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Update: I started using a cheap fishing line spool to manage my umbilical in a current
Working a job in the Mississippi River last month, the current was pushing my umbilical into everything. I got tired of it getting caught on the barge edge. I grabbed a $12 fishing line spool from a bait shop, tied my umbilical to it, and let it pay out as I moved. It kept the line off the bottom and stopped most of the snags. I saved about 20 minutes of hassle on a 4-hour dive. Has anyone else found a simple tool from another trade that works down here?
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jake74714h ago
Heard some welders use old garden hose reels for their lines, same basic idea.
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hugotaylor14h ago
Garden hose reels are a good thought, but aren't they mostly plastic? That cheap plastic won't hold up for long on a barge, it'll crack in the sun or get crushed. You need something with a metal frame, like an old welding wire spool. Those things are built to take a beating.
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