Here's a pix of how I've customized a long handle (or can be done starting with a short-handled) sand scoop.
As you can see, you put an arm cuff, which you can either get from any number of old "hip-mounts" for metal detectors, or you can get from those medical supply co. places that sell walkers, canes, crutches, etc..... Next you need a pistol grip, which again was stock on the old detector hipmounts, or can be found on those type walker canes they sell to parapalegics, at the medical stores. Hipmounts for detectors are sort of a thing of the past, since all detectors, for the last 10 or 20 yrs, are configured in such a way that the weight is already on your forearm, rather than a wrist (as you old-timers remember yesteryear machines were! ) So you might have to round up the parts from a medical supply store. And that's probably superior anyhow, as they are made to carry a lot of stress and weight anyhow, yet be light-weight.
There are several things to keep in mind if you make one of these:
1) the angle of the basket (relative to the shaft/pole) is critical. It should be angled in such way that when you "slice" the ground on your down-stroke, that the angle is such that you don't find yourself standing or contorting to get the right angle. You can see from these pix the angle on mine, for instance.
2) the distance from the pistol grip to the arm-cuff is important. If it's too short, you'll have all the weight/torque on the center of your arm (between the elbow and the hand). And that'll hurt! Also if the distance is too long, you'll have the cuff too close to your elbow, which will constrict free movement/bending, etc.... This is all going to be dependant on the length of the individual's arm, as to the measurements of that.
3) The over-all length should not be too short, lest you find yourself stooping over all day, each time you dig (which sort of defeats the purpose of a long-handled scoop, eh?). Nor should it be too long, lest you find yourself having to extend it out in front of you each time you go for a target, thus putting all the weight supporting the instrument itself (which gets real heavy when filled with wet sand already). The perfect height, I have found, is to do this test: If you hold it in your hand, gripping the grip, and hang your arm loosely at your side, the basket should be slightly above the ground, not touching the ground. In this way, as you carry it, you're not having to support the weight all the time as you walk. It can just hang there, with no needed elbow having to bend to keep from dragging it. That length also seems to work good when it comes time to dig, as minimal bending over-movement is required for the down stroke.
For shallow targets, I just scoop to the side. But for deeper digs, I flip the scoop around (so that instead of your pinkey-finger being closest to the pole at the bottom of the grip, it's now your thumb that's closest to the pole/bottom-of-of grip). This allows you to take downstrokes in the sand.
The torque you'll get from this won't be as much as a short-handled scoop provides. This is the same debate as field-workers short-handled vs long handled hoes, eh?
So it takes some practice, and a few more "scoops" on the deeper ones. But the energy/stooping saved, by the end of the day, is a real back-saver!
As you can see, you put an arm cuff, which you can either get from any number of old "hip-mounts" for metal detectors, or you can get from those medical supply co. places that sell walkers, canes, crutches, etc..... Next you need a pistol grip, which again was stock on the old detector hipmounts, or can be found on those type walker canes they sell to parapalegics, at the medical stores. Hipmounts for detectors are sort of a thing of the past, since all detectors, for the last 10 or 20 yrs, are configured in such a way that the weight is already on your forearm, rather than a wrist (as you old-timers remember yesteryear machines were! ) So you might have to round up the parts from a medical supply store. And that's probably superior anyhow, as they are made to carry a lot of stress and weight anyhow, yet be light-weight.
There are several things to keep in mind if you make one of these:
1) the angle of the basket (relative to the shaft/pole) is critical. It should be angled in such way that when you "slice" the ground on your down-stroke, that the angle is such that you don't find yourself standing or contorting to get the right angle. You can see from these pix the angle on mine, for instance.
2) the distance from the pistol grip to the arm-cuff is important. If it's too short, you'll have all the weight/torque on the center of your arm (between the elbow and the hand). And that'll hurt! Also if the distance is too long, you'll have the cuff too close to your elbow, which will constrict free movement/bending, etc.... This is all going to be dependant on the length of the individual's arm, as to the measurements of that.
3) The over-all length should not be too short, lest you find yourself stooping over all day, each time you dig (which sort of defeats the purpose of a long-handled scoop, eh?). Nor should it be too long, lest you find yourself having to extend it out in front of you each time you go for a target, thus putting all the weight supporting the instrument itself (which gets real heavy when filled with wet sand already). The perfect height, I have found, is to do this test: If you hold it in your hand, gripping the grip, and hang your arm loosely at your side, the basket should be slightly above the ground, not touching the ground. In this way, as you carry it, you're not having to support the weight all the time as you walk. It can just hang there, with no needed elbow having to bend to keep from dragging it. That length also seems to work good when it comes time to dig, as minimal bending over-movement is required for the down stroke.
For shallow targets, I just scoop to the side. But for deeper digs, I flip the scoop around (so that instead of your pinkey-finger being closest to the pole at the bottom of the grip, it's now your thumb that's closest to the pole/bottom-of-of grip). This allows you to take downstrokes in the sand.
The torque you'll get from this won't be as much as a short-handled scoop provides. This is the same debate as field-workers short-handled vs long handled hoes, eh?
So it takes some practice, and a few more "scoops" on the deeper ones. But the energy/stooping saved, by the end of the day, is a real back-saver!