# 1990 Hoyt Eclipse



## Lanny

I bought it in March 1990. It still shoots great! Anyone know where I can find the specs -- I believe it's 41" ATA, not sure of let-off, what kinds of wheels/cams, IBO/AMO rating, string & cable length, etc.?

It's a nice finger bow and I actually find its soft backwall preferable to my 2007 PSE 3D Mojo's hard backwall. Curious if anyone out there remembers this bow, shoots one and their impressions on how it stacks up against newer finger bows, and where to confirm its specs. Thanks.


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## big cypress

my son had a provantage eclipse . provantage= riser , eclipse = limbs . great shooting bow with cast solid limbs as opposed to laminated limbs . people can't tell you specs without knowing which riser you have .


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## red44

I know there was a Spectra Eclipse too. A picture might help.


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## star

I had a 1990 Provantage Impulse..same specs.solid epoxy limbs,44" a-a.9" brace .mine had 'balanced cams" not quite a engery wheel-AMO was 218 fps


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## big cypress

also a proforce riser which was very straight , no deflex like provantage and spectra .


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## biblethumpncop

Does it have a plastic grip, or the metal grip? Metal self formed grip = Spectra riser.


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## Lanny

Thanks for the responses. I haven't been on the site for a few days. The riser was painted a camo color years ago. I don't see any other label on it, but it measures approx. 20.5". Solid limbs, yes. Grip appears to be made out of the riser material itself and I covered it with a thin, black, adhesive wrap some time ago. Although at one time I thought it was the Spectra Eclipse, I'm less inclined to believe that now as it measures less than the 44" ATA of those models; so I guess just the straight Eclipse version.

From what I've gathered on the forum, Hoyt's top finger bow now is the Provantage. I don't know if this is still offered as I don't think I saw it among the 2010 models online. How does the Montega (sp?) compare to the Provantage (or whatever newer model has taken its place) in terms of smooth draw, fps and soft backwall and how much do you think both outperform my old Eclipse? Thanks.


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## big cypress

you are right the best hoyt bow is a provantage [ or maybe a prostar] .


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## tguil

I actually have both a ProVantage Hunter (Hoyt painted camo) and a Spectra Eclipse (film dipped original TreBark camo). Both still in very good condition. The ProVantge was supposed to be the *the bow* but I actually shot my Spectra Eclipse (41 ATA) better. Heck, I shoot my ProTec with XT3000 limbs (41 ATA) and Commandcams+ as well as any of my bows....except for my mid-1980's ProHunter. Now that was Hoyt's *best shooting* bow.....ever. I still have mine. You never get rid of an "old friend". 

Tom


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## jmoose77

Lanny said:


> Thanks for the responses. I haven't been on the site for a few days. The riser was painted a camo color years ago. I don't see any other label on it, but it measures approx. 20.5". Solid limbs, yes. Grip appears to be made out of the riser material itself and I covered it with a thin, black, adhesive wrap some time ago. Although at one time I thought it was the Spectra Eclipse, I'm less inclined to believe that now as it measures less than the 44" ATA of those models; so I guess just the straight Eclipse version.
> 
> From what I've gathered on the forum, Hoyt's top finger bow now is the Provantage. I don't know if this is still offered as I don't think I saw it among the 2010 models online. How does the Montega (sp?) compare to the Provantage (or whatever newer model has taken its place) in terms of smooth draw, fps and soft backwall and how much do you think both outperform my old Eclipse? Thanks.


By your description it sounds like a spectra eclipse.
Here's some info on a *1992 *spectra eclipse,
*41" ata
Hoyt Energy Wheels-60/65% letoff
They rated the energy wheel speed as "AMO" 210+.
Solid Glass Limbs.*


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## red44

That AMO of 210 really is'nt to bad. LOL That was 60/540. I wonder what it would have done at 60/300 (if it did'nt blow up) :teeth:


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## Lanny

Jmoose, did they offer that much let-off in 1990? I thought standard was around 50% or even less.


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## jmoose77

Lanny said:


> Jmoose, did they offer that much let-off in 1990? I thought standard was around 50% or even less.


I think they did at least back to 1991. The first spectra came out around 1987 with 50% tri-draw wheel and steel cables and I believe later with the FFE wheel with the fastflite system. I'm just not sure what was offered in 1990.
Could you post a pic of the wheels that are on it?


