brand new to idea of scooters

[jomcclain]

I know almost nothing about scooters but am considering getting one now for my husband. He is less able to kick well if he has to cross a current, which will close off a lot of potential dive sites for us unless we can find a solution, such as a scooter. He wouldn't need anything fancy, but I wouldn't want to get something that wouldn't do the job either. Can someone make recommendations and/or tell me what characteristics to look for? Also, are scooters allowed on most dive boats? I've never seen anyone with one, so that makes me wonder.

 

[pauldw]

Budget?

 

[jomcclain]

Budget?

Under $1000 with a spare battery.

 

[Pkishino]

you will be hard pressed to find anything decent for under 1k$, especially with a functioning battery etc..
you could look at getting a pair of blacktip travels, one each, get 4 battery packs for them and enjoy a lot more diving..decent entry scooter but new will set you back around 1.7k$ each+ a few hundred for batteries..

 

[happy-diver]

Used scooters such as this are most beautiful

Most.

 

[Johnoly]

Also, are scooters allowed on most dive boats? I've never seen anyone with one, so that makes me wonder.

In SE florida, I'd say 95% of charter boats do NOT allow scooters for Rec Divers. Those that 'will' ,, require pre-approval to bring it on board. 1 I know of requires you take their class.
You've seen bad car drivers?,,That's nothing compared to bad ocean drifting scooter drivers. Call your boat in advance to check with their DPV policy.

 

[Gone for diving]

Blacktip seems to be the best, for most average people,
Batteries are standard and easily replaced, price is reasonable, etc.

Even buying something old probably not a very good deal unless you are very handly
And depending you probably will spend more if you need a battery,,

FYI scooters are fun, don't get me wrong!
but they are another thing to lug around. Maintain,
And task loading during diving especially if you don't have your diving skills in good shape,
Try to rent one and see how practical it really is for you,

 

[tbone1004]

Under $1000 with a spare battery.

not going to happen. Anything that cheap is going to be something like an old Gavin which while a perfectly good DPV is far too heavy to ask to use on a boat. 5 years ago you could probably get away with asking for someone to help you with an 80lb scooter but with the Blacktips being less than 30lbs it's a bit of a hard sell.

Blacktip for $2k+batteries is going to be about as cheap as you can get for a "real" DPV.
Scubajet Neo will be about $2000 with a pro battery instead of a "spare" battery *you don't want to change them if you don't have to and it's the same amount of total power which is what matters anyway. The Scubajet is a bit more of a gimmick type DPV though is quite useful for blowing sand for teeth and for OW is probably perfectly suitable. I think @Dr. Doug Ebersole has both a Scubajet and a Blacktip so he may be able to comment about them, but either way you're at the $2k-$2500 range, not sub $1k.

 

[Marie13]

If I remember correctly, the OP’s husband has health issues that make him unable to swim against current. Someone in the minimal current dive sites thread suggested a scooter.

My question is what happens if the scooter dies in the middle of a dive? Is the OP’s husband going to be able to swim back to the boat hauling the scooter or is the OP going to have to do that?

 

[jomcclain]

If I remember correctly, the OP’s husband has health issues that make him unable to swim against current. Someone in the minimal current dive sites thread suggested a scooter.

My question is what happens if the scooter does in the middle of a dive? Is the OP’s husband going to be able to swim back to the boat hauling the scooter or is the OP going to have to do that?

I think that would be fine. He wouldn't be using it all the time, just if he had to go against or across a current momentarily. He's not unable to kick, his kick is just not as strong as it used to be.