "Yes".

We look forward to seeing your version in print in the near future.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

One old fishing rod
One pop bottle
some grp
lead to fill bottom tube
flag
some paint if you want to make it pretty

Ours was never painted, but did work. Got robbed in the end and as I did not have an old fishing rod I ended up buying a jimmy green model.

 

[Mirelle]

I thought there was, but wondered if I had dreamed it.

Expanding foam and a Squeezy bottle made the float?

Watch this space... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[dickh]

Hmm, I also remember that article and the half made remains are still in my shed. If I remember they used an old 1½ or 2 litre lemonade bottle, pushed over the fishing rod and filled with expanding foam, and a home made flag on the top, with lead on the bottom. Very relevant, I was leafing thro and old YM(I think) over the weekend and tesys had been made on several well known makes, the conclusion being that the majority had serious problems! - the biggest weing weights and floats held on with adhesive tape; when tested the weights just fell off and the floats moved, flags pretty useless as well. Even well known nationally advertised ones.

 

[MacW]

I made one like this using an old plastic coke bottle, and a length of plastic 1/2 inch water pipe which just fits through top of bottle,cut hole in base, push pipe through about 2ft,and about 3ft sticking out of top, push nozzle of spray can expanding foam in thru base hole alongside pipe,fill with foam(grips pipe well),pour in about 2lbs lead shot into pipe,followed by enough resin to seal it solid,make plastic sheet flag (orange), plug top. Attach line using a bridle to pipe top and bottom of bottle and other end to horseshoe and thats it ! God only knows what happened to it
Cheers
Pete

 

[seaesta]

Made one 10 years ago and it is great
- stainless tube through a 3 litre beer bottle stuffed with polystyrene chips and GRP'd over then painted with white Dulux
_ weight at base - thick stainless bar (old prop shaft cut to length)
- Old car whip aerial from scrappie
- red ensign for flag
- bottom of weight drilled out to 10 mm at the end

0 piece of 8mm stailess bar bent into a J and jubillee clipped to pushpit. This acts as a stand for the unit which sits into the 10mm hole and is ready to simply lift off.

The whip areial is great and acts as a tell tale for apparent wind

The unit also serve as a flag pole altoiugh purists would argue I should take down the ensign at night I do not bother and no one has blackballed me

If anyone really interested I will take some photos and post em on the forum

MARTIN

 

[Mirelle]

Thanks, everyone.

(Off to the garage, clutching lemonade bottle...)

 

[Guest]

Now this IS PBO as I remember ....

Great .... so now a whole bunch of working - useable Danmbuoys will appear all over ...

Marvelous !!

 

[VicS]

The article I refered to was in PBO 176, August 1981, if you fancy looking it up. It was by G. Taylor; those were the days when the editor made useful bits of kit for himself and passed the ideas on.

He used closed cell polyurethane "donuts" stitched into a proofed canvas cover for the float, 4" diam x 9" long. He reckoned 2-3 llbs of lead cast into dry sand as the ballast, for an overall length of 9 - 10 Ft, 2ft 4in below the float.

I have found a card board tube (ex toilet roll) can be used for casting lead provided it is not hotter than necessary. If you use sand it must be dry or it will explode dangerously.

I don't like the idea of a plastic drinks bottle for the float because I fear it will deteriorate in the sun and the day you actually need to use it the bottle will disintegrate and the rest will sink to the bottom.

Appologies for the spelling donuts.

 

[roger]

I made one from the original article. A cream pot serves as a pattern for the mould. You put a long bolt into the mould and pour the lead round it. Said bolt has the correct thread for the fibreglass whip aerial - if you can still buy them!

 

[Micky]

Mirelle, i have an old one with the horseshoe, you can have it FOC if you want one to tidy up.
I'm in Ipswich, not far from the Deben.

If it's anygood to you mail me.

 

[philbray]

I recently made one using a cistern float (£1 and bright orange) with a bamboo bean stick 'self-tapped' and glued into the thread. a 1ft length of 15mm copper pipe glued to the bottom and a lump of lead soldered to it. A home made flag (from a redundant Hi-Vis jacket completed it.