White's Surfmaster P.I., good entry level detector?

china-clipper

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2006
Messages
47
Location
Lebanon, Connecticut
Well, it seems I've been advised that risking my Classic III in the surf is bad news, as any amount of unintended saltwater splash could render it useless. Is the White's Surfmaster P.I. a good "entry level" unit? I'd rather not blow a ton of cash on something before I find out that water detecting is not my bag. Are there any low-priced units that will at least allow me to experience water detecting w/out mortgaging my house to pay for a detector? Here in the the northeast (CT) I'd only be in the water when it's fairly warm; that is, unless we have freaky warm weather like we've been having lately.
Thanks!
 
China...


Its a turn on and go detector... can't be any easier than that.. water detecting is not a cheap hobby... after the detector, you will want a top of the line water scoop and that can set you back all the way up to $200 dollars, then if you hunt in the cold you will want waders and cold weather clothes underneith, or a wet suit/drysuit... A sifter comes in handy when you're digging in the water as well sometimes... Sifter is used to speed up hunting you can let the wave action clean what you dumped into it from the scoop... Water hunting is done during the 2 hours before lowtide and 2 hours after lowtide-incoming tide for best results.

Do you know anyone with a water machine? Maybe you can ask them if you can borrow it for a hunt...

When I first got into it, I hated it and was ready to sell my detector after a week of digging staples a foot down or better... I was a dirt digger and wasn't used to all the junk.. But after seeing the glitter of my first gold ring everything changed and I researched how other water detectorists found the best stuff and I still dig some trash but not much anymore because I have learned where to detect and where to stay away from...

If I were you... I would look into the Beachhunter first.

Now my MXT for the most part sits hoping I will pick it up once in a while :D
 
OK Craig, lets get you typing some more. Since I live 3 hrs or so from the beach, I will have to plan and go. Why the Beachhunter instead of the PI? I am looking for a water detector slowly as I plan on doing it at least this summer, (even if I have to come see you) :D And I am partial to Whites.
pop
 
Pop,

With the beachhunter you can hunt dry/wet/water.. whereas using the PI the same way will drive you crazy... The PI will find every piece of junk known to man and deep lol... my 2 fingers don't mind typing :)

You have 3 lights on the beachunter to give you an idea of what your coil is over... I can tell with my PI from the tone it gives off how deep the target is generally and I'm learning the slight differences in the PI's tone what the metal makeup is... Usually a sharp bang is aluminum and its shallow 6 inches or less... a piece of iron gives a long drawn out "wow" example wooooow... get my drift? ;) A ring gives me a soft mellow hit.. depending on how deep it is... I dig everything except the long drawn out wows :D

Pop if I were you I would get the Beachhunter.. its great in freshwater, its ok in saltwater, it can be used on land whereas the PI I wouldn't use it on land. But this is just me :)
 
Thanks from you master. Beachhunter it hopefully will be.
pop
 
The Surf PI is definitely a good choice for you. Turn on and go and then FIND FIND FIND. Let me knoe if you need any more info or would like to make a purchase.
 
Bought my first water machine in 1995 - White's PI - and have owned 2 White's PI Pro's since- own a CZ20 - but love my PI the most
 
Pop-top, I own and use a Beach hunter "ID". I love the machine, It won't go deeper then 10 12 inches on a large coin or other goodies that size. 6 inches on dime pennies and rings sized objects.

The ID is about 50 to 100 dollars more then the "PI" pro, I never swung a pro, But like Craig says, you can really learn the sounds. My Beach hunter has the lights, big deal, I never look at it anymore.
I can tell a buried can, a pulltop (modern), the old ring pulls fake me out a lot. Because you get a tone for jewelry, I get more then my share of nickles, when I expect rings.

I don't do much salt water, mostly fresh. This machine is wonderful on land. Don't let the weight fool you, it's balanced better then most
lighter detectors. I am getting ready to buy another new machine also. It will be a "White"..............Also, when you factor in the price of the detector against your budget, you will NEED to spend an additional 150 bucks for a scoop of decent quality When I first got my ID I was in an old old swimming hole neck deep and getting all kinds of good signals. I didnt have a scoop , so guess what, I would spend 10 minutes NOT getting my targets I was ripping mad: because i did'nt have the right equipment ..........Gil
 
I just got a Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II and it works real nice. Used it in salt water / surf today. Found some coins and its easy to use.
 
Got Lucky...now what do I do?

