future diver with some gear questions

[tenacious]

thank you vincent, i'm sure i will.
i figure i already have a mini dive boat with my fishing jetski. I had and sold a 24' walk around because i primarily fish alone. that's when i bought a bone stock yamaha suv and went to work on it. i installed a second battery, gps/fishfinder/chartplotter, a vhf, rod holders, and a cooler rack. the ski is the largest ever made and its close to 14' long with the cooler on the back. it is a 4 person ski, driver and 3 passengers. i have 150 gallons of storage in the compartments on the ski not counting the cooler. i think i could squeeze all the scuba gear in the rear sponsons (they are 6 feet long). if it doesn't fit in there, i could remove the cooler from the rack and fabricate a cage or metal basket to mount to the rack. i believe it would accomidate 2 divers (myself an 1 more) and the gear comfortably. it is ridiculously fuel efficient compared to my boat, and a ton more fun. it is way larger and more stable than 99% of waverunners out there. unlike most waverunners, i can walk circles around the ski and not tip it over. i actually tried to roll it and cant, so boarding shouldnt be an issue. its big enough to make my f250 look like a ford ranger, haha.

 

[charlier]

Hi all, I have a few comments that are a bit different. I would slow down on equipment purchases. Find a good and thoughtful instructor that has exoerience and would be able to provide high quality rental gear, use this equipment for your OW class. Instruction is key. I'd keep it simple and not purchase equipment that you might replace in 6 months. There is no substitute for experience - time in the water with safe and experienced mentors. Have fun and dive smart!

 

[Craig66]

If money is important, I'd stay away from new gear.

As long as you buy a brand that has great performance characteristics and a long history of parts availability, any brand you can get serviced locally is good.

You can buy a new Atomic or SCUBAPro regulator for $500-$1000, while you can get the same reg, a year or two old, used for at least half off.

I'd stay away from anything you can't get serviced locally, at a first-class repair facility, unless you want to get really friendly with the FedEx guy, or plan on doing your own service.

SCUBA equipment only requires scheduled service every year or two, and a lot of regulators can actually go longer, depending on usage, however it's much more common that you would simply like an adjustment. For example, maybe it breathes a little hard and you would like it a little easier, or it's bubbling a little and you want it fixed, or your tank falls over and something gets smashed or you just want it checked. Local service makes this easy. "Pack it up and send it away" makes it annoying.

flots

I would definitely tend to disagree about buying second hand. An experienced diver is likely to be able to assess quality and condition of a second hand regulator. I am not sure that a new diver can. Furthermore I am amazed at how well the better brands hold their value. A scubapro on ebay or the boards can often go for 60-70% of retail after several years of use. Finally a second hand reg even if a good quality and in good condition will still need an immediate service before it can be used and so adds $50-80 to the immediate price. A new on the other hand wont need one for a year.

 

[TMHeimer]

I would definitely tend to disagree about buying second hand. An experienced diver is likely to be able to assess quality and condition of a second hand regulator. I am not sure that a new diver can. Furthermore I am amazed at how well the better brands hold their value. A scubapro on ebay or the boards can often go for 60-70% of retail after several years of use. Finally a second hand reg even if a good quality and in good condition will still need an immediate service before it can be used and so adds $50-80 to the immediate price. A new on the other hand wont need one for a year.

I bought my used reg at the shop 8 years ago. Being a newbie I never asked, but assumed that it wouldn't need an immediate workover when they sold it to me..... So I bring it in to them yearly.

 

[Craig66]

I bought my used reg at the shop 8 years ago. Being a newbie I never asked, but assumed that it wouldn't need an immediate workover when they sold it to me..... So I bring it in to them yearly.

Buying used gear at your LDS is definitely going to be a better option than buying over the internet on craigslist or ebay or even scubaboard. One has to hope that if a shop is selling it they are at least going to weed out the junk and make sure it is serviced and good to go. That will also add to the price but at least you have piece of mind.

 

[flots am]

For a used reg that might be diseased, how difficult is it to disinfect it? I really don't know. I guess there could be something nasty in the hoses-- could they be sufficiently cleaned?

The only way to get something nasty in the hoses is if the tank was contaminated. In that case, a new reg would be immediately contaminated too.

 

[vincent54]

thank you vincent, i'm sure i will.
i figure i already have a mini dive boat with my fishing jetski. I had and sold a 24' walk around because i primarily fish alone. that's when i bought a bone stock yamaha suv and went to work on it. i installed a second battery, gps/fishfinder/chartplotter, a vhf, rod holders, and a cooler rack. the ski is the largest ever made and its close to 14' long with the cooler on the back. it is a 4 person ski, driver and 3 passengers. i have 150 gallons of storage in the compartments on the ski not counting the cooler. i think i could squeeze all the scuba gear in the rear sponsons (they are 6 feet long). if it doesn't fit in there, i could remove the cooler from the rack and fabricate a cage or metal basket to mount to the rack. i believe it would accomidate 2 divers (myself an 1 more) and the gear comfortably. it is ridiculously fuel efficient compared to my boat, and a ton more fun. it is way larger and more stable than 99% of waverunners out there. unlike most waverunners, i can walk circles around the ski and not tip it over. i actually tried to roll it and cant, so boarding shouldnt be an issue. its big enough to make my f250 look like a ford ranger, haha.

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I like the idea. Check out MAUI H2O JETSKI WATERSPORTS » C4 Waterman Jet Ski Sleds for sale. they use an attached sled to haul gear and sometimes bodies. I had to be rescued by a jet ski in maui with one attached and it was amazing they can get in and out of big surf with tipping or rolling over. Obviously I was not the waterman I thought I was, but the jet ski was an amazing craft. Thank god it was there. Have fun.

 

[Rich Keller]

If money is important, I'd stay away from new gear. As long as you buy a brand that has great performance characteristics and a long history of parts availability, any brand you can get serviced locally is good.

I am not a big fan of the management at Scubapro but the quality of their earlier models is very good. They also still make parts for just about every reg they ever made and local service is easy to find.

I'd stay away from anything you can't get serviced locally, at a first-class repair facility, unless you want to get really friendly with the FedEx guy, or plan on doing your own service.

Another way to go if you are buying new would be HOG. The quality is good, the prices are right, you will not need to upgrade from this reg if you get into more advanced types of diving and they will teach you how to do your own service.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

A friend of mine purchased a used to death computer on ebay. When it came, one of the buttons would not press. You would really have to press it hard to work and even then it may sometimes need to be pressed a number of times to work. When he took it to the LDS, the LDS set they cant repair but they can give him a discount on the newer model. He had to exchange that and I believe he spent more than if he had gotten it new. When it comes to regs and computers, I believe in buying them right the first time.

 

[Bob DBF]

Nice rig, sure would fit my solo needs.

In case you didn't notice, the drivers side tail light on the trailer is out.



Bob
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I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.