Excal Coils Are NOT Weighted!

[Critterhunter]

Got a friend who believes Excal coils are weighted for water use. Tried to convince him that older Excals used 8 & 10" BBs coils that were just plain heavy to begin with and not weighted for water use. Told him older Sovereigns also had the same heavy coils and now they all use lighter Tornado coils, which are just fine in the water without all that extra dead BBS weight. Not sure if he believes me here so I could use a few supporting comments on the subject that I can Email him to set it to rest. I'd like to see him step up to something bigger than his 8" BBS coil some day and I'll even install it for him, but first I have to convince him that EXCAL COILS ARE NOT WEIGHTED.

 

[Rick(ND)]

These coils were called the seasearch coil and looked almost like a horseshoe as these were weighted as the first coils the coinsearch used on the Sovereigns were not and were hollow inside. When they started making the BBS coils these were epoxied filled so they were solid and will not float that easy if they do so 2 different coils didn't have to be made so they are now the same coil on the Sovereigns and the Excalibur's. At this time the coil covers on the new Excalibur 2 are yellow so easier to see in the water.

 

[Critterhunter]

Yes, my point is that the old BBS 8 and 10" coils found on the Excal were not weighted but rather just of heavy constuction, being the same exact coil found on older Sovereigns. The newer Tornado coils are lighter and still work fine in the water. Usually coils that are weighted are so because they want to float, and of these that I've seen they tend to be concentrics because of the design in that they have more area in them that wants to float. For instance, my Bullseye Whites coil would try to float. Lighter, more neutral bouyant coils are just fine in the water and that doesn't mean that they aren't epoxy filled like the old BBS coils. For example, many of today's epoxy filled coils are lighter because they are using micro balloons or similar material which is mixed into the epoxy to lesson it's weight. Still fine for water, and probably more better suited being more neutral bouyant. You don't want a boat anchor if you are waiding, but at the same time you don't want a coil that wants to float.

 

[Critterhunter]

Here's some stuff off the net. Some call the new coil the GT and Excal use these days the Tornado or Slimline, but they are both the same coil

 

[Critterhunter]

These coils were called the seasearch coil and looked almost like a horseshoe as these were weighted as the first coils the coinsearch used on the Sovereigns were not and were hollow inside.

Yes, those old Seasearch coils are pretty rare and the reason they were weighted was because they weren't an open frame DD design, or had to be filled to insure being waterproof if memory serves. The old coinsearch is also an inclosed design but wasn't filled and that's why it's rated as not waterproof, although I've heard of people water hunting with it provided there are no leaks and the cable nut is sealed with rubber cement or silicone.

My friend has the old 8" BBS coil on his Excal and believes it's weighted because it's so heavy. I'm trying to convince him that it's just heavy because that's the way the BBS coils were on the Sovereign or the Excal, not that they were made that way for the Excal. There is no need for that kind of weight when waiding. What's needed is only a coil that won't try to float...or is neutral bouyant....like the new 8 and 10" coils. Another way to prove things is to look at all the people using S-12 and 12x10 coils in the water. Much lighter than even a 10" Tornado and yet they don't try to float. Maybe a weighted coil has some use for diving other than so it won't float, but I'm talking about waid hunting here. Neutral=Less Resistance, and that's what kind of coil most water machines used for waiding including the Excal use these days. The old BBS coils were not weighted for water hunting, and were needlessly heavy due to construction methods and not so they could be used to water hunt.

 

[Neil]

A good example of weighted versus non weighted would be the coils used on the whites pulse machines prior to the 12" open spider design they use now which does float.
those coils were about 9.5" or so I think, one is yellow and whites calls it the "weighted" model as it is non buoyant. the other is the same coil but buoyant and also its lighter than the yellow one.
This is the idea Rick is referring to. minelab made the sov first before the excal and that coil the sov had on it was the coinsearch which as you stated is not waterproof but is also not weighted and is buoyant. I water hunted this one for awhile and it will rise right up to the top if you dont keep pressure on the rod.
When they made the excal they made the seasearch to be both waterproof and non buoyant so by whites definition its a weighted coil. I cant remember if minelab ever referred to the waterproof coils being weighted, but thats about the best comparison I can give you to define weighted.

 

[Critterhunter]

Yea, I know what you are saying. The reason we got into this discussion was because another friend just bought an AT PRO with the stock coil and the 4" coil. When I mentioned this to my friend with the Excal he asked if the AT Pro coil was weighted for water use like his Excal coil. The ONLY time you would weight a coal is when it floats, and even then it would need to be so bouyant that it wears on your arm keeping it down, like my closed faced Whites Bullseye coil did. All DD coils I know of with an open frame design are not going to try to float, and even if they did it would have to be so bouyant that it would become an issue you would notice and thus it would need to be weighted. Closed coil designs, in particular non-filled ones (rare these days) MIGHT want to float enough that they needed weighted...AND probably are not intended to be "weighted" but rather are heavier because they were filled with epoxy to prevent leaks. All the open framed coils I have ever seen are filled, while closed frame coils sometimes are not to keep them light...BUT then they usualy aren't rated as waterproof...and that also can make them bouyant

By the way, I'm probably spelling bouyant wrong but oh well...