Well, I took everybody's advice and took a chance on eBay. I picked up a Surfmaster P.I. for $314.00. I'm not sure if I got a good deal, but it has only been used 2-3 times, and never submerged. There's a picture of it below my profile on the left. Tell me I made a wise investment; when my wife finds out I bought another MD she'll kill me. Now I can't wait 'til the warmer weather as I have no wetsuit. Maybe I'll hit the beach and work in the surf a little. Any tips on how to start out using this type of unit? I plan on starting in about 1-2 feet of water until I get used to it. Does this detector always have a tone going, or is it silent until it hits something? :?: Any advice would be welcome.
Thanks in advance!
 
China,

I always run mine a little louder than most people use it and I feel it has helped me with more finds...

I run the gain at 1 o'clock and the threshold the same... Sometimes I run the gain even a little higher..

If I were you get used to finding trash in wet sand... I rarely hunt the wet sand for that reason alone and prefer to hunt only in the water less trash...

Right now I use waders but will get a dry suit sometime in the spring...

If you don't already have one get a good scoop, one with a big bucket because no matter how fast you dig whether it be wet sand or in the water the hole starts filling in right away.

Do not use a scoop made for dry sand, it will not last.. You need a scoop you can drive into the sand fast and deep and sand scoops just won't stand up to that abuse.

I think you got a great deal on the detector :grin:
 
scoo[

China

craig has given u some very sound advice

u will need two more items...................

1) ibuprophen

2) a book on how to speak chinese

all kidding aside

good scoop is the key with that baby u bought, good meaning like craig said..................t u f f...............u are going to be digging many many holes and they are going to be some deep ones,so do not think we are jus telling us this

the water is where is loot is for sure, but u must not forget the real damp sand zone.............especially after some wind............many nice tickets will move up to that zone and up to the mid damp sand range as well.

scoops

reily's treasure gold make good ones, bill babb makes super alum. ones and treas. scoops, not sure where u are, but chuck makes a real good one as well, he is in mich............his has a wooden handle...........others are in fla.

my 2 cents worth............S/S are heavier, but sand will exit faster - alum. are lighter, but sand does not exit as good............by exiting, i mean most of the time when we work the damp sand, we dig out target and dump sand and target on the damp sand and kick around with our foot and reach down and pick up the target, but when in the water, we just let the water wash out all the sand............both alum. and s/s really work great in the water..................when it is kinda ruff, the s/s models seem to get down in the water faster and are easier to handle because of the weight

i have attached some pics ...............what u see are 7" dia. scoops, most everyone uses 6"..........but i had mine made little larger.

good luck
 
Max, thanks for all the great pictures, as well as the advice. One question: do you prefer the round scoops or the flat-topped ones? Any difference in performance?
It sounds like I have a lot to learn, but I can't wait to get started! One thing I always wondered about...do any of you have problems with people messing with the stuff you leave on the beach like clothes, other tools, or gear? I am a surfer and once I was surfing in Rhode Island and when I came out of the water, somebody had stolen my clothes and towel. After getting out of my wetsuit I had to drive home naked. I guess you only bring what you're going to use in the water.
Thanks again for the advice, keep it coming...I don't mind being known as a newbie.
 
China

It doesn't matter if the scoop is round or flat, some prefer the sunspot in the water because you can take a larger amount of sand with every scoop.. I have used them both...

One more item that can be useful especially in the water is a sifter especially if there are multiple targets in the spot you are digging... usually after each scoop you run your coil over the hole before you shake or dump... Most times you won't get the target in the first scoop, a coin likes to run away from your scoop as you are digging ;) and this is where a sifter will come in handy, also if the sand is packed or you hit clay or mud a sifter will speed up your recovery time.

As to what to bring the beach with you, that is up to you but I carry whatever I need with me and leave nothing laying around.. I bring everything I need in my car/truck and get dressed at the beach.. I hunt year round the weather means nothing... rain/snow/cold I ready to hunt.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Cfmct/P1010478.jpg
 
scoops

china

i can not help u on the flat top styles............all i know about is what i have and used.

ohio roger came to the lane in july 05 with a new brute scoop, but the handle did not hold up under the digging conditions here.

i have a few pics of what others have used here
 
Man, that's one BIG scoop Roger has. Any bigger and you would need an equipement operators rating to drive it. I figure I'll start out with a smaller one than that and see how it works out. After buying the PI I don't exactly have much left for accessorizing.
 
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