Doctor Rig
Contributor
Ford & Hyundai have introduced new small pickups, the Maverick and Santa Cruz. Both have 4’ x 4.5’ beds. Will these be good diving vehicles? At least better than a sedan or coupe don’t you think?
Are new small pickups good for diving?
- Thread starter Doctor Rig
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DeputyDan
Contributor
I have seen many people use a Honda Element for their dive vehicle.
Seems like a good option for JUST diving with a few divers for a day. Four divers, kit and a couple of tanks each may stretch the cargo bed size capabilities. Even with a minivan I had to add a dedicated dive gear trailer for my family of four (3 divers) so we could get away for a weekend with food, clothes and dive gear.
davecampbell
Contributor
if you even have to ask yourself if the vehicle is big enough, .....then it's not.
“Good” dive vehicles? Probably not. Not as good as “Ultimate Dive Trucks” of Bonaire or The Chairmans custom rig anyway. Vehicles you can go diving with fairly easily? Sure. The hobbies not all that demanding. Two people with tanks and weights can fit into a mid-size car no problem, wether the car has an open bed in the back or an enclosed trunk.
Scatterbrained
Registered
Better than a sedan or coupe? What isn't? Out here I see people using kei cars (Diaihatsu Hijet, Suzuki Every, Subaru Sambar, et) as dive vehicles so that's not saying much. In my opinion the ultimate dive/recreation vehicle would be a sprinter type van, followed by a mini van or full size SUV. I can fit my family of four in my somewhat small minivan along with all of our tanks, gear, cooler, portable shower, etc., without infringing upon the seating area.
Meanwhile, the bed space in those trucks looks to be about the same size as the space in the back of my van, so fitting the gear shouldn't be an issue.
I think the Santa Cruz is sold out for a while, so may not matter....
lermontov
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please keep in mind the vehicles payload as well. Max payload on the Ford is 1500lbs. With two divers that isn't a problem, but 4 is cutting it close
4x 200lbs =800lbs of people
8x AL80's @ 40lbs=320lbs of tanks
4x 50lbs of gear bags =200lbs of misc stuff
Rough total of 1300lbs not including any coolers or misc. stuff in the vehicle.
Better than a sedan? Sure, but I would go with a small SUV first that would have more cargo volume capacity that is lockable. I don't like pickup trucks for dive vehicles personally. I use an Expedition EL, biggest SUV you can buy and it still isn't big enough. @The Chairman and @mer have custom fitted Transit vans that are marginal, and @grantctobin drives a Camry but he's nuts. Granted we are all cave diving out of them which is much more gear intensive, but for recreational diving you can do just about anything. I got cave certified driving a Chrysler LHS and while it wasn't the most ideal dive vehicle, it did get 2 people with one full set of cave gear down to cave country quite comfortably.
4x 200lbs =800lbs of people
8x AL80's @ 40lbs=320lbs of tanks
4x 50lbs of gear bags =200lbs of misc stuff
Rough total of 1300lbs not including any coolers or misc. stuff in the vehicle.
Better than a sedan? Sure, but I would go with a small SUV first that would have more cargo volume capacity that is lockable. I don't like pickup trucks for dive vehicles personally. I use an Expedition EL, biggest SUV you can buy and it still isn't big enough. @The Chairman and @mer have custom fitted Transit vans that are marginal, and @grantctobin drives a Camry but he's nuts. Granted we are all cave diving out of them which is much more gear intensive, but for recreational diving you can do just about anything. I got cave certified driving a Chrysler LHS and while it wasn't the most ideal dive vehicle, it did get 2 people with one full set of cave gear down to cave country quite comfortably.
I can fit gear for two tech divers in my RAV4 but it's pretty well packed if it's for a weekend of diving. For myself and my usual teaching needs it's perfect. Plus everything is under cover and protected. There are times when I think a small pickup would be nice and at one time I was trying to find one. But the RAV is one of the highest rated for reliability and it suits my needs 99% of the time. That 1% is when I was putting my rock garden in and had to fill several bins by hand and with a small shovel at the landscaping place.
It's also a better option for hauling my kayak than one of the small trucks. I'd have to get a frame or some type of support on a hitch. Boat is too long to hang out or prop up at an angle.
Last time I went on a multiday trip was to Canada and I had 6 primary cylinders, 3 deco/stage bottles, 2 drysuits, 2 27 gallon bins with my other gear, and clothes, etc.
Had plenty of room to spare.
It's also a better option for hauling my kayak than one of the small trucks. I'd have to get a frame or some type of support on a hitch. Boat is too long to hang out or prop up at an angle.
Last time I went on a multiday trip was to Canada and I had 6 primary cylinders, 3 deco/stage bottles, 2 drysuits, 2 27 gallon bins with my other gear, and clothes, etc.
Had plenty of room to spare.
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