Sailing the south pacific and detecting?

[Sturgn]

Hi,
I have metal detected for many years but always on land. We are getting ready to set sail for a 7 or so year journey around the world on a 34' Catamaran.. I want to detect as much as I can and will be doing alot of snorkling but probably not much diving. What maching would you guys suggest for me to take along? I already have a Fisher CZ-7A pro and a Minelab Sov so I have the land covered, I guess A waterproof machine is in order but I have no idea which one...

Thanks for the suggestions.

John
www.sturgn.com

 

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[surfshark]

Wow what a trip,wish i could do something like that. I would look into the garret AT Pro it comes out next month. Hal

 

[Sandman]

Welcome to the TNet forum. I think you would be best served by a Excal, but due to some not operating right I would suggest a Garrett Infinium LS with the optional waterproof head phones if your going to use it in the water.

 

[erikk]

Get a second hand excal that is working properly (not the 2) and back it up with an Infinium or a Sea Hunter MK 2 Won't go wrong with either one

 

[GibH]

Ok, I wouldn't recommend an Excal right now for a trip like that. The quality control and customer service issues (although seems to be getting better) lately would rule it out for me. You could always buy two I suppose. One for backup.

I wouldn't recommend an AT Pro because it isn't out yet and no one can say for sure how it is going to fare in different environments. Even though you said "not much diving", it's only rated to 10'.

The Headhunter diver gets mixed reviews and Tesoro is on hold maunfacturing their waterproof detectors. White's latest Dual field has a floating coil, no fun wrestling with that. The Surf PI Pro came with a zero bouancy coil though, so a used one of those would work fine.

An Infinium as Sandman suggested or the Sea Hunter Mark II would be good choice, or maybe a CZ-21. All are rated to at least 200'.

Just my $.02

 

[Diver_Down]

I'm going to weigh in differently than those that have already posted. I would avoid the Excal. Need new headphones? Need a new coil? Then you have to send it in for service or do the repair yourself splicing wires. Not something I would want to undertake or be without while on a 7 year sojourn. Whereas, the Infinium or SeaHunter MKII have swappable coils and headphones. For the price of a used SeaHunter, you could out fit yourself with spare coils and headphones that you could swap out as needed. Stuck in Vanuatu for a couple of days? No problem with Garrett detectors if you have a problem. With the Excal, you are either arranging for service to send your unit and have it sent back at your next destination or you are relying on splicing wires.

 

[Sandman]

4-H is correct and I should have been more specific. The Excal 1000 if you can find one used would be nice as it wouldn't have you digging any hairpins. The PI's like the Infinium an Sea Hunter are very deep and since the sand can bury an item deep, it would seem to be a good choice.

I used to dive and I used many PI's and other VLF detectors. If you dive with a 1280 or CZ-20 or 21, I would secure it to you with a cord that you could disconnect quickly in an emergency because the detector box floats. Letting go of it while underwater makes you chase it to the surface. A ping pong paddle makes a good thing to fan the sand to uncover a target. Nice to carry a lobster carry bag also for a catch all type bag for bottles and such. I also got in the habit of carrying a float bag for retrieving lost anchors or small outboard motors I'd find. But what ever floats your boat........

Also you have to thing about service while you are out there.

Sandman

 

[niffler]

Being the owner of a sailboat and having brought my Tiger Shark aboard, I have some suggestions. A hard case for the detector: Rough weather WILL throw everything aboard around, things shift and break other things, everything should have a place to be securely stowed, detector included. Next, a battery charger and rechargeable batteries that can be charged with the battery banks on your boat. While docked you might have 120v, but anchored out or underway, 12v power is the norm. Supplies like batteries, etc, are highly priced in exotic ports, so rechargeable batteries seem like the way to go. I also having a laptop on board to post all of your finds and adventures! Good luck and HH, Niffler

 

[bigscoop]

Hi,
I have metal detected for many years but always on land. We are getting ready to set sail for a 7 or so year journey around the world on a 34' Catamaran.. I want to detect as much as I can and will be doing alot of snorkling but probably not much diving. What maching would you guys suggest for me to take along? I already have a Fisher CZ-7A pro and a Minelab Sov so I have the land covered, I guess A waterproof machine is in order but I have no idea which one...

Thanks for the suggestions.

John
www.sturgn.com

I think you should probably take me with you. I'm very small and won't take up much space. I can cook, I'm fairly handy, and I'll even bring a laptop and a few detectors along that you can use! Sounds like a good deal to me! What do you think?

 

[Sturgn]

Hi all,
THanks for the replies! I was thinking about the Excalibus since I already use a Sov. I will check out the others. Bigscoop cant take you along but you would be welcome to join us for a couple weeks if you are interested...

John
www.sturgn.com

 

[OBN]

Excal, get two, Excal II, and a older excal as a backup. Good Luck, Have a great time.........joe

 

[bigscoop]

Hi all,
THanks for the replies! I was thinking about the Excalibus since I already use a Sov. I will check out the others. Bigscoop cant take you along but you would be welcome to join us for a couple weeks if you are interested...

John
www.sturgn.com

If only I could............ But thanks for the offer. Sounds like a dream trip!

 

[TheTreasureAddict]

Excalibur, they are hard core machines. I am very rough on things, well I use them heavily! The excal is definately the way to go. Especially because u already have experience with the SOVEREIGN. They sound exactly the same so no learning curve will make for more time to prepare for the trip! Excal! Excal!

CB

 

[Sturgn]

Well it sounds like the Excal is the way to go! thanks for the help guys I will try and post when I actually get going. Hey CB where can I get a carrier like you have in your avatar? Wonder if she would travel.....

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You can buy 2 of the older Excals 1000's for the price of one new one or less..... That would be my choice, If you have to replace a headset or a coil, splicing is not really that hard to do.... When I go out of town, I take my detector toolbox with me and it includes everything I need to splice if the need arises along with almost every conceivable spare part I would ever need......