What's This ??

Ok, so it's obviously a floating spool kinda thing - but bloody hard to see in the middle of nowhere 40km+ offshore.

 

Nearly hit it yesterday, so spun back around to check it out......... thought it was one of those portable self reeling power extension cords floating around.

It's obviously connected to something about 90m down, but I've never seen one.

 

Pulled the first couple of metres of slack in to inspect and took this shot before chucking it back over :

 

It's got bayonet style mounting bosses on either end, obviously to go into a winch of some sort.

Red bits are a pliable soft rubber, but yellow drum is solid & hard.

Is it a fancy cray pot float or something ??

 

If so, it's a crap design, and f-ing hard to see unless you're right on top of it - with most of the float beneath the surface

 

I hate to think what sort of damage it could have done way out there - I missed it by mere metres.

 

 

 


Posts: 9358

Date Joined: 21/02/08

Seems a bit risky to be used

Tue, 2012-04-10 10:18

Seems a bit risky to be used as a float. Maybe it dropped over the side and had 90m of rope on it?

____________________________________________________________________________

Dizzy's picture

Posts: 753

Date Joined: 21/02/11

Yeah, that's what I thought

Sat, 2012-04-14 01:54

Yeah, that's what I thought at first when I pulled in the slack - but it definately had something heavy on the other end.

 

All looked brand new too.

 

Bugger, I thought you were the going to be the one to enlighten me with some "general" knowledge to make me feel like a dill 

 

Hmmmm. . 

 

 

 

Posts: 361

Date Joined: 09/08/09

Interesting. My bet is that

Tue, 2012-04-10 11:32

Interesting. My bet is that that’s some kind of a reel. Do you know if the inside rotated against the outside? The inside seems to lock in something and then you reel the rope in by hand mowing the red part with handles. The number written on the side would also suggest, that there is at least 53 brothers out there.

Dizzy's picture

Posts: 753

Date Joined: 21/02/11

The inside was fixed to the

Tue, 2012-04-10 11:46

The inside was fixed to the inner drum.

 

Yep, it's definately designed to locked into a motorised winch or something.

 

The handles were quite pliable, probably more for carrying / loading / light spooling at any angle - the bosses on the side were very solid and designed to take a reasonable load from a winch.

 

I thought the same thing about the numbers.

 

 

Faulkner Family's picture

Posts: 18032

Date Joined: 11/03/08

 interesting object. to be

Tue, 2012-04-10 11:50

 interesting object. to be honest i would think it might be a cray pot marker if it is numbered like that but with it being not so boyant it would be risky. maybe get in touch with fisheries about it or give sea rescue a call and they might have a better idea on what it is or find out. certainly hasnt been in the water long as the rope is still clean

____________________________________________________________________________

RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

ALEXANG3's picture

Posts: 71

Date Joined: 09/01/11

 Looks like one of these

Tue, 2012-04-10 11:56

 Looks like one of these acoustic releases to me:

http://www.fiomarine.com/index.html

I think the idea is to have it sub surface and only release it (so that you can retrieve it) when you're in the approximate location with a vessel.  Maybe it has malfunctioned and released early or for some reason, or the owners could not find the float after releasing it.  Hard to know who it belongs to without any details written on it.

Alex

Dizzy's picture

Posts: 753

Date Joined: 21/02/11

That's definately it. There

Tue, 2012-04-10 12:09

That's definately it.

 

There were a couple of other trailer boats within 1km, but nothing else that looked like it'd be equipped to retrieve this within coo-eee.

 

Shit, now I'm keen to find out what's on the other end !

 

 

EDIT : I just watched the vid in the link and it's got a programmable release mechanism, so it's designed to go to the bottom then comes up for retrieval at a pre-set tie / date.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp_X7S7FS2U

 

High tech stuff - Fisheries ?

 

.

crasny1's picture

Posts: 7003

Date Joined: 16/10/08

Should have tugged on it harder

Tue, 2012-04-10 12:20

see whats down there and claimed salvage rights. LOL

____________________________________________________________________________

"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk

Dizzy's picture

Posts: 753

Date Joined: 21/02/11

Haha - maybe it was still

Tue, 2012-04-10 14:55

Haha - maybe it was still attached to a boat !

crasny1's picture

Posts: 7003

Date Joined: 16/10/08

Still would be interesting to see what it protected

Tue, 2012-04-10 15:09

down in the depths.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk

Dizzy's picture

Posts: 753

Date Joined: 21/02/11

Yeah, I'm dead keen to find

Tue, 2012-04-10 15:11

Yeah, I'm dead keen to find out.

 

Plus wouldn't mind giving them a serve........ f-ing thing would have done some damage @ 25-30 knots.

crasny1's picture

Posts: 7003

Date Joined: 16/10/08

Surely the Authorities would be aware

Tue, 2012-04-10 15:14

Contact Dept of (the old harbour and lights) with details and number and they probably would be able to tell you a little more.

____________________________________________________________________________

"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk

Rick's picture

Posts: 1113

Date Joined: 22/12/06

Long-Line

Tue, 2012-04-10 15:22

Wonder if someone is using it as set line, pick it later or next day ?

____________________________________________________________________________

PGFC Member

 

grantarctic1's picture

Posts: 2546

Date Joined: 03/03/11

Interesting

Tue, 2012-04-10 15:42

You would think , if it was fisheries it would have some ID on it . same if it was for commercial fishing .

Did you see a large Zodiac with 10x 300hp motors on the back zipping around the area ? LOL.   Maybe a Ton off Cocaine attached to it .

 

Posts: 9358

Date Joined: 21/02/08

^^ what he said! I can't see

Tue, 2012-04-10 16:09

^^ what he said!

I can't see DoT knowing much about it with a name as short as "54"!

____________________________________________________________________________

Dizzy's picture

Posts: 753

Date Joined: 21/02/11

LMAO, the Cartel Collection

Tue, 2012-04-10 16:02

LMAO, the Cartel Collection Point option did cross my mind.......

crasny1's picture

Posts: 7003

Date Joined: 16/10/08

Lets all just chill for a while

Tue, 2012-04-10 16:04

See no evil, hear no evil. LMBAO at that thought!!!

____________________________________________________________________________

"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk

flexn's picture

Posts: 232

Date Joined: 19/03/12

oil and gas company maybe?

Tue, 2012-04-10 18:09
Dizzy's picture

Posts: 753

Date Joined: 21/02/11

Lucky I didn't pull hard

Tue, 2012-04-10 19:46

Lucky I didn't pull hard then....... might have been a plugged well.

 

Or a submarine 

Dizzy's picture

Posts: 753

Date Joined: 21/02/11

Well, just got a response

Fri, 2012-04-13 13:44

Well, just got a response from Fisheries, and it ain't theirs.........

Webby's picture

Posts: 835

Date Joined: 24/09/08

wow very interesting, keep us

Fri, 2012-04-13 15:00

wow very interesting, keep us all posted with what you find out

____________________________________________________________________________

I live with fear every day... sometimes she lets me go fishing.

Longole's picture

Posts: 55

Date Joined: 20/02/11

 where was it? look like a

Fri, 2012-04-13 21:43

 where was it? look like a release off some rotto trench gear my friends use for listerning to.blue whales.pls pm me if from that area!