Tube Tubb Floating Sieve for Water-Based Metal Detecting

The Tube Tubb floats even when you dump a full scoop of wet sand or gravel onto the mesh. The buoyant frame is designed to support the weight of screening material without sinking, so you can rinse finds in place without chasing a submerged sieve downstream. In calm water, the loaded sieve sits stable on the surface. In light current or wave action, it may drift slightly, but the white handles stay visible and easy to grab. We've used it in knee-deep river current and shallow surf, and it hasn't gone under during normal screening loads.

The Tube Tubb measures 31 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 6 inches deep, with a total weight of 18 pounds. The 31x18-inch screening area is large enough to dump a full digger scoop in one pass, which speeds up recovery on multi-target sites. At 18 pounds, it's light enough to carry down a trail or riverbank but heavy enough to resist flipping in wind. The 6-inch depth keeps material from washing over the sides when you're agitating the sieve in current.

The Tube Tubb's frame is built from impact-resistant material that survives contact with streambed cobble and gravel. We've dropped it on rocks, dragged it across gravel bars, and loaded it into truck beds without cracking the frame or bending the mesh. The welded mesh stays tight across the frame even after seasons of abrasion from sand and pebbles. If you're working a rocky river or surf zone where sieves take constant impacts, this construction holds up better than thin plastic classifiers. For more water-detecting recovery tools, see our full gold prospecting equipment lineup.

At 18 pounds and 31x18x6 inches, the Tube Tubb is portable enough for most water-detecting trips but not packable for long hikes. The white handles make it easy to carry with one or two hands, and the frame stacks flat in a truck bed or SUV cargo area. If you're driving to a river access point or launching from a boat ramp, transport is straightforward. For backpacking into remote creeks, the size and weight may be a constraint, and you'd want a collapsible sifter instead.

The Tube Tubb provides a stable screening platform that a handheld sand scoop doesn't. With a scoop, you dump material into the water and try to rinse it in your hands, which risks losing small targets to current or waves. The Tube Tubb floats beside you, so you dump the scoop's contents onto the mesh and rinse in place without chasing finds downstream. The 31x18-inch surface area also lets you spread material thin for faster visual sorting. For practical advice on water-detecting workflows, visit our metal detecting tips and FAQs page.

The Tube Tubb is built from durable, impact-resistant materials designed to withstand the rigors of water-based metal detecting and prospecting. The super-durable construction ensures the frame and mesh hold up through seasons of use in rivers, surf zones, and gravel bars. The floating design and stable platform make it nearly indestructible in typical detecting conditions, so you can rely on it for long-term recovery work. If you have questions about the product or need support, contact our team and we'll help you get the most from your Tube Tubb sieve.

The Tube Tubb's 0.4-inch mesh catches coins, rings, relics, and gold nuggets while letting sand and small pebbles wash through. A dime (0.7 inches) or a wheat penny (0.75 inches) sits comfortably on the mesh, and gold nuggets down to about half an inch are retained. Smaller targets like BBs or fine gold flakes will pass through, so if you're working placer deposits with flour gold, you'll want a finer classifier downstream. For water-based relic hunting and coin shooting, this mesh size balances fast rinsing with reliable target retention. Check our gold classifiers & sifters collection for finer mesh options if you're processing concentrates.