My brother has a boat. . .

[ciret]

and he said he would take me and a buddy diving.

My question is, are there any inherent risks in diving off of a personal pleasure boat, I think it's a 42' Chris Craft with a swim platform.

He took divers a few years ago and said he didn't like the tanks rolling around. I think we can make up a simple rack to solve that problem. Anything else we need to consider?

And then regarding dive sites. . . We are in Racine, and don't want to take a 3 or 4 hour trip to a dive site. Also, want to do probalbly no deeper than 60' to start with.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

 

[SwimJim]

I dive from my 18 foot Searay all the time. It can be done quite safely. First off have either of you taken a coast Guard boating safety class? I think that should be a must have for anyone who pilots a boat on the great lakes. To many people out there have no clue on what they are doing and thats dangerous. You'll need a marine radio on the boat that actully works. Channel 9 is the normal hailing channel and channel 16 is the coast guard hailing channel. You need a cell phone, a GPS, a fishfinger/graph, two compasses, flare kit and all the PFD's. Several commercial tank racks are available, so thats no problem. A dive ladder would be a good investment. Get a BIG dive flag and fly it prominently when you are anchored. Don't be surprised when the sailboat captains use your boat for a turning bouy. They are brainless and famous for such things. I have personsonally seen a keel fly by while doing a safety stop. Not a good thing. There are many good wrecks which have moorings. Tie off on them as that is what they are for. With a little digging you can get GPS coords. Do your homework and have at it. Most of all dive safe.

Jim

 

[cdiver2]

and he said he would take me and a buddy diving.

My question is, are there any inherent risks in diving off of a personal pleasure boat, I think it's a 42' Chris Craft with a swim platform.

He took divers a few years ago and said he didn't like the tanks rolling around. I think we can make up a simple rack to solve that problem. Anything else we need to consider?

And then regarding dive sites. . . We are in Racine, and don't want to take a 3 or 4 hour trip to a dive site. Also, want to do probalbly no deeper than 60' to start with.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

your brother has a few lessons in dealing with divers and potential problems, it is not the same as having a couple of people swimming around the boat.

 

[mike_s]

getting "soft lead weights" might help prevent damage to the boats deck in the case of weights being dropped.


As a temporary rack, you can get a wire rack that hold 4 tanks or 6 tanks that you can strap to the boat with a ratchet strap. Something like these racks. Pelican makes them, so your LDS should be able to order them if they don't have them in stock.
http://www.diverssupplyusa.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=16916
http://www.diverssupplyusa.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=16917


I think overall you just have to make sure to choose dive buddies that will take
the care to not damage your brothers boat.

 

[moneysavr]

. . First off have either of you taken a coast Guard boating safety class? I think that should be a must have for anyone who pilots a boat on the great lakes. To many of all dive safe.

Jim

ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRr,Capt Jim,
You need a 1st Mate that has not been drinking ,,,,,,,Too much,

and a spare prop!

All jokes a side,man tanks must be tied down,you dont need one blowing a hole thru your boat or your brain bucket!

2nd,dont just go out and dive some site,go back to your books and read about going with a diver that has done the dive,a class,a DM,or get as much site info prior=Do your home work,a easy dive can turn into a deadly dive for a 1st time diver/or a old salt that just got done wrong!
Boat diving is the best way to see the stuff most folks dont,so get out and do it! but be safe,
Man were the H__ll is Capt.Jim,we got several dives to do this a.m.!
I have a diving problem,I just cant stop!
Brad

 

[SDAnderson]

My question is, are there any inherent risks in diving off of a personal pleasure boat, I think it's a 42' Chris Craft with a swim platform.

There are tons of inherent risks in diving anywhere but your brothers boat is plenty big enough to use as a dive platform. Beyond securing the tanks, there is a fair amount of gear you will need that he might not have, including drag lines, granny lines, mooring lines, dive flags, first aid kits, oxygen kits, etc. Your question indicates that you probably aren't familiar with diving from any boat, you should consider booking a couple of dive trips on some of the local charters so you can get an idea how it's done.

He took divers a few years ago and said he didn't like the tanks rolling around. I think we can make up a simple rack to solve that problem. Anything else we need to consider?

Lots - my answer to your first question is only the beginning of the list.

And then regarding dive sites. . . We are in Racine, and don't want to take a 3 or 4 hour trip to a dive site. Also, want to do probalbly no deeper than 60' to start with.

Some of the best fresh water diving in the world is lies within a one hour cruise from Racine Harbor. Stop by any dive shop in the area and buy a copy of Cris Kohl's guidebooks - he's got lists and stories about most of the wrecks in the area and sorta-kinda coordinates. Some will be bouyed, some won't, so you need to be prepared to tie in.

It's going to take some doing to get prepared for this but don't let that dissuade you.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Sounds like such a nice boat I would hesitate to leave it! -With a minibar I suppose?!

Here's what we use. Solid stuff! :

No minibar though...

(24 ft aluminum, with 110HP diesel inboard, GPS/nav, plotter, sounder etc. All you need, really)

 

[ciret]

Well, I hope Brad found Capt Jim and had got some good diving in.
As for my boat trip plans, I found some easy tank holder plans made using a water noodle and rope. My LDS has dive flags, and my buddy has a float with a flag too. I've got the dive site locations from the Wisconsin Great Lakes Shipwrecks website. I talked to the LDS about sites also. I'm thinking the Kate Kelly will be a good place to start. Not too far away, not too deep, not too much to see and get messed up with. I am thinking this will be a slow and easy get used to the big pond sort of trip. Mainly practicing skills, getting used to the colder water and Great Lakes viz, fresh water, wetsuit, etc.

It looks like the soonest we will be able to get every one together on this is August 13 and/or 14. So, we'll have time to plan and prepare.

Thanks for the input.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

My curiosity, what are watertemps like in Great Lakes? -Wetsuits?!...

 

[alpenadiver]

My curiosity, what are watertemps like in Great Lakes? -Wetsuits?!...

Kompressor the temps here in Lake Huron I've seen range from 35° F to 55° F at 100 feet (2°C to 13°C at 30 meters). Wetsuits are doable up here, but diving dry is a whole lot more comfortable.

Mike