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Garret Sea Hunter Mark II

newtohunting

New member
Curiosity has me. Has anybody out there ever had success or know of anybody who has had success with the Garret Sea Hunter Mark II? I was curious to know. I have not had time to get back out to the beach and I really have not used the detector out there yet becuase I bought a cheap piece of crap scoop that broke on my 4th dig. I am currently waiting for a new heavy duty scoop I purchased through Ebay. If any body out there knows of any pros and cons about the Garret Sea Hunter Mark II due to trial and error, I would greatly appreciate the feedback.


Thanks,

Gary
 
I really like the machine and I still use P.I. units as I believe they go the deepest. I am content with digging all of the trash because here in Fla. I don't seem to have as much as the older beaches up North. Set the volume and frequency to a comfortable level and dig everything. Go really slow and listen for the "hallucinations", those real subtle signals that you are not quite sure about. Remember that gold is a heavy metal and goes really deep so the softer the target, the better the odds.

HH
therick
 
I hunt some pretty trashy beaches along the Chesapeake Bay and had found some really cool stuff, but hated digging so much wire and other trash. I switched to the Excal and will never go back. I did find my first gold ring and the only gold chain necklace using the Mark II
 
The unit works excellent. Have personally owned 3. I no longer own any though. Have found much gold & silver with the Mark II. If the area is not too trashy, it will do very well. Run discrimination at 0. Threshold at a whisper. Standard trash elimination. Do not try changing these settings, because they work. It is a turn on and go unit. When a wave passes by, stop you're sweep so that you don't miss a whisper due to the noise.
You must put Loctite Aquamarine Epoxy on the underside of the coil or it will rub through and false, when the plastic separates. I would not recommend belt mounting the unit in the surf as you are asking for trouble there. Mount the control housing to the stem, as the weight will not be much of an issue in the surf.
Dig all targets, for at least a year and pay particular attention to the way the target sounds. You will eventually be able to discriminate auditorily. The nails and bobby pins have a weaker double beep and you can pass them by, however a broken ring and studs have a double beep as well, but the signal is stronger. Dig it all for a year and you will see that the unit works excellent. Good luck to you and PM me if you have any further questions in reguard to this unit. GH
 
You said "I would not recommend belt mounting the unit in the surf as you are asking for trouble there." Why? I have a similar unit )Tiger Shark) and was wondering if I am heading for some kind of trouble...
HH
Joe
 
Only in the surf. In the wave action, anything can happen. Take for example my Aquasearch, just recently. I school of baitfish spooked me, when I spooked them and I jumped and jerked the wire out of the control housing. It's just insane to hunt surf with anything hanging around you and you are asking for trouble. Wire stress is also a factor, as the wire moving back and forth with the waves overstresses eventually and will begin to false. Do what you will, but I do not like it in the surf. GH
 
GH, Thanks so very much for giving me the info. I am prepared to dig. Are you currently using a different detector? Have you stoppped beach hunting? Also, I know sometimes it may not matter but, about how deep did you go out in the surf. I have people telling me you find more gold when your chin deep in water but I am not big on going more than waist deep to just above the waist deep in water. Where would I find the epoxy for the loop?


Thanks again for the quick response,


Gary
 
Like therick, I also used a Garrett Sea Hunter XL, the forerunner to the MarkII.

It was a great machine. I used mine for about 8 years. Those old models had batteries mounted inside the main case. I sent mine back for new batteries every 2 to 3 years. Garrett never charged me for that work and the machine always came back bright and shinny, working like new. Great company about standing by their product.

I always used mine belt mounted. Never pulled a cable or had a problem doing it but it can be vulnerable if not careful. don't panic over fleeing bait fish etc.

I like the way you could reduce the threshold down to hear a pulse sound. The slightest interruption of the pulse usually indicated a very deep target or a very small one.

My only grip about the machine was it's sensitivity to Hot Rocks.
Learn the sounds and it is as good as any machine on the market for most water and wet sand hunting.
 
I'm sure any marine or boat store would have the product. I must admit that most of my loot comes from knee to chest deep. I do like hunting the low tides, as it is easier to get to the deep water without getting beat up. I will hunt in high tides if necessary though. I ain't skeerd! The shallow water gets more pressure and the lighter weight junk seems to hang there more often, unless of course you are at VA beach. In my area, I would have to argue that the loot is deeper. Just watch the people in the water. They are wearing rings, chains etc. They loose it out there and have NO IDEA where it is. The gold burrows itself in the sand and despite their futile efforts it will not be found until you sweep over it with the unit. I'm not saying you will do pooly shallow, but try it deeper.
I sold my Mark IIs to try other units. I have an Excal 1000, because I can hunt anywhere in Galveston or lakes. There are no limitations. The unit has an iron mask and it works killer. I have upgraded my PI to an Aquasearch. It is a limited edition, hand built PI. The units are made in England by Eric Foster, who is the PI master of technology. I was just getting used to it when I broke it, like I told you before. Can't wait to get her back. MrBill is loving on her for me. Good luck and don't hesitate to PM me if there is anything else I can help you with. GH
 
OK, I have been belt mounting it to keep it off the sandy bottom. I have noticed that the sand "sticks" in the seams and particularly on the silicone around the seal. I DO see your point regarding movement of the wire, if you keep bending ANYTHING sooner or later it WILL break!
P.S. If you know where I can get a large tube (toothpaste size ) of silicone sealer grease please let me know.
HH
Joe
 
Thank you very much Goldringer for the help. I really treasure your advice. What do you use now to beach hunt?


Respectfully,


Gary
 
Thanks Gulf Hunter for more info. I might be convinced to go with the excal in about a year or so. Seems like it is the bomb of a machine and everyone just about has one. Do you find much of anything in knee deep water? I noticed that low tide in NH really gives way to allowing us to get out there and search about 50 to 75 yards further out towards ocean as opposed to high tide. Obviously low tide seems to be the best time to hunt or am I incorrect?


Gary
 
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