Scoop Specs Needed

[freddy]

G'day All,
My current scoop i use has a crack developing around the base near the bucket.It's stainless & i would never of thought it would crack,So i contacted a engineer that works in stainless,showed him my current scoop he was pretty impressed with the design,he said he would be able to reinforce it for me.
But I'm also getting one made from scratch using stainless,this scoop will be based on a Grave digger design scoop with a strong bill at front to help with digging,The bucket size I'm looking at will be around 10 - 11 inches wide x 1ft long with a foot pad at rear.The reason I'm going so wide in the bucket is because I'm occasionally missing the target & goes down the outside of the scoop,so I want to eliminate that problem straight away.

Now what I need from you guys is what is the correct angle to set the handle at? also does pole length make a difference what is ideal length for a guy thats 6.5ft tall?.
I'm also thinking about a couple of handles down the pole to help with lifting scoop out of sand, how long should these handles be & what is best angle to set them at?

Any feedback most welcome


Cheers Freddy

 

[Steve and Bia]

your inability to pinpoint your target shouldn't be reflected with your scoop. On average, a stainless steel scoop is 14 or 12 gauge steel. If you expand the bucket width to 12 inches the bucket becomes more flexible and causes breaks in the welding. To accommodate this flex and the greater force required for prying your big bucket out of the sand, you would probably need 10 gauge steel and a huge fore arm because I'm guessing this Titanic Scoop to weigh in around 13 lbs.

I forgot to add...

If your that tall then 57 inches to start with on the handle length. If it's too long- cut it down. You see, it's easier to shorten it vs. making it longer. Got it?

A helper handle is usually 6 inches long and can be placed at an ideal area on the handle at 90 degrees. The placement depends on your where it's comfortable to you.

 

[GraveDiggerMax-VaBch-Va]

freddy

forget the wide part................it will kill u and probably brake every other week

i have two...............both are 7" dia...........custom made to that dia..................I WOULD NOT DO THAT AGAIN, but i was younger back then.............NOW 7" IS TOOOOO W I D E

toooo much sand can get into 7" - MEANING WEIGHT.

ALUM. IS MUCH LIGHTER, SAND DOES NOT EXIT AS FAST

S/S G R E A T BUT HEAVY............HEAVY ESPECIALLY 7"

REGARDLESS TO WHAT MATERIAL U USE................GET THE SMALL HANDLE

IT IS THE GREATEST

HERE ARE SOME PICS..............JUST CLICK ON THE ONE U WANT TO LOOK AT AND IT WILL STOP MOVING AROUND.

GOOD LUCK
MAX

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[freddy]

G'day Max, your pics of your scoop were most helpfull.It certantly answered most of my questions.I really like your designs,I have a choice of material to use, I can either use S/Steel or Aircraft Aluminium, which would be alot lighter than s/s & fairly strong i believe as well.


Cheers Freddy (Aus)

 

[freddy]

G,day Steve & Bia,
Thank you for those specs on the scoop.You & max are right,I think i will reduce to 7 inch diam but keep the depth of bucket at 12 inches.No sense lifting a scoop around that will tire me out in a couple of hours,I would lose too much detecting time.
Unfortunately Steve, I am that tall & it has its disadvantages I can tell you,but also i have a advantage out in the water,I can hunt in deeper water in high tides that others cannot reach,they have to wait till low tide comes around.Some days I'm in the water for 10hrs or more hunting.I start at the waters edge & work my way out to about neck deep water,usually i find the older stuff out deep,old coins,rings,turn up between 2nd & 4th sandbars.I also keep a sharp lookout for SHARKS that lurk around our bay when I'm in deep water.Once i stood on a giant sting ray,he had a wing span about 1.5m wide,scared the crap out of me,nearly had to change my shorts so to speak!

Cheers Freddy (Aus)