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## Fingerdog56

*Eclipse limbs*

Hoyt made at least 7 different limbs from '88 to '94;
Carbon Plus; 18" Recurve laminated Carbon
Medalist; 18" Recurve laminated Wood 
Meridian; 18" Recurve laminated Glass
Supreme; 17"? Recurve laminated Glass
FastFlite; 16" Recurve laminated Glass
ECLIPSE; 16" Recurve solid Glass
Heat; 16" Straight solid Glass

Each of these limbs was offered on a variety of different length risers,
Pro Vantage, Pro Force, Spectra, Super Slam, Pro Star, Super Star etc....
Thus if you had a Spectra riser with Carbon Plus limbs, you had a Spectra Carbon Plus. Pro Vantage riser with 16" Laminated limbs is a PV Fastflite.
If you have limbs that say Eclipse on them, they are solid recurve limbs, 16" long. I your ATA is 41", that is the spec for a SPECTRA Eclipse and that's most likely what you have. The Pro Force riser is the same length,??? an almost straight (Neutral) beefy riser with a plastic grip that could be missing, but you'd see a definite rim where the grip belongs. The Super Slam is the same length, and very similar to the Spectra, (beefier grip area and neutral) but it didn't come out until '92 or '93. If you have a 20 3/4" riser with a nice thin throat and a comfortably contoured palm contact point with no plastic "grip", that's slightly deflex, you have a SPECTRA ECLIPSE.
Energy wheel for Fast Flight strings came out in 87? and had 2 axle holes, 1 @ 50% and 1 @ 65% and 1 string peg. Tri-draw wheels came out in "88 or '89? and had 1 axle hole @ 65% and 3 string pegs.:darkbeer:
PS; Hoyt did have a thin rubbery form-fit grip for the Spectra that was kind of a wrap-around, but that was an accessory.


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## Lanny

Fingerdog, thanks for that boatload of info! I'll check the bow for those specs. It's always nice to know what you have.


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## jmoose77

Here is a little more info.
You will need to zoom in to read. Would not allow a larger pic.


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## Fingerdog56

*'E' wheel*

JMoose, that's a pretty definitive post! I always thought the 3 peg 'E' wheel was the same wheel as the Tri-draw, they just changed the name to make it 'new' in '89?, but I stand corrected! If that literature is from '91, does anyone know that they ARE the same, and if so, when they changed the name? :darkbeer:


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## Fingerdog56

*Specs*

Lanny;
Good luck finding printed specs for string and buss cable lengths for that year model bow. When bows came out of the factory, they had a sticker on the inside of the bottom limb, just below the riser that had string and cable lengths on it. If your bows been painted, it may still be there. I'm assuming you want to put new strings on it, I think your best bet to get it up to snuff is to twist up the cables and strings that are on it to get 41" ATA and an almost full wrap on the wheel. More wrap on the wheel gives you a longer draw and more let-off, less wrap give you a shorter draw and less let-off. (60-65%) Once you get it where you want it, take the strings off and measure them. You can decrease BH by up to 3/4" or so from factory specs, but you'd lose peak weight and DL, and it would be spongy on the shot and very touchy, but faster, lb. for lb. You could also increase BH by 3/4" or so, gain peak wt. and DL and get a much 'crisper' shot, but lose speed, lb. for lb. so you've got about a 1 1/2" window for brace ht. The higher your BH, the shorter your ATA and vice-versa. Hope this helps.:darkbeer:


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## Lanny

WOW, I hit the jackpot with you fellas! I'm bookmarking this post. I now know more about the bow than when I bought it!!! :darkbeer: A big thanks to you all.


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## jmoose77

Fingerdog56 said:


> JMoose, that's a pretty definitive post! I always thought the 3 peg 'E' wheel was the same wheel as the Tri-draw, they just changed the name to make it 'new' in '89?, but I stand corrected! If that literature is from '91, does anyone know that they ARE the same, and if so, when they changed the name? :darkbeer:


The tri-draw wheel was from the Hoyt/Easton days with the steel cables and tear drops. I liked those wheels and Hoyt had them on a number of different models from back in the day.


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## tguil

Lanny,

I actually do have the printed specs for the Spectra Eclipse. 

You most likely have the AIM system and Energy Wheels on your bow.These Energy Wheels can be set for either 50% letoff or 65% letoff. This is accomplished by routing the axle trough either the 50% bushing or the 65% bushing on the wheel. Each Energy Wheel is marked either a "T" or a "B". These stand for "top" and "bottom" and represent the positioning of the axles and the wheels.

My bow is a right hand bow and I am using the 50% letoff setting. The axle bushing that I use for the top limb setting is the one closet to the "T". The bushing I use for the bottom limb setting is bushing closest to the "B".

For 65% letoff -- on the top limb I'd use the axle bushing closest to the "B". On the bottom limb, I'd use the axle bushing closest to the "T" 

Again this is for a right hand bow.

The Spectra Eclipse had an ATA of 41 inches (as mentioned in earlier posts). The wheel diameter sizes are 2.05, 2.2, 2.35, 2.5 and 2.8 inches. Draw lengths can be anywhere for 27 inches to 33 inches.

There are three settings listed by the factory -- Factory Setting, Long Setting and Short Setting. These adjustment are made by changing the AIM String Length and AIM Cable Length.

Let me know the draw length you use and the size of the Energy Wheels on your bow and I'll give you the string lengths.

Tom


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## stanlh

*Hoyt eclipse with 44 inch ata*

What model hoyt do I have if the ata is just over 44 inches instead of 41 inches? The limbs say eclipse on them. The riser is identical to the picture that jmoose77 posted.


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## jmoose77

The only 44" eclipse I could find during the early 1990"s was the ProVantage Eclipse.
Could you post a pic of your bow?


