Offshore marker buoys

Post by **Sea Fox** » February 16th, 2004, 11:43 pm

Looking for some suggestions on how to make some good homemade buoys? How much weight is enough to hold say a 2-liter soda bottle in 2 to 4 ft. seas in 50 to 70 ft. deep?

Post by **birddog** » February 17th, 2004, 9:39 pm

A prestone jug and a window weight make good buoys. You can also use those noodles that kids swim with. Just cut one into 1/3's and tape them together and use a window weight to anchor them.

Post by **Tom Keels** » February 17th, 2004, 10:06 pm

Yep the bigger size pool noodle will make 4 or 5 good markers. Use 12 oz leads to hold them.

Post by **Sir reel** » February 18th, 2004, 10:01 am

I'll probably get laugh'd off the forum but I've had pretty good results using the following for weights:

1. I save empty "Wet Ones" (wipes) containers and fill them with concrete(sack crete). Put a small eye bolt in the crete and let it set up. The plastic outside is pretty durable and keeps the weight from scratch'n up the boat. You can even replace the top if ya want and place the eye bolt through the slot where the wipes pop up.

2. My second choice, since window weights are becoming scarce, is to take some schedule 160 or 80.... 1 1/4 pvc about 10 or 12 inches long. Drill a hole through the top (both sides) big enough to allow the size of rope/cord to pass through. Then fill the tube with crete. You then have a PVC window weight!

Post by **Chalk** » February 18th, 2004, 10:15 am

If you want to go stealth, buy a duck decoy and paint it up like a sea gull.

If you have ever thrown an orange marker out on the flats you will understand what it can do, it will call other boats from all around.

Taking a push pole and staking it works too....You have to look real hard to find it.

But this was about offshore markers, sorry for taking it off topic

Wil · Post by **Wil** » February 18th, 2004, 10:45 am

Chalk wrote:If you want to go stealth, buy a duck decoy and paint it up like a sea gull.

A while back I was thinking about doing that to mark my pinfish trap. I was looking for an actual sea gull float though, hadn't thought of painting a duck decoy...

dstockwell · Post by **dstockwell** » February 18th, 2004, 10:59 am

Well here is your Seagull float..

http://www.catchthewind.com/windsocks/s ... decoy.html

Post by **CSMarine** » February 18th, 2004, 11:06 am

Watched Atticus use a 20oz Pepsi bottle (with the label removed) to mark a pinfish trap that was placed out past the tripod at St. Marks the night before. Used the GPS and went right to it. I was highly impressed to say the least.

Post by **Chalk** » February 18th, 2004, 12:07 pm

Don't think that would look too much like a seagull floating on water, it's a wind sock

dstockwell wrote:Well here is your Seagull float..

http://www.catchthewind.com/windsocks/s ... decoy.html

Post by **wevans** » February 18th, 2004, 12:09 pm

Fill the sock with that expanding foam

dstockwell · Post by **dstockwell** » February 18th, 2004, 12:13 pm

I tried..

Post by **wevans** » February 18th, 2004, 1:09 pm

http://members.aol.com/javori/1/catpg30.htm

dstockwell · Post by **dstockwell** » February 18th, 2004, 1:37 pm

Pretty spensive $44 bucks for a sinkin Seagull..