Outfit a boat for Diving

[TommyB]

As the topic states,

19' ActionCraft Coastliner




Added a custom polling platform, bigger / wider / higher

Thinking it would be ok for max of 3 divers




Right now it's setup with JackPlate / Trim tabs , etc. Run about 60 in 8" of water. Wondering if I should get rid of it, and get a different style. Or if it's even a good idea for 2 people to use the current boat as a diving platform.

We're in the process of moving to Orlando / Clermont area. I've had this one about 15 miles out in the gulf (galveston) area fishing some of the rigs.
Not sure about the seas in daytona, side of the coast.

Few more pics of it







May not even work, kind of looking for opinions from the experts here

Tommy //

[cummings66]

Personally it's a bit small for 3 divers, figure 2 tanks each that's 6 tanks. If you dive tanks like mine that's 54 lbs each or 324 lbs worth of tanks, then you have dive weights and most people would use 10 lbs or so for 30 lbs there, that's 354 lbs. Then say your average diver weighs 200 lbs thats 600 lbs of flab, now add the dive gear weights of about 10 lbs worth of gear and another 30 lbs. So you have a grand total of 984 lbs roughly. Figure in a cooler and water and you're easily over 1000 lbs of weight, not to mention where are you going to store it? Can the boat handle that much weight in that water without swamping in a small wave?

[TommyB]

Originally Posted by cummings66

Personally it's a bit small for 3 divers, figure 2 tanks each that's 6 tanks. If you dive tanks like mine that's 54 lbs each or 324 lbs worth of tanks, then you have dive weights and most people would use 10 lbs or so for 30 lbs there, that's 354 lbs. Then say your average diver weighs 200 lbs thats 600 lbs of flab, now add the dive gear weights of about 10 lbs worth of gear and another 30 lbs. So you have a grand total of 984 lbs roughly. Figure in a cooler and water and you're easily over 1000 lbs of weight, not to mention where are you going to store it? Can the boat handle that much weight in that water without swamping in a small wave?

Good points.. I did not even factor the weight of the gear.
Coastie sticker on it , says it will handle 6 people. (of course I think that sticker is BS) . Back when I got the boat (1999) one of the adds on actioncraft's site said it could be setup for diving. (I'm guessing they meant for 1 diver lololol) . Maybe they meant free-diver...

You think you can convince SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) that I need a new boat? 25/30 foot size She's getting a new house, how come i don't get a new boat?

[frankc420]

Originally Posted by ntburchf

Good points.. I did not even factor the weight of the gear.
Coastie sticker on it , says it will handle 6 people. (of course I think that sticker is BS) . Back when I got the boat (1999) one of the adds on actioncraft's site said it could be setup for diving. (I'm guessing they meant for 1 diver lololol) . Maybe they meant free-diver...

You think you can convince SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) that I need a new boat? 25/30 foot size She's getting a new house, how come i don't get a new boat?

I think that's a bad trade on your part but you get what you can when the boss extends the talons! Sell your current boat and use that $$ toward a new one. Or just spend the cheddar and get yourself a REAL dive boat [img]smileys/smiley1.gif[/img]

[divinginn]

would hate to go out in daytona in a bay boat,but it would be great in the chain lakes near clairmont,used to spend a week during the summers on lake mineola,my uncle still lives there on the lake.

[TommyB]

Originally Posted by divinginn

would hate to go out in daytona in a bay boat,but it would be great in the chain lakes near clairmont,used to spend a week during the summers on lake mineola,my uncle still lives there on the lake.

That's exactly where we are planning on building our new home, in Clermont.
(Lake County)

[plot]

Maybe you can talk SWMBO into letting you get a cheap/used pontoon boat for diving? Would be easy to add platforms to one, could hold 2-3 people and gear no problem, plus a wife maybe a few kids and a small BBQ for those nice little diving outings.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>This idea relies heavily on how close the dive sites are though...</DIV>

[TommyB]

Originally Posted by plot

Maybe you can talk SWMBO into letting you get a cheap/used pontoon boat for diving? Would be easy to add platforms to one, could hold 2-3 people and gear no problem, plus a wife maybe a few kids and a small BBQ for those nice little diving outings.

<div>This idea relies heavily on how close the dive sites are though...</div>

Wife is getting Cert'd also. So it might be an easy sell.

The only issue is, she loves to fish more then I do.
She's a Lake fisher'person, I'm more the Gulf. (Galveston)..



She's been wanting to get cert'd for years, just time / job etc etc...

No kids, Just dogs that we treat like kids.. (you know the dog sitter, etc etc)..


She Was scheduled for private lessons on the 13th, but last minute changes
and off to Europe/scottland/germany and back to Dallas. All in 4/5 days.



Hmmm, the pontoon boat is an Idea i have not thought about. Just need to figure out the + factor here ...
You know the 'ole, I got it for you Honey as I know you like to ......." etc...
She grew up going Bass fishing with her Dad.. You know bass fisherman, go 100 mph for 15 mins to get to their fav spot.
If it does not go 70 mph any thing less is not a boat , it's a wanna-be bass boat lololol

Not to sure how a pontoon is going to work on open water though??
No expericence with them.

[TAH 73]

In a chop the pontoon's are pretty good, the only issue is larger swells. Plus on a pontoon you somtimes can get a little "splashy" if you get broadsided by waves as they dont have any hull to prevent the waves from coming up and over the side.
<DIV></DIV>

[fire diver]

I'll second the thought that your boat is less than ideal for diving, even for a single diver. I see almost no room for storage of gear in the photos.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I have a 20' cuddy, but one dove off it a few times. Gear is too much of a problem, takes up all the room, hard to get suited and geared up. I have found my next boat though. I just don't know when I'll be able to buy it. It's a 24' pontoon. It's a "fish and ski" setup. LOTS os storage, tons of deck space, and it has a 3 foot open deck on the bow (no rails). All I will need to add is a removable dive ladder. Of course, now I just need $25K for boat and motor. Oh well, one of these days (or years)</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>FD</DIV>