Ideal Dive Vehicle

[Warren_L]

I was chatting with one of the instructors at my LDS just recently as we were going to a dive site. Freefloat and Chris Red were also with us that day .... anyhow, we were about to load up Freefloat's truck with the tanks and he mentioned that there is a 5 tank limit (not sure where this falls under, maybe transport canada??). Apparently, if you are caught your gear and vehicle can be confiscated.

It may be different where you are as I notice you are in Europe.

 

[voop]

warren_l once bubbled...
I was chatting with one of the instructors at my LDS just recently as we were going to a dive site. Freefloat and Chris Red were also with us that day .... anyhow, we were about to load up Freefloat's truck with the tanks and he mentioned that there is a 5 tank limit (not sure where this falls under, maybe transport canada??). Apparently, if you are caught your gear and vehicle can be confiscated.

It may be different where you are as I notice you are in Europe.

True, I am in Europe and rules most likely differ. I have to check (thanks for bringing it to my attention that there might be an issue, though...)

In any case, I do cross the pond more times than what is good in a year for work, and try to go diving where I can, so it's good to know such rules and regulations.

Thanks

 

[100days-a-year]

Suburban,altho an Escalade,Explorer Sport Trak or similar mid or full size SUV.Trucks ride OK,but with any amount of hiway miles the SUVs are like being in your living room.Avoid the Toyota and Nissans,for some reason thier big trucks and SUVs fall apart when subjected to sustained heavy use ,unlike their cars.The Subarus are nice and I haven't had any friends stranded by theirs.I picked my Suburban as it can tow a boat up to 8500# at hiway speeds in comfort,it has the most dependable motor ever made, the GM/Chevy 5.7L or 350 cid.It seats 6 comfortably or 8 cramped ,gets 22mpg at 75,16mpg in town and 12mpg towing a boat at 75 with 30 assorted tanks in it.It has 4WD for bad boat ramps and cave country.Dive gear is stored in Rubbermaid bins and the cargo area is covered with a HD vinyl bedliner to help contain any spills.Insurance is reasonable as they aren't stolen much.With rebates and lo-interest the big US vehicles are very competitive right now,and the job you save may be your own

 

[Mitten Diver]

I built a 4x 7 custom trailer with a rack system that I can strap 4 bottles of air in standing up. We took this trailer north when we dove in Lake Superior this past summer. We put about 800 miles on it round trip and it hauled like a dream. The trailer is an open design with a custom tarp that snaps down over the top of it. I managed to hall 4 tanks, two sets of dive gear, two big coolers full of food and beverages, 3 mountain bikes, an 8 man tent, 3 sleeping bags, 3 cots, 3 duffles full of clothes, lawn chairs, a grill, a dog cage, a lantern, dog food and toys.

This trailer is pulled behind my 95 Pontiac Grand Prix. Great gas milage and I was able to drop[ the trailer at the camp ground when not in use. On dive days we loaded 4 divers gear in the trailer including 8 cylanders and an OMS HID dive light and still had room for a couple of additional sets of gear.

The trip included my wife, son and my 90 pound labrador in the car for the trip there and back. The trailer is great because I can pull up to the waters edge and step in the trailer to don and doff gear. I will be adding some addditional goodies this year including a bike rack and a locking cover of some type so that I could store gear in the trailer when I am not in site of the vehicle like at a lunch stop.

Mitten Diver

 

[GQMedic]

I pack my lil red Eagle Talon full of dive gear, it's great on fuel, it's quick, zips me there and back to my dive sites, I'm even able to pack up student or buddy dive gear. Fun little car!

bradymsu once bubbled...
I'm purchasing a new vehicle and as a scuba instructor and frequent diver, I naturally want to replace my old Eagle Talon with a vehicle that is a lot more diver friendly.

I'm curious as to who has purchased a vehicle with diving in mind and not including any special modification which make and model you consider best suited for divers.

I've heard rumors the DIR types in Florida use full size white vans. My tech instructor swears by his Jeep Liberty. I see a lot of divers with pick-ups with hard caps. I'm leaning toward a Chevy Blazer since it has a tailgate to gear up on, lots of space in the back once the rear seats fold down and relatively good mileage for a larger vehicle since I tend to drive a good distance to dive sites.

The only thing I don't like about the Blazer is that I am still forced to put my wet gear inside my vehicle (unlike a pickup). Any suggestions on dealing with the resulting humidity and wet dive gear smell?

 

[FreeFloat]

warren_l once bubbled...


Remember the 5 tank rule too.... don't want to get caught.

That was before a dive buddy educated me.

I don't think I'd do it again. But we didn't go that far - it was just that more than half of the class didn't drive or own vehicles, and one of the volunteer drivers loaned out his full-size van to a friend to take hunting. So he showed up in a tiny car. Imagine the "how many clowns can you stuff into the circus car" and you get the idea. So I volunteered to haul gear, and he hauled (prospective) divers....

The tanks were all well secured. I'm a sailor too so I know my knots

 

[ScottyK]

Ga Diver once bubbled...
I really like the idea of a Dodge Dakota wtih a shell on the back, does anyone have a bad experience with the Dakota?

Thanks,
Keith

Keith,

I'm about to retire my Dakota, but it made a great dive Vehicle. Right now it's almost 17 years old and has 140K miles. That includes plenty of hard driving. Some of the sites here require trips through the woods, down dirt roads and driving on the beach. It still starts right up and runs great. I'm going to miss it!

Scott

 

[Allen42]

2nd Vote - Chevy Avalanche

Excellent vehicle all-around. Very nice non-truck-like ride (Get the Z66 or Z71 for better ride). Plus, you get a *huge* weather-protected, lockable trunk. Six tanks fit very nicely side-by-side in the bed. I have transported everything for an eight-student class in mine, including float, BCs, tanks, etc.

Huge cabin for 5 or 6, nice ride, convenient, etc.

Just my 2 cents, and yes, I'm biased.

 

[hnladue]

Avoid the Toyota and Nissans,for some reason thier big trucks and SUVs fall apart when subjected to sustained heavy use ,unlike their cars.

Just a note that the Toyota Highlander is on the list of the 10 safest SUV's. It's the same SUV as the Lexus RX300. Just the body(look) is different. I have a 2001 Highlander and have had an accident. Totaled the front bumber and the divers side fender. Only $1200 to fix it. They had to replace the headlights and fogs too.

 

[iflyprops]

haha, I have a good dive vehicle! It's a '88 buick stationwagon. (Hey, I'm in college and it was free!) two weekends ago I had five people plus gear and four tanks in the back end...all the people had seatbelts and I could have easily fit more. It has airshocks so I just load her up and air 'er up. the back end will either open to the side, or like a truck bed. Vuala, the "perfect" dive vehicle...if only it would get a little more than 10mpg....