Enjoying My Blacktip Traveller!

[DeepSeaDan]

Bought a Traveller, powered it with 12ah, 20 amp de-walt batteries. Lots of run-time! I also wanted it for blasting away sediment while searching for old glass & crockery. In this regard, the scooter is great for removing light sediment and sand, but has limited effect on firmer sediments like clay. Sand tends to affect the on/off switch, but I can clear it fairly easily. Fishing line is a pain & I've had to pop the prop off several times to clear it from the hub. What I really enjoy is long runs in rivers, exploring as yet unseen territory. Initially I had issues with the scooter simply stopping for no apparent reason, restarting after several seconds. A firmware update fixed that. Can't wait to get it down to Roatan for some extended reef exploration!

 

[RayfromTX]

They are great but be careful not to extend your dives to anyplace you can't get back from on the air you have left if the scooter decides to refuse to work. Mine has twice for different reasons. One was a switch magnet that came loose. The second time was a minor flood from a small string I didn't see when I closed it that offered a path for water. After 80 minutes it quit. On opening it I found a half cup of water which I blew out and let dry. No further issues so far.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

They are great but be careful not to extend your dives to anyplace you can't get back from on the air you have left if the scooter decides to refuse to work. Mine has twice for different reasons. One was a switch magnet that came loose. The second time was a minor flood from a small string I didn't see when I closed it that offered a path for water. After 80 minutes it quit. On opening it I found a half cup of water which I blew our and let dry. No further issues so far.

Fortunately for me, my local diving is mostly rivers & smaller lakes. I've been experimenting with distance vs. battery useage; the only time I've run the batteries down significantly was a dive upriver against a moderate current, but still had enough power to get back to the entry point, with the assistance of the current. No leaks yet or mechanical issues.

Thanks for your input - happy dives!

DSD

 

[Wibble]

Loving mine. Took it on a Scottish 'recreational' trip last week to play in the kelp and around the gulleys, etc. Brilliant.

Mine's the tec version which balances nicely in the water. Have added a large boltsnap on the nose and when it's clipped off to my chest D-ring it's almost un-noticable (until you try to squeeze into a width restriction).

The deWalt 9ah batteries have never even dropped below 3 lights.

For a first DPV which I bought for some specific wreck diving it's great. Using it is mainly common sense: if changing depth, adjust your buoyancy and PPO2 (rebreather) as you go so when you stop, you stop.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

Was looking at the Tech model. I have seen a few with Line-x or similar product. Do you see any issues with me getting this done on the tube?

 

[_Ralph]

Was looking at the Tech model. I have seen a few with Line-x or similar product. Do you see any issues with me getting this done on the tube?

Why?

The few line-x DPV are not blacktips, but rather aluminum Sierras and Cudas.


The blacktip is made of PVC. Quite a few people have been putting 3m car wraps on them for cosmetics (the wraps won’t add any strength or scratch resistance).

_R

 

[Ulfhedinn]

Learned something new. I thought they were all PVC? Makes sense now.

 

[Bryan83taco]

Awesome. I just ordered mine yesterday through the Oahu dealer. I pick it up in 2 weeks, Can't wait!

 

[NothingClever]

Here’s my Florida Man wrap of 2” electrical tape and white paint marker.

TRT = total run time
PRT = planned run time (70% of TRT)
RNG = range in Km at TRT. I probably should re-do my wrap to include range in Km at PRT, too.

I use my bezel on my analog dive watch to keep track of trigger time.

Along the lines of wise counsel above from @RayfromTX , the “Got Legs?” is a reminder not to get along further than my legs, hydration, available gas and subsurface conditions can carry me.