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## jmoose77

Here is a pic of the 1993 provantage eclipse. The picture is small but you may get a ideal if that is the riser you have on your eclipse.


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## IBBW

A straight up Eclipse was a different bow than the Provantge Eclipse, was it not?


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## jmoose77

IBBW said:


> A straight up Eclipse was a different bow than the Provantge Eclipse, was it not?


It seems during that time hoyt had a eclipse for every hunting model and some target models too. Super Slam,ProVantage,Spectra and Proforce hunting bows all had a eclipse.


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## IBBW

When he said it was 41" ATA, that was short in 1990 brother. Those were the days. They made so many different bows back then. Ones WE could shoot!!


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## bandsaw12

*Hoyt Spectra Eclipse draw length*



tguil said:


> Lanny,
> 
> I actually do have the printed specs for the Spectra Eclipse.
> 
> You most likely have the AIM system and Energy Wheels on your bow.These Energy Wheels can be set for either 50% letoff or 65% letoff. This is accomplished by routing the axle trough either the 50% bushing or the 65% bushing on the wheel. Each Energy Wheel is marked either a "T" or a "B". These stand for "top" and "bottom" and represent the positioning of the axles and the wheels.
> 
> My bow is a right hand bow and I am using the 50% letoff setting. The axle bushing that I use for the top limb setting is the one closet to the "T". The bushing I use for the bottom limb setting is bushing closest to the "B".
> 
> For 65% letoff -- on the top limb I'd use the axle bushing closest to the "B". On the bottom limb, I'd use the axle bushing closest to the "T"
> 
> Again this is for a right hand bow.
> 
> The Spectra Eclipse had an ATA of 41 inches (as mentioned in earlier posts). The wheel diameter sizes are 2.05, 2.2, 2.35, 2.5 and 2.8 inches. Draw lengths can be anywhere for 27 inches to 33 inches.
> 
> There are three settings listed by the factory -- Factory Setting, Long Setting and Short Setting. These adjustment are made by changing the AIM String Length and AIM Cable Length.
> 
> Let me know the draw length you use and the size of the Energy Wheels on your bow and I'll give you the string lengths.
> 
> Tom


Tom,

Do you still have the specs for this bow? I have this exact same bow and would like to reduce my draw from 31" to 29". It has the 2.8" energy wheels and a 58" string length. The bow shop was not any help as this bow is "too old".

Thanks,
Robert


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## tguil

Robert,

Yep, I still have the specs. Really don't know why. I gave my ProVantage and Spectra Eclipse to Nebraska BowHunter Education Program a couple of years ago. According to the Hoyt specs the shortest draw length you can get to with the 2.8 wheel is 31 inches. (The 2.8 wheel is intended for 31, 32, and 33 inch draw lengths.) To get to a 29 inch draw length, You need a 2.05 wheel and a 54 inch string, a 2.2 wheel and 54 inch string, or a 2.35 wheel and a 53.5 inch string. The factory setting for this bow is with the 2.2 wheel. The Aim cable length in all cases is 42 inches.

Now all of this can maybe vary a bit. I have a 32 inch draw length. My bow came from the factory with a 2.8 wheel, a 58 inch string and a 43 inch Aim cable...go figure. Maybe your pro shop could mess a bit with the different smaller wheels, but I don't think you can get there with a 2.8 wheel. 

Hope this helps. Good luck.

By the way when I checked out his tread, I didn't realize it was so old and was really surprised to see my posts. 

Tom


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## Lanny

I'm the OP and was surprised to see this old post resurface. My cables are shot, so time for replacement. Wondering if I should spend the $$ on that or just buy a new Hoyt Tribute. The $900 price tag is what's hanging me up and I question if the Tribute is significantly different from my old bow; it does look nice though. I shot my 38.4" 2007 PSE Mojo 3D a couple of weeks ago and even with my 27-28" draw was getting some pinch on my top finger (split). The Mojo also seems to be a little noisy and have hand shock, unless I'm imagining it.


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## Paul68

Lanny said:


> Wondering if I should spend the $$ on that or just buy a new Hoyt Tribute. The $900 price tag is what's hanging me up and I question if the Tribute is significantly different from my old bow; it does look nice though.


The Tribute is a solid bow. A fine shooter, but they have been around long enough to pick up a slightly used on in the classifieds. 

While we are at it, we should start an online petition to get Hoyt to re-introduce a recurve limb to their monolithic line of finger bows. A 50" ATA, deflex riser, 9" BH, 57" Cadillac curvy beauty, with an option for Wall Bangers, just to make Mitchell happy.


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## shadowhunter

Lanny, keep the old bow! They don't make em like that any more and if it is in good shape, it will be a wonderful shooter!!!!!


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## Kenny G

Paul...where do I sign? I'd love to see a bow like that again. Hey Tom while we are at it could you tell me what the delfection #'s refer to? Thanks, Kenny.


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## tguil

I never really understood "deflection" numbers and I don't have this information in my old manual. This thread might help. http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=733185


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## Lanny

Paul, sounds like the specs for my old -- long since broken -- PSE Citation Hunter. Do miss that bow, it was a good one.


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