Good work nowhereman! Hey are you the one that was making the stronger stainless pedal cranks for the v2 drive? If so I'd like to buy a pair if you still have some laying around. I'm in Fremont so you’re not far from me.

I haven't made any out of stainless, but I have made a bunch of them out of solid 6061 aluminum and even made a few out of solid 7075 aluminum. I'm sure that even Charles Atlas could not break solid 3/4" 6061 aluminum and 7075 is way overkill. I have several of them (6061 alloy) around...

I went to the SC harbor for a brief test-run today. I only have one cable-less chain, so the other one was just a regular Hobie cable/chain. It worked great and was silent. I think it's a winner, but to be sure, I'll need to make another one and test it out with a pair of indestructible chains.

In this brief video, you can just barely see the brass twisted figure-8 things come out of the water at the bottom of the pedal stroke. And, before you ask... No, I was not naked!

https://youtube.com/shorts/0XxPYW0CO48

I re-re-tested the 90-degree twisted chain Mirage drive, and it has an annoying clicking noise. I can't seem to reproduce the click when the drive is out of the water, but I think it is caused by the "twist" links sliding against each other.

I came up with this alternative approach, which is basically a twisted figure 8 made out of bronze (I got some bronze scraps for free at the local metal store, bronze is a lot easier to shape than stainless, and it plays well with stainless). I've only fabricated one so far, and I need 2 per chain, so it might take a while...

If anybody has suggestions as to a alternative that will accomplish the same thing, LMK. The part where the link passes thru is 1/4", while the width at the widest point is about 7/16".

The first picture is an intermediate view, after I'd cut a slice out of the bronze block and started shaping it. The 2nd picture is the final result connecting the chains together.

It seems extremely solid, and I'm confident that it'll eliminate the click.

I bleed my fish and hang it on the side.  I have a Shark Shield turned on too.

You need a sea lion shield too...

I try to bleed and gut them, especially halibut, as any worms seem to go crazy once the fish is dead, and they are sometimes in the guts.

After that, I don't hang them over the side, though. The shark in the video below seemed to be attracted just from fighting the fish, even before I got around to bleeding it. But, I think sea lions are a lot more likely than sharks to cause you trouble with a dangling fish...

From the article below:

"... the company also went into receivership in May, with the appointed receiver, Andrew Quinn of Mackay Goodwin, taking over Ocean Guardian."

"Ocean Guardian incurred losses of $1.2 million in the 2023 financial year and lost a further $336,000 in the most recent reporting period."

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/aussie-asx-hopeful-collapses-into-liquidation-after-shareholders-invest-138m/news-story/105e7010d10c413a5f4c4eb4dde1885c

Looks like a nice setup with some good extras.

Nicely done!  Where'd you find left handed bits locally?

Rural Supply (Ace) Hardware in Los Gatos. I believe that the Saratoga Ace had a few too, but at both stores, selection is limited, and they are kinda pricey...