New Dive-Xtras BlackTip just arrived.

[J_J_I]

Hello all.

I know there has been a lot of hype around Dive-Xtras new BlackTip DPV. I was one of the first on the train, and my scooter ended up in my hands today.

This thing is a sweet little package. Fit and finish is good. A couple little spots on the PVC body, but nothing that won't happen in it's lifetime of use. First concern was the motor was much slower than I saw in all of DX's promo videos, but it was just due to the surface/air mode. Once it got in water gear three instantly produced more thrust than I was expecting. Then came mounting my compass and nose clip. I was hoping DX would put in a molded hole in the nose for a piece of line. But some line around the handle and under the strap works too.

In water testing starts tomorrow. I already have a few projects that this will be a huge help.

JJI

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Dive Xtras has had a hole under each side of the handle for years, and recently they added a second hole, so there are two on each side of the handle - between the screw and the handle.

 

[billbb]

There are several of us interested in this scooter
Your input will be helpful for sure
Thanks,
Bill

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I set a BlackTip up for a customer with 12 Ah DeWalt batteries for use in fresh water. I found I had to take both the mild steel weight plate and stainless steel cover plate and screws out of the nose cone. With a small bolt snap on the nose it's still about a 1/2 oz heavy, but very close to neutral.

With 9Ah batteries it's slightly heavy with the mild steel plate installed. I removed the mild steel plate, kept the stainless cover plate, and added lead shot. To get it neutral in fresh water, the weight of the nose cone with lead shot, and a bolt snap needed to be 1720 grams (60 2/3 oz).

I also painted the mild steel plate, as mine started to rust after some water wicked between the two plates. I also painted the stainless plate because stainless still isn't rust proof. A hammered metal silver looked good.

In addition to a solomon bar leash, I also added a loop to the propeller shroud, as the BlackTip trims vertically tail down in the water. It helps to be able to clip the tail off. A paracord loop attached with a wire clamp secured with one of the strut screws works fine. I did that on our old Makos several years ago and it makes it easy to clip the tail to a D-ring or a cave line using a double ender.

 

[J_J_I]

Thanks DA Aquamaster. Too dense to notice those. Might retie my clip, or leave it to see what happens.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The lack of a compass mount on the BlackTip is no great loss. The Suunto compass doesn't work all that well as it doesn't allow for much tilt before it locks up. Kayak compasses work well, and this particular model costs (a Seattle Sports Sea Rover) costs $45 and is near neutral in fresh water.

I use this same compass on our Dive Xtras P1 and P2 as well, and I recommend it to customers when we sell a scooter.

Karst Scuba

 

[J_J_I]

I went with the slightly cheaper bungee mount compass. One thing I found was the lubber line was pretty anemic, but a quick swipe with a paint pen left me with a bold white line to use for reference. Have you found there being any magnetic declination from running the scooter at higher gears or workload?

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have noted some deviation with the Piranha when running back and forth on straight lines during speed tests, but it's constant whether the motor is running or not. That said, it's not more than about 10 degrees. While you'd need a compass card for precision navigation, in general it's good enough to get you back to where you started.

I have not checked with the BlackTip yet.

I'm still looking for the ideal compass where it's waterproof to a couple hundred feet, and still has n/s e/w adjustments to minimize the deviation on reciprocal headings.

 

[Primary]

I took my Blacktip out for its first run yesterday. Very impressive. I found speed 6 to be plenty fast enough and I ran for about 60 minutes total over two dives.

I am used to an Aquaprop, which I love especially for beach diving, but this is a whole different level. Speed 6 is about 50 percent faster than the Aquaprop's top speed, I would estimate.

My 12AH batteries were down to the last segment at the end of the second dive. I will have to pick up some more batteries so I will be able to make additional dives without charging.

Observations: I like the Aquaprop being 1-2# positive so that when I am not using it, it floats up behind me out of the way. The stock Blacktip is 1-2# negative in salt and it got in the way when not in use. However, I found that I could park it on the bottom, tail down and it stayed put. I wasn't 100 percent comfortable leaving the scooter unclipped but it was only for brief periods and I didn't move far away (never out of visual range). I may take out the steel plate and experiment to achieve slightly positive weighting.

Modifications: I added a quick and dirty bottom timer/compass console using a piece of scrap teak. I cut a 1/2" slot that slides onto the shroud strut and clamps tight with a bolt at the end. Rather crude but it works. As noted, there is some magnetic deviation but it's close enough for government use.

 

[NothingClever]

I’m thinking a BlackTip is in my future in the next few months.

Seems like a well-built and slick little scooter.