Blacktip Scooter- Limited To Weighting, Buoyancy and Trim

[grantctobin]

Thank you for that! That stuff looks like it would be perfect to make a buoyancy collar to fit around the back of the body of the BlackTip.

Unfortunately, $136 for one piece of it?!

I have float arms and Stix floats for my camera rig. I may experiment with those. But, after seeing this material and thinking of the idea of using it to make a buoyancy collar, I doubt that any kind of float (from PVC or a camera rig) is going to satisfy me.

And after yesterday's experience, I am VERY much interested in figuring out something. Having the nose always wanting to point straight up was very frustrating. It really seemed like it made it harder to drive - especially when trying to turn.

This scooter is really nice (for the money, anyway). But, if it had a longer tube, held 2 more 12Ah battery packs, and trimmed out flat, it would be SO much more enjoyable. At least, for someone of my complete inexperience with scooters. Maybe somebody who is really experienced with scooters wouldn't be bothered as much by the strong nose-up attitude, but it really bugged me.

You might consider calling Edd. Back in Feb one of his guys was screwing with it trying to get it neutral and ended up w 8? 4" long PVC 1.5" diameter tubes zip tied to the shroud before getting super frustrated with it. They may have gotten somewhere in the past couple weeks.

 

[Scuba Cobra]

I saw this method. High density foam that doesn't compress.

If somebody started making a kit of this I'd be more inclined to but a black tip as it would solve half my issues with the scooter.

 

[stuartv]

How much does it need? .8# of lift is only $14. 12.34# for $136 but way more than you need.

Well, I didn't really think about that. I was thinking in terms of making a circular collar that would fit around the back of the body and that small block they sell wouldn't be big enough. But, you make a good point. It might only need a small block or 2 placed in the right spots.

But, I am skeptical of putting anything on the shroud. It just SEEMS like the design of that would be such that you'd be all kinds of messing up the hydrodynamics. But, of course, I'm no fluid engineer to really know.

 

[stuartv]

I guess the first step really IS to figure out exactly how much lift it needs at the back. If I get to the pool this weekend, maybe I'll take it and my luggage scale. Use some line and a weight to hold the nose down and then see how much lift it takes to hold the back up to flat trim.

Maybe some flotation behind and around the handle stalk could be enough without screwing up the hydrodynamics by any noticeable amount.

Or maybe Dive-X will just go ahead and announce a commitment to making a longer tube and then I can forget about a DIY solution and just (try to) be patient.

 

[Scuba Cobra]

Or maybe Dive-X will just go ahead and announce a commitment to making a longer tube and then I can forget about a DIY solution and just (try to) be patient.

I wouldn't hold my breath. I said something back in december when I dove the BT the first time and they literally told me to buy a P1 if it was an issue.

But then again isnt been 3.5 months since then and EVERYBODY is saying they want a longer body to un F up the trim issue, so who knows. Maybe they will listen to their customer base.


Still hoping somebody can come up with a better trigger design for it.

 

[broncobowsher]

So is Dive-X customer service on par with Shearwater?

Or someone could figure the stock the tube is made from and machine up a batch of new (longer) tubes. I haven't seen one in person yet, but what I remember from the pictures the tube itself looks pretty simple. Question for someone who has one, is there anything special about the tube?

 

[Scuba Cobra]

You can maybe machine your own tube. The issue with the BT is the battery tray is built into the tube. I would assume there is a way some of it comes out because it was obviously installed, but I dont think its able to be done by the user.

I just ended up getting a sierra.

 

[RayfromTX]

The weight and length of the BT is beneficial in shore and entry management. I'm able to clip it to my shoulder dring my fins to the other shoulder and carry two side mount tanks in and out of the water in one trip. I can see that would be an even bigger benefit when solo diving.

If you want to add length, the added tube length could be a sealed and weighted add on tube that used the original tube for the battery mounting and just added one seal. It could even be done so it didn't add an additional deal but just replaced the original end cap with an extended end cap.

 

[Scuba Cobra]

I'm not an engineer so I don't really know, but I feel like it would be easier to make a new tube then an additional and longer nose. I would think the batteries would need to be pushed forward in a longer tube to balance it.

 

[stuartv]

I'm not an engineer so I don't really know, but I feel like it would be easier to make a new tube then an additional and longer nose. I would think the batteries would need to be pushed forward in a longer tube to balance it.

Yeah, I would think it would be a tube extension that fits in between the base and the existing tube, along with a short extension cable to plug into the wiring.

Personally, I would rather pay a bit more and just have a longer replacement tube, so I'm not adding more opportunities for a leak. Especially if the longer tube came with 4 battery slots....