Home made SNUBA for lobstering

[TwoTanks]

I'd be worried about the compressor sucking up CO and various other nasties from the engine exhaust.

Terry

Terry, you must have a much fancier kayak than I'm used to. Call me old fashioned, but I assumed it would be paddled to the site. I've seen hundreds of them in use, but never with an engine.

Matt,

with posts like that, your going to give Bostonians a bad name. Terry was talking about the exhaust from the snuba compressor.

I'll let it slide this time, but please no posts about how confusing the voting machines are.

eowens:
If you are planning to build your own SNUBA system make sure you have a check valve on the hose. Otherwise an engine failure can be fatal.

TT

 

[dilligaf368]

One thing We used to do in Commercial diving is use a SCUBA tank with a long (200') hose attached to the first stage going to a harness then to the diver. We used a KMB-10 Bandmask for communications when space was limited.
You could use the hose hooked to a second stage regulator instead of a bandmask and be free of the scuba tank. You can also use a 350cuft commercial AIR tank. It's labled "Medical Air". That means that the air is free of Hydrocarbons. "Divers-air" is the same thing as "Medical Air" but more expencive.
There used to be a compressor mounted on an Innertube back in the late '70's that had a hose to the diver. I don't suppose it's avalible anymore. I always thought that there would be no way to keep the exhuste from the compressor from the Breathing air.
This is just food for thought. One way to keep the bottle off Your back while diving. The Hose we used was a floating diving hose. This kept the hose from hanging up on the bottom. This would be usefull going after lobster! bill

 

[ScubaTexan]

I think they just crossed the words snorkeling and scuba, rather than the letters standing for anything.

That's exactly what they did and what it means.

 

[willydiver]

That's exactly what they did and what it means.

Ahhhhh.... thanks. I know of people that use the Brownies Third Lung (floating surface supplied air source) for cleaning boat hulls in the water. I was never fond of the long dangly hose you're attached to. I believe the Brownies have a scrubbing filter on the intake to clean out CO and other nasties.

WD

 

[Web Monkey]

Terry, you must have a much fancier kayak than I'm used to. Call me old fashioned, but I assumed it would be paddled to the site. I've seen hundreds of them in use, but never with an engine.

I was referring to the engine for the compressor.

Terry

 

[willydiver]

Web Monkey, your profile pic has me craving wasabi!

WD

 

[spyder]

A buddy has one from the 60-70's that was called an Aqua-Bouy. Basically it was a LawnBoy motor driving the compressor with an innner tube around it. It has two fittings that fit garden hoses. The other end of the garden hose was cut off and inserted into the old masks that had an integrated snorkel. His Dad modified the masks so they had fittings to keep from butchering "a perfectly good garden hose". I used it a couple of times, kind of foul tasting from the hose and definately a surprise when the compressor ran out of gas!

 

[MrConclusion]

There are new surface-supplied air systems available. the term you want to search for is "hookah system(s)" because "snuba" is a trademarked term for a system that's used in a lot of resort areas, I don't think the equipment is sold to consumers.

For example. scuba.com has gas and electric compressor-driven floating systems, as well as systems which use surface-floating scuba tanks (like snuba does.)

check out http://www.scuba.com/shop/product.asp_category_152_categoryname_Hooka+Systems
It looks like a

 

[Creed]

Just replace the compressor with a tank and a long hose. Assuming that the tank is secured to the kayak(or innertube, etc), even rolling into the water won't kill your air supply(provided that it doesn't yank the 2nd stage out of your mouth).
Buy a 50 ft hose from scubatools(http://www.scubatools.com/AirProd.html). With fittings, it will cost you $50 for the hose. Get any old Conshelf 1st, and dial the IP up to make up for supplying the long hose, and you should be good to go. Much cheaper and safer than lugging a compressor around. Quieter, too.
And if it's not enough air, buy a set of doubles.