Update to Beach Brute

[Steve from Ohio]

I had to make some needed changes to the Beach Brute aluminum scoop as some of the design flaws were showing.

First I put bolts and lock nuts in where screws were. Those screws seem to wiggle loose at any chance they get. I lost the one that held the scoop bucket on and had to dive to get the bucket out of the water.

I also put a bolt through the supports on the side. The screws worked loose there too. Even with lock washers on them they still came loose. So far the bolts are holding well and makes the scoop a lot more solid.

I also took advice from the folks who said to put a stainless lip on the scoop. What a difference that made. I found that the scoop really digs in the sand a lot better. It also handles mud as the mud seems not to want to stick to the stainless steel.

Don't worry about the pop rivets as to where to put the nubs. I flattened the nubs with a hammer and it is holding well.

Folks, this scoop is fantastic. It makes scooping easier and faster as it is so big. It is now almost perfect with the modifications.

 

[GraveDiggerMax-VaBch-Va]

n/t

 

[Prodigy]

Im sure that will really help you with your LOOTING success. HAHAHAHAHA

 

[Steve from Ohio]

Im sure that will really help you with your LOOTING success. HAHAHAHAHA

UGHGHGHGHGHGAYAYYAYAYA!!!!!!!!!!


There is that LOOTING word again!!!!!!!!

OK.....I like to loot. There I said it!

 

[JOHNMARKHAM]

hey steve
how heavy is this scoop?? how is it in the rough surf??
ive been thinking about getting one of these as my rtg scoop has now cracked after three years of use...ill get it fixed at rtg when i get there way im sure theres no problem doing this but might just get a backup??
how thick of a piece of stainless steel did you use for front tip?
thanks
john

 

[Steve from Ohio]

hey steve
how heavy is this scoop?? how is it in the rough surf??
ive been thinking about getting one of these as my rtg scoop has now cracked after three years of use...ill get it fixed at rtg when i get there way im sure theres no problem doing this but might just get a backup??
how thick of a piece of stainless steel did you use for front tip?
thanks
john

Hi John.

The scoop is slightly less than 5 lbs with the stainless lip. I was at Myrtle Beach and there was a guy there with a stainless scoop that was way heavier than my Beach Brute. I was amazed as how much heavier it was. I find the Beach Brute is easy for me to swing over my shoulder with one arm. I also love the rubber foot rest on the scoop. It prevents my foot from slipping off the scoop.

It is great in the rough surf as it takes such a big bite out of the sand. It is so nice not to have to dig twice when one scoop especially in the rough surf will do. I reach down and grab it almost at the bucket when I pull it up and allow the waves to filter the sand and small shells out. At Daytona, the waves were pretty heavy and I had no problem with the scoop in the waves. I did get hit pretty hard by some waves but the scoop was not an issue. I was more concerned with the people around me getting wacked into me by some of the heavy surf that I was in. Seems people always like to get close to see what you are doing when metal detecting.

Not sure of the thickness of the stainless steel. It was a leftover piece I had bought many years ago. I can say that it is thick enough to prevent me from having to bend the lip back into shape. It is just thick enough to bend without heating but not too thin to bend easily. The lip on the Beach Brute is a weak point. I just made the lip of stainless extend out 5/8 inch...wide enough to be able to cut into the sand without bending. By the way, stainless is easy to cut with a hand grinder cutting wheel. A cobalt drill is also a good thing to have when drilling stainless steel.

 

[JOHNMARKHAM]

thanks steve for info...

 

[stavr]

Steve from Ohio. stainless lip should be on the outside.

but better to have a good stainless steel scoop,imho.

 

[Steve from Ohio]

Steve from Ohio. stainless lip should be on the outside.

but better to have a good stainless steel scoop,imho.

I tried it on the outside and removed it from there. Now that I am back here in Ohio, the mud was sticking to the aluminum on the inside of the scoop and would not come out. With the stainless, it seems the mud comes out much easier. And where it is it keeps the edge from bending just fine. So far the edge has not bent as it did when there was just the scoop. The main reason for me putting a stainless lip on the scoop was to prevent the lip from bending and where it is on mine, it is doing the job just fine!

I tried the stainless scoops and they were just too heavy and a bit too small for my tastes. The Beach Brute is almost 9 inches wide and one scoop is usually the rule. So far it is the best scoop I have used. I tried swinging a stainless scoop over my shoulder with one arm and it was a struggle. The Beach Brute weighs in at less than 5 lbs. and I can swing it up and over my shoulder with one arm easily.