All-Terrain DIY SCUBA Beach Cart

[Capt I]

All-Terrain DIY SCUBA Beach Cart

I made this cart for our gear after finding none commercially available that fit our needs.

It is MUCH better than lugging equipment from our truck to the dive site – and we bring it all in one trip.

Sharing this to all - I hope you find this useful!!

Key needs were:

• Hold 2 full sets of scuba gear plus extras,
• Can roll easily on all surfaces, especially loose sand.
• Quickly assembles and disassembles into reasonably-sized components for transportation.
• Impervious to all conditions, especially exposure to salt water.
• Reasonable cost

Our cart is based on a Gorilla utility cart.

Parts, materials, and the utility cart used as a platform are readily available.

I provided links to the major items used at the end of this post.


FEATURES AND NOTES:


CAPACITY:

• Easily holds two full sets of scuba gear along with extras like personal items, save-a-dive kit, cooler, etc. Use bungee straps to hold material in the open back.
• Unlike most collapsible beach carts, this cart one can hold a LOT of weight: the Gorilla cart is rated for 800 lbs, so you can load it right up. We have over 90 lbs in dive weights (various sizes!) that it easily accommodates in two bags between the cylinders. Obviously, without brakes, you will need to be careful if you have it loaded up when going down a steep incline. (No, of course we normally don’t bring that much weight for a dive… but we could!)
• We use rocks or dive weights to chock the wheels on-site.

PROTECTIVE: The stainless steel flathead screws assembling the stake-body sides are countersunk into the PVC boards to prevent any damage to the gear it contains. Use stainless steel flat washers and nyloc nuts on the exterior - you will likely need to trim & file the screws flush with the tops of the nyloc nuts to prevent snags on clothing and body parts.

NEGOTIATING TERRAIN:

• With its wide wheelbase, the cart is very stable and steerable.
• 10-inch pneumatic wheels do NOT get bogged down in sand and easily negotiate soft ground and rocky areas. This was especially important for us. Most beach carts I have seen have small diameter wheels that bog down / cannot roll in sand or soft ground, and are tough to go over rocky ground.

RIGHT-SIZED:

• At about 27 inches wide, it fits through standard doorways. This is important for people without garages and when going to indoor pools for lessons or practice dives. See photo.
• The tub of the Gorilla cart is the perfect length for AL80s. See photo.

ASSEMBLY: With the stake sides and spring toggle latches, it literally sets up in seconds.

TRANSPORTATION: It just as quickly disassembles for transportation and storage. The stake-body sides fit into the cart's tub for storage. Note: the cart is too large to fit into a car's trunk, but is well-suited for a pickup truck bed, a small SUV, or even the back seat of a mid-sized car (though there, that is admittedly a 2-person job to route and position the pull handle).

IMPERVIOUS: The readily-available PVC boards, aluminum angle, and stainless steel hardware are weatherproof. Note: the frame of the cart is steel, but it is beefy with a good paint finish, so it will last for many years, even in salt water environments.

CONSTRUCTION:

• The stake body sides can be constructed in an afternoon with basic woodworking skills using common tools. The PVC boards and aluminum angle can be cut with woodworking tools such as a chop saw without any need for special blades (don't try that with steel angle of course!).
• Cutting and using a router on the PVC is VERY messy - do it outside and do your best to capture the dust!! I'd use a dust mask at the very least, better yet, wear a respirator with a HEPA filter.
• The paracord you see going across the back of the cart keeps the sides from spreading apart when equipment is leaning against them.
• The most challenging parts of the build are (1) fitting up the corners where the sides marry to the front because they are at angles set by the sides and front of the tub, angles are set because you insert the stakes into them, and (2) fitting the stakes (trimming width and thickness) where they insert into the tub of the cart. Neither is very difficult to do though. See photo.

The dive flags were painted on using masking tape and spray paint, they're not stickers.

For the record, I have NO affiliation with any of the companies involved...

Gorilla Poly Cart:
Amazon.com

Spring Hasp Toggle Latches:
Amazon.com

PVC Trim Board:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Metrie-PVC...3-1-2-In-x-8-Ft/5013353133#no_universal_links

Aluminum Angle:
https://www.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=aluminum+angle#no_universal_links