Did my first dive trip in my new boat - very happy

[grey2112]

I recently upgraded from a 19 foot KeyWest bay boat (which was a TIGHT fit with 3 divers and gear, not to mention a wet ride and limited range and rough water capabilities) to a 25 foot Cobia Walkaround.

From this:



to this:




Made some modifications - added in a 3 step ladder and platform, new electronics, and also made two 5-tank PVC tank racks




These worked out great, and we used one of the areas (we had 9 tanks so one square was free) to hold our spearguns. Nothing moved, rattled, etc.

I also bought a DiveMate SDAS and tried it out

Dive Mate, LLC - Home


- worked pretty good, though at one point I screwed up and didn't keep an eye on my whole setup in swells and it popped out my entire rig and snapped off a regulator hose - luckily one of my buddies had a spare so my trip wasn't ruined.


We did three tanks - viz was so-so but I still ended up with a Spanish mack, three hogfish, and 25" gag grouper - the ride was much nicer than the Keywest, and we had a LOT of room to move around, set up gear, etc.

Can't wait to get out and do it all again!

 

[Insta-Gator]

Congratulations. Looks like there's lots of fun ahead for y'all.

 

[Rich52]

I envy you..I have a 12 foot jon boat with a 7.5 outboard..wanna trade ??

 

[grey2112]

I envy you..I have a 12 foot jon boat with a 7.5 outboard..wanna trade ??

LOL - nope, any other boat I get will invariably end up being bigger - I'm doing it in 6 foot increments - so next one will be 31 feet

 

[Splash-X]

Nice setup. If you ever need a diver to fill a spot let me know!

Did you take in to account larger tank sizes like steel tanks when you built the rack? Seeing that your aluminum's are pretty snug in there I suspect not, but if you and your dive buddies only ever dive aluminum 80's no need to worry.

 

[keller34]

Very nice Grey. Is that your real name? Just wondering because that is my middle name.

 

[grey2112]

One of the racks should take 100s with no problem, but most of the time we're using 80s. But if you can see the duct-taped tubing on the upper holding arms of the racks, I can cut those off quickly if there is a girth issue on the larger tanks.

I don't know what the conditions will be like this weekend - it looks like possibly choppy, windy conditions with 2-3 footers, which isn't ideal for most people. I can handle it because I'm a stubbron SOB - we'll see - PM me with your name and phone number and if it looks like I might get something going for Sunday I'll let you know with as much warning as possible

Nice setup. If you ever need a diver to fill a spot let me know!

Did you take in to account larger tank sizes like steel tanks when you built the rack? Seeing that your aluminum's are pretty snug in there I suspect not, but if you and your dive buddies only ever dive aluminum 80's no need to worry.

---------- Post added August 7th, 2013 at 04:05 PM ----------

Very nice Grey. Is that your real name? Just wondering because that is my middle name.

Nope, old nickname - but I do go by my middle name, which is Eric

 

[SavageRon]

Definitely a worthwhile upgrade there, and was great to get out there on it with you. Especially while conditions were as stellar as they were.

Already looking forward to the next time.