Outriggers?

[DiveGolfSki]

Back in the late 60's I did some diving in the Phillipines from a wooden outrigger canoe called a banca. It had a small lawnmower type inboard engine with the shaft going through a grease filled stuffing box. It ran fast and was almost impossible to flip. Extremely stable and we climbed back into the banca by using the outriggers. We rented the boat and the owner for two dollars a day. The owner of the boat dove with goggles made out of bamboo with lenses glued to them and held together with innertube strips. San Miguel beers were also available for a dime apiece. All things considered, a perfect dive boat.

That's what I'm talking about ......

James, those pix I posted are what those "bancas" look like now :11: ! Many can accommodate a lot of divers and are basically outrigger dive boats.

However, San Miguel beers haven't changed ...

Cheers..

 

[Scuby Dooby]

I do most of my diving in the philippines and 99% of it is from bancas. I've seen the ones that both DiveGolfSki and james croft are referring to but find that the majority nowadays tend to be somewhere between the massive glass enclosed example and the tiny 2 man with a lawn mower versions! I mostly see boats that allow 6 divers, with gear, and 2 bangkeros. They have standard small truck diesel engines that have had a 'marine' conversion for the harsh saltwater environment they run in.

I'm really not very knowledgable about boats but I think there is also another major difference between a Philippine banca and a kayak. The bancas have a much deeper V shape on the hull and the kayaks seem to be much flatter. Anyone who has ridden in a banca will note that in choppy seas they bounce up and down fairly extremely but seem to be very good at plowing straight through the surf. It seems to me that a kayak with it's flat bottom would take a cruel beating with outriggers because it wouldn't be able to roll the way it is designed (at least it seems to me!). If you slap outriggers on a kayak you certainly don't have a banca, seems you might have something that takes the worst of both worlds!

 

[DiveGolfSki]

I do most of my diving in the philippines and 99% of it is from bancas. I've seen the ones that both DiveGolfSki and james croft are referring to but find that the majority nowadays tend to be somewhere between the massive glass enclosed example and the tiny 2 man with a lawn mower versions! I mostly see boats that allow 6 divers, with gear, and 2 bangkeros. They have standard small truck diesel engines that have had a 'marine' conversion for the harsh saltwater environment they run in.....

Scuby, the other important element in the banca is a cooler capable of storing 2 cases of ice cold San Migs ... helps to keep the center of balance too!

 

[chip104]

my friends, I'm sorry to report that inflation has caused the san mig prices to soar from a dime to about a quarter for the best price and a regular price of about $1 US.

I wasn't drinking back in the 60s - or born - but I'm sure it was just as good tasting back then as it is now.

 

[jackbro]

these kayaks are made by vikingkayaks.com.au

 

[jackbro]

sorry i meant i have used it at the beach in the surf and at one of local lakes

 

[jackbro]

here are pics of a kayak with a electric motor