Best smallcraft for diving

[matt_unique]

Thanks for the revue. I enjoyed it.

Revue: a theatrical production consisting typically of brief loosely connected often satirical skits, songs, and dances

~Marlinspike

The definition is right on the mark with his posts....

--Matt

 

[Nemrod]

Marlinspike says:
"Boston Whaler makes plain boats with few creature comforts. Bayliner makes a poorly built cracker of a boat with lots of creature comforts (same goes for SeaRay)."

Yes, I agree, they are a poorly built "cracker of a boat"

Matt says:
"How many times have you capsized your boat or had a maniac at your marina with a chainsaw cutting your boat in half? Most Whaler owners boast about that ability and of course never realize any of those benefits. I'm able to realize all the benefits of what I paid for."

So he admits that a Whaler or similar boat has advantages that hopefully most never realize, comforting to know when your thirty miles to sea in a boat that has these advantages, you just never know, the sea is full of dead men who did not know.

Matt says:
"Boaters who pay triple for their boat compared to other brands quite commonly bash other boats to try to rationalize the outrageous purchase price. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of thousands of Bayliner owners doing the same dives and enjoying the same ocean passages as those who paid 3 times as much."

Well, I did not pay three times as much for my little boat as I would have for a similar Bayliner type. Further, as stated, I just don't see many Bayliners outside of the inlets (hence the name "Bay"liner). I see lot's of them on freshwater lakes where they serve well as floating Winnebagos.

Your own words sink you just as if you had pulled the plug. Go pull the plug on your Bayliner 30 miles to sea and I will do the same. Mine will ship no water, yours will sink and then roll over and probably deep six becoming a nice little dive site. N

 

[Marlinspike]

Aww Dude, Nemrod, you edited your post. It was much funnier with the typo in it.

~Marlinspike

 

[Fin_Diver]

A sea kayak is worth investigating...
No registration needed, no fuel to purchase,(xpensive nowdays) and very, very little maintenanace---we got enough time devoted to maintaining our dive gear, KNOWWHATAMEAN?
Good luck,
Fin_Diver@cox.net

 

[lamont]

i was checking out the nice zodiac hurricane 472 SOLAS boat carried on one of the WA state ferries a couple weeks ago. anyone know where to pick those up used govt surplus?

 

[Marlinspike]

i was checking out the nice zodiac hurricane 472 SOLAS boat carried on one of the WA state ferries a couple weeks ago. anyone know where to pick those up used govt surplus?

You can sometimes find used commercial RIBs and other Zodiac models on Ebay. You could also check with boatyards that handle larger trawlers that might have had them as tenders, but I would caution you against buying a used inflatable that has seen commercial duty -they tend to get abused. You might need to replace most of the collar eventually and that could be expensive.

~Marlinspike

 

[Tom Winters]

Good luck getting any vessel from surplus. Specifically, I'm referring to DRMO. When I was in the Navy, I used to reward guys in my division with DRMO runs for operationally necessary equipment vital to the mission. We got first dibs and got all sorts of cool and vitally important equipment.
The boats there though are the pits. It's the stuff that NO ONE else has any possible use for. I could have had a Whaler Outrage for $30 once. It was so messed up that even I passed, and I overhauled boats for a living. It had been used for the Marine Mammal training program so one side of the hull was cut out to make dragging Flipper back onboard easier.
Our military dive clus used to get used SEAL IBS (inflatable boat-small) and silenced outboards for free. Pure and absolute junk - I was amazed that the stuff stayed operational as long as it did.
Now something like used RIB lifeboats from the Washington State Ferry System is an idea, but why should anything good make it past the inside dibbers? That's what being part of the system is all about, isn't it?
This is not to say that stuff like this does not happen - the city of Boca Raton sold off two World Cats when the police went to monohulls. I never found out what they went for, but I bet it was way below market.
Buying a surplused inflatable could really open up a can of worms if you had to recollar it like Marlinspike alluded to.

 

[mrjimboalaska]

Well,
Here's my "Bayliner" outside the bay, we dive it every weekend, Sat and Sun., I can get 5 Plus me on board with 2 tanks each. While I'm not going 25 miles offshore, she's been good to me and cheap, I'll be able to sell her easier too....Don't tow her with the beam 9'6", but If I did, it would be with my AMERICAN MADE Chevy Duramax diesel 3/4 ton, 60K miles on it No Problems, and when not pulling my 30' travel trailer, gets 25mpg,
BUT....I would like a Bigger boat if I could afford it and the slip fee.............Jimbo

 

[Marlinspike]

...AMERICAN MADE Chevy Duramax diesel 3/4 ton, 60K miles on it No Problems, and when not pulling my 30' travel trailer, gets 25mpg,
BUT....

How would you rate your experience with the Chevy Duramax vs a Dodge Ram Cummins? I am shopping for a new rig at the moment.

~Marlinspike

 

[mrjimboalaska]

I have a buddy who loves the new cummins, but my father-in-law just traded his dodge in for a Duramax. Dont do the 1 ton unless you are going to carry a cab-over
camper though. Your gross weight is more with the 3/4 ton.....
Jimbo