Rigging a small boat for diving

[Genesis]

not "diver"

If you are going to leave the boat unattended, make darn sure that either (1) the EPIRB is accessible AND WILL SINK with the boat, so you can follow the HORIZONTAL anchor line and retrieve it, then bring it to the surface, or (2) the EPIRB is rigged to float free (auto activation) AND is secured with enough line so that if the boat sinks it will float BUT NOT FLOAT OFF!

The important thing is that YOU must be able to get to the EPIRB! If you can't then the EPIRB will tell the USCG that you sank, but not where YOU are, and finding the beacon is useless unless they also find YOU!

Second, the person who said to NEVER stern-anchor is absolutely correct. NEVER NEVER NEVER do that in open water. Even a large sportfish can be sunk surprisingly quickly that way. Anchors must come off the BOW ONLY, because a stern anchor can easily result in you being pooped and/or drug underwater and swamped. It happens all the time around here with fishermen who do it to get a better position on some bottom spot and end up with the boat going out from under them. It can literally happen in SECONDS.

Finally, if you have a dink or other "chase" boat with you, and you are leaving the boat unattended, insure that it is rigged in such a way that its painter will part if the mother ship sinks. This is extremely important, as that's your lifeboat, and if its dragged to the bottom with the mother ship you've just lost it too.

I would never recommend to anyone that they leave the boat unattended. With that said, I've done it under certain conditions, but I fully understand that if I do, and it sinks while I'm down there or I get hopelessly separated from the vessel, I've got a hell of a problem on my hands.

 

[madmole]

Just amazed at the differences between coutries and proceedures. Here in the UK a club dive boat is NORMALLY 5.8 - 6 m long (15-18ft) but will take 8 divers easily and still reach 30 knots

Heres a picture of ours in the Thames Manta Club RIB

Golden rule in our rougher UK Atlantic/North sea weather is NEVER leave boat unnatended, we wouldn't ever consider it, Heck, we dont even anchor at sea unless its a millpond, We drop divers on shot and patrol above (ALL divers carry DSMB's)

Leaving a boat unnatended while diving here will get you a visit from the coastguard and a bo*l**king

 

[Cave Diver]

Genesis once bubbled...
not "diver"

Oooopssssss, so it was. Teach me to respond when I'm too tired to read properly.

My mistake.

 

[100days-a-year]

Madmole,not countries.....construction.A R.I.B. is constructed of much lighter materials.Thus when loaded with more divers and equipment to total weight displaced will be similar.If you tried to put that much stuff in a fiberglass boat it would probly sink at the dock.The formulas used to rate boat capacities here were derived from simple weight/size relationships and are enforced due to prior loss of life due to overloading.

 

[sailnj]

I totally agree - an RIB is a completely different animal than what the originator of this thread was talking about. RIB generally have almost double the reserve buoancy of even a fiberglass boat with foam core. The fiberglass boat might not sink but it probably would capsize or at the least have an inoperative motor. An RIB can usually be completely swamped and still function mostly normal but at a slower speed.

 

[madmole]

Cant think of a single dive club here that doesn't use a RIB until you get to the 25ft Hard boat kind of size. Sea is just too rough most of the time for a dory or V hull and they dont present as stable a dive platform

Yep, the RIB will completely flood and still do 10 knots!!! (been there, got the T shirt), will self empty in seconds when mobile as well. You can even put self righting equipment on the A frame!

Ours is good for 35 knots 7 up!!!!! :wacko:

 

[Braunbehrens]

I've got a 17 ft whaler, and I often leave the boat unattended while diving. However, I only do this in situations where I feel that swimming back to shore would be an option. A pain in the neck, and a long swim, but an option.

As far as setting up the boat goes, you probably want to remove most of the railing, since you will need to get off the boat easily. I've replaced mine with SS railing that is just 2 inches or so off the gunwhale. This allows me to slide tanks over it and is something to hold on to when getting in and out of the boat. I don't use a ladder, fin power is plenty to get back on board.

If you leave the boat unattended and come back to it, never ever take your fins off in the water and throw them on the boat. Climb the boat with fins on. You could get swept away and would be unable to reach the boat.

The boat I have is a Montauk, with a center console. I have a pretty interesting setup, but it's too hard to describe. I'll take some pictures sometime and post them.

