Recommendations for small scale boat/engine/blaster set-up

[hobbit]

I would like to contract w/Brisben's this season or next...I want to start small...I have a Brownie's 280x explorer hookah, a Excal 800 a Fisher CZ-20, a Tesoro Sand Shark and not much else. Some of you old hands chime in and give me an idea of how small of a boat I can get away with, whether outboard mailboxes are realistic and what other equipment is indespensible...keep in mind this will be for fun, but I'd like a resonable chance to actually find something...also, is anyone using anything like the Keene coin and relic dredge on the Treasure Coast or is this too small/shallow a tool to be realistically used?

[stevemc]

hobbit, you could start with what you have, but you do need a boat. You would ideally want a diesel, but just about any boat engine combo has been used. You could use an outboard with a blower hooked up. It will work, but obviously not as well as a big diesel prop at idle. You just want to blow the light sand away, and leave coins, rocks, bottles, and anything heavier than sand in the hole, on rock bottom. I have seen newbies that rev it up and blow everything away. Obviously they dont get very much that way. But a small outboard just doesnt have a whole lot of thrust to move enough sand to really work the area properly. Big props are best. I have seen in board gas V-8 engines blow properly, they use more fuel than a diesel, and have to be set at just the right RPM for digging in each situation. Right now is a good boat buyers market-prices are at give away price. People dont want to pay for toys in this economy. And they are selling them cheap. Good websites are boats. com, yachtworld.com and others. Put in what size, type engines, etc, and your state, and price limit and you will have many to pick from. You would be looking for a shallow draft boat=not a big keeled boat, that will carry all equipment, and be reliable, and still be able to blow the sand away. You could work this without blowers, but it wouldnt be as effective-obviously.

[aquanut]

hobbit,
Don't even consider going out without a blower. Everything you are looking for is buried and you'll just be wasting your time without one.
I tried without a blower my first year contracting with the Fishers and learned a hard lesson. So I'm here to save you a lot of wasted effort.
Ideally, a diesel/blower combo. An outboard won't do the job and gas inboard motors are too costly to run.
Aquanut

[capthawk]

welcome and good luck..
check the boatyards if you are looking for a boat - we base at Riverside in Ft. Pierce - lots there with yard bills for sale by the office- several gas engines 25-30' range
(like Steve I prefer diesel but that is what I am used to) - and a few diesel - couple of ex-1715 fleet contract boats but blowers off now.
think about what you can do and if you will have any partners or crew -- the bigger the boat the more expense and work - "Gold Hawg" for example is only 30' and has a single diesel which is economical, enough room in the cabin to stow gear or stay aboard, aft deck has work space tho I sacrificed some for cabin room - easy to handle I run the boat and drop anchors so need to be able to get from the wheel, aft and forward quickly - couldn't do it from a flybridge - anchors are small enough I can handle and don't need a tender.
another option is - there is always a shortage of good crew and divers - some pay some offer a share some just work your a.. off - but you get to dive, see what works and what doesn't , - I worked first just for the experience, ended up getting coins as pay, and buying the boat - it has turned into something that is a major part of my life.

If you are in the area - stop by Riverside and take a look - Brandon's Endeavor is there and C-67 as well as Gold Hawg - I'm no expert but love what I do and always have some time to talk treasure and boats

Bonnie
"Gold Hawg" C-11, 1715 Fleet Salvage

[hobbit]

Thanks for the info, guys. Capt. Hawk, I'll be in Florida early April and will stop by Riverside in Ft. Pierce and take a look around.

[th2011]

I am new to this forum. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about the M/V Endeavor and Brandon's status? I onced worked for John in the early 80's. I was trying to catch-up online with regards to the treasure finds over the years and discovered the Fisher family sold the rights to the 1715, is this correct? WOW! Are there still salvager meetings prior to the begining of the season, or what? Lots of new names and boats working the sites.

Thanks.


Ed

welcome and good luck..
check the boatyards if you are looking for a boat - we base at Riverside in Ft. Pierce - lots there with yard bills for sale by the office- several gas engines 25-30' range
(like Steve I prefer diesel but that is what I am used to) - and a few diesel - couple of ex-1715 fleet contract boats but blowers off now.
think about what you can do and if you will have any partners or crew -- the bigger the boat the more expense and work - "Gold Hawg" for example is only 30' and has a single diesel which is economical, enough room in the cabin to stow gear or stay aboard, aft deck has work space tho I sacrificed some for cabin room - easy to handle I run the boat and drop anchors so need to be able to get from the wheel, aft and forward quickly - couldn't do it from a flybridge - anchors are small enough I can handle and don't need a tender.
another option is - there is always a shortage of good crew and divers - some pay some offer a share some just work your a.. off - but you get to dive, see what works and what doesn't , - I worked first just for the experience, ended up getting coins as pay, and buying the boat - it has turned into something that is a major part of my life.

