Does anyone here use scooters?

[lord1234]

so if they have ok depth ratings then who gives a care about it...what if I just want to use it in the near shore areas where I get no lower than 80fsw, just to get there with less effort.

Would a 100 dollar scooter work for me then?

--Lord1234

 

[BCS]

so if they have ok depth ratings then who gives a care about it...what if I just want to use it in the near shore areas where I get no lower than 80fsw, just to get there with less effort.

Would a 100 dollar scooter work for me then?

--Lord1234

sure....'cept you're gonna travel pretty slow...compared to movin' in the 250 to 300 fpm like the X-Scooter, those less costly scooters are nearly standing still....there's a bit more to the price than just depth rating.
...all depends on what you're looking for....if ya want some speed, that too will cost a few extra $.

b.

 

[MASS-Diver]

so if they have ok depth ratings then who gives a care about it...what if I just want to use it in the near shore areas where I get no lower than 80fsw, just to get there with less effort.

Would a 100 dollar scooter work for me then?

--Lord1234

As BCS - this is one of these things that you get what you pay for. I've wasted enough $ on crappy gear as is - when the time comes for me to get a scooter I want a nice one. Plus while a scooter failure on an aggressive rec dive may not be as dangerous as on a technical dive, even something like a couple mile swim with a dead scooter in tow could make for a bad day.

Those X-scooters just seem so nice. The drawbacks (questions about the reliability of the batteries and the scooter as a whole vs the track record of the gavin) - really don't matter for a non-technical diver, what is of more importance is how light those things are. Seems like a no-brainer.

 

[Spectre]

I know NOTHING about cave diving, but there was a story on here (http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=60235&highlight=scooter+cave+accident) about two divers using scooters in a cave... It had some unfortunate results... Guess you have to make sure that you have enough gas to fin back out if your scooty dies.

Be very -very- careful with statements such as this. I knew which accident you were referring to even before I checked the link. There is a -lot- more involved in that accident then just the scooters.

 

[Spectre]

so whats the difference between the 100 dollar scooters and the 1000 dollar ones?

I shared this with you on IRC, but I'll share with the rest.

Sit back and ponder the answer to "What's the difference between a golf cart and a Ford Mustang" and you'll figure it out.

Ilya, let me reiterate what others have said about reliability. I would -not- take a scooter farther than you can get back from if something happens to it. I'm not going to stipulate that with 'swim out', since there are plenty of procedures in place to handle failed scooters.

I would -not- suggest a poorly balanced scooter. as soon as you've tried to handle one, you'll understand that neutrally bouyant is necessary. You'll want to think of a new plan.

You can talk to Paul Blanchette or Daryl Findlay, I know they both frequently use their farallons in new england waters.

I personally keep my scooter in florida... both for reasons of the team based diving I do, as well as the reasons Aaron has already stated in regards to reaction time...