One of the things I would do if I had the time would be to move the console completely to one side and all the way forward or all the way aft. For a dive boat you basically want a large unobstructed area to gear up in.

Another cool addition would be a little cutout for getting doubles back in the boat.

Of course we take the rig off in the water and then pull it in, as others have suggested.

VHF and Cell Phone are a must when diving. Test both and make sure you have emergency numbers. You should also have a plan for what to do if someone is unconscious in the water. Let's say your buddy weighs 220 pounds, how are you going to get him in the boat in case of an accident?

There is a method where you put straps under the person and attach one end to the gunwhale, then roll them up the side of the boat by pulling on the other end.

Last but not least, try to get an oxygen tank on board the boat. If (or when) someone gets bent it's a useful thing to have available.

Oh yeah, I've fit 4 techdivers on my boat, that's 4 divers, and many many tanks. I wouldn't do this in a situation where you are too far off shore to swim in. I figure the first thing we'll do is throw out all the doubles and hang a line on them, if the boat is too heavy for the conditions.

I'm probably forgetting some stuff...

-Paul B.

 

[budgy]

I prefer a Fastworker type hard boat around 26ft with a diesel engine to a RIB. They cost about the same; the hard boat belongs in a marina and is not an easy prospect for towing and launch and recovery, but club ribs often stay at home because its inconvenient. I prefer the comfort and all weather protection of a cuddy and the price of red diesel.
If you hang 2 lines with clips over the side you can clip off your weight belt and bcd/cylinder and fin in over the side no ladder required.

 

[jtsmith]

Time for my .02

For tanks....go with Roll Control....they work great and you can add other rod holders and cleats to them too. PM me for a cheap source for them

For the ladder....I have a Mako 191 and I have no where to stick a detachable ladder....as much as I would like to have one. So instead I recommend buying a really sturdy 4 mount swim platform....teak or poly...mines poly. Make sure and through bolt it in the transom and seal it really good using 3m 5200. Use hardware bigger than what's provided...especially up top where the most pull will be. Next, scrap the single step and buy a Windline telescoping ladder. They are about $70 - $90 bucks and are rated for 400lbs with a lifetime warranty. Make sure and use good heavy duty bolts to secure it to the platform. This setup works great and I have had some really big divers hop on the boat in full gear and had no problems.

As far as diving the boat unattended...I do this more than I should....my advice. NEVER, I MEAN NEVER put out a stern anchor. Add as much chain to the anchor as you possiible can....anchor chain is a key factor on helping it grip. Make sure your anchor is set really well and is close to the wreck. If you are diving in questionable vis, high current, or you think you may get lost...BRING A REEL!

I also plan on bringing a coil of 250ft of light duty rope to toss out the back and hook it to my throwable or a life jacket.....it sure would have been nice on a few of those long swims

 

[Braunbehrens]

jtsmith once bubbled...
Time for my .02

For tanks....go with Roll Control....they work great and you can add other rod holders and cleats to them too.

I also plan on bringing a coil of 250ft of light duty rope to toss out the back and hook it to my throwable or a life jacket.....it sure would have been nice on a few of those long swims

Roll control works reasonably well, especially for single tanks and if you back it up with a bungee. For doubles you can still use the roll control, but it takes a little more ingenuity. If anyone is interested in how to do this let me know and I'll explain.

For a current line, I have yellow poly line with an orange buoy at the end. You want line that floats and doesn't stretch and is very visible. The orange buoy is clipped on with a rabiner to a loop at the end of the line. This allows you to use the line for a variety of purposes, such as throwing a life ring or life jacket to someone. Also, it allows you to use the buoy as a fender, or to clip it off to the anchor rode if you need to ditch it for some reason (stuck anchor, emergency, etc.).

I have the line in a bucket, which has a hole in the bottom. The line goes through the hole and then is clipped off with another carabiner to the lifting eye on the stern of the boat. The Buoy is clipped to the line and sits in the bucket on top of the line. I also have another carabiner on that line about halfway out. That way, I can let out less line if the conditions warrant, such as nearby boats, or simply a no current situation, and I don't feel like hauling in 400 ft of line (I actually don't remember how much line I have on there, but it's a whole 5 gallon bucket full.

Of course I've never had to use the current line....which is why I diligently use it. I figure the day I don't put it out, is when the current will come up. Murphy's law and all that.

-Paul B.