If you are in the area - stop by Riverside and take a look - Brandon's Endeavor is there and C-67 as well as Gold Hawg - I'm no expert but love what I do and always have some time to talk treasure and boats

Bonnie
"Gold Hawg" C-11, 1715 Fleet Salvage

[Au_Dreamers]

Like most replied, you really want an inboard as it's more efficient. Outboards will work, you are just more limited in water depth and sand depth.

On the surface it’s not such a bad thing as there’s great treasure in the shallow water it’s just that Mother Nature doesn’t let you work there too often.

We ran a 25’ twin outboard operation and could work at a max of about 12-15 feet with about a max of 3-4 feet of sand.

The deeper the water the less sand there has to be for outboards. It’s mostly because the water column from an outboard’s prop wash isn’t as “full”/stable as an inboard due to the air/exhaust of the outboard’s prop.

Finding treasure in part is “covering ground”. While our holes might be 8-10 feet across the top 6 feet or so at the bottom in 10’ depth with 4 feet of sand a bigger twin inboard can be twice that size.
Blowing the hole is where a big amount of your time is spent so if you’re uncovering more ocean bottom at a time you will “cover more ground” increasing your chances of finding treasure exponentially. Deeper sand takes more time to blow also...

But again it can be an excellent shallow water boat and allow you into spots where the big boats can’t run! Plus you get home faster and can sheeet and go when a storm’s coming.

[SHARK]

For shallow water, I had the lower unit modified on a 25 HP Evinrude, with a straight propeller shaft running thru the bottom of the lower unit with the full thrust going downward.

This configuration would blow a hole up to 6 feet deep in 15 feet of water, but of course wouldn't propel the boat very well. A second outboard was used to propel the boat.

I'm looking into the possibility of having a gimble made on a larger outboard engine using the same principle but so the prop can be mechanically locked down in the vertical blowing position, or locked up in the horizontal drive position to propel the boat. Shark

[cornelis 816]

Shark , you are on the right track here . Cornelius

[Skimmer]

Hobbit (and Corney, Hi!)
I've toyed with the idea of the outboard blower simpy because many days we couldn't get in close to the beach when we wanted to. I have a cage/blower setup that slides on the lower unit and closes over it like a mousetrap...but digging with it fills the cooling water with sand to such a degree that the engine clogs up with sand quickly and the impeller for the H20 cooling system is eaten in NO time. I tried various methods of screening the intake water (BEST: pantyhose) but it only worked temporarily. PM me if you woul like to acquire the Stainless cage/blower setup...its taking up room in my dive locker.
Mike
Oh. I believe it will fit most medium to large outboards with little to no modifications , I swiched it from a Johnson to a Merc back when Iwas trying to dig with it. All stainless with a 1 1/2 inch thick PVC extension (sewer pipe) blower, welded up by a true artist/engineer. just gotta figure out how to screen the cooling water....those engines aren't cheap.

[Au_Dreamers]

Skimmer,
What we did for the sand problem was the addition of metal screens on the outside of the water intake. We just used a slightly longer screw to keep them in place. We just made sure we banged the sand out of em before we left the site as some would get trapped.

I can't remember if it was Harold Holden or someone else who used "ear muffs" with an extension hose towards the bow for a clean water pick up when he ran an outboard operation. Or something like that.

That's the problem with rum, you only remember parts of the stories!

[capthawk]

Th2011

Brandon is still running the Endeavor - she is at the dock at Riverside. Will again be one of the first out this season I am sure -
when I started with Harold, John was counting his coins at that round table by the window at Harborhouse (after that Toucans) -
made quite an impression - especially the night he came in with a big gold disc to show!

[th2011]

Capthawk,

Thank you very much for the reply, my query went silent for days. I did not know what to think. Regardless, I need to get by Riverside and check out the folks with salvage boats. I would like to possibly dive again. If you, or anyone else for that matter can forward me some contact information on those looking for a crew this summer, I may be interested.

Thank you.

Ed
kb4vwa@gmail.com
706-455-3219 Cell

Th2011

Brandon is still running the Endeavor - she is at the dock at Riverside. Will again be one of the first out this season I am sure -
when I started with Harold, John was counting his coins at that round table by the window at Harborhouse (after that Toucans) -
made quite an impression - especially the night he came in with a big gold disc to show!