Threshers..... Hey, that's a pretty good idea...... It could be done. You'd need a device comprised of two float tubes with some kind of 2x4 or something holding them apart. then, you get that between you and the shark when it's at the boat, stick a flying gaff in it's head, tie that off to one end of the "dual float tube shark landing facility", stick another flying gaff into it's tail, tie that off to the other float tube, gingerly cut off your hook (unless it's a yo zuri or somethin, them thing's expensive, in that case you get your buddy to reach in there with some pliers...). Let the shark sit for a couple minutes, take a knife with a fairly long blade (oh yeah, I'll carry two flying gaffs and a knife on my float tube), and cut it's spinal chord. Dead shark. Actually, a more practical and effective way would be to just carry a pneumatic speargun and shoot the sucka when it gets close. Tie that speargun off to a buoy with a net hanging down from it, and let that shark wrap himself up in the net real good, cut your line, after a few minutes, dead shark. I'm up for it... Anyway, about offshore float tubing. Me and Frank kicked for about 45 min. straight out one day chasing diving birds. I figure if we can kick at 1 mile per hour (we were kickin pretty fast to get out there) and kicked for 45 minutes, we were dang close to 3/4 of a mile out there, so 1 mile is no problem. I'd definitely be up for some fatty white seabass fishin from the float tube. Me and Ed can practice our big fish pullin techniques without flipping ourselves over...
-Brian