SCUBA Tank Holder

[merminge]

Has anybody made a scuba tank holder to hold the tank(s) in your car to keep them from rolling around?

I have seen a couple of designs commercially available and it looks like something I could make out of plywood or foam.

One design holds two tanks and is made of foam. The foam is 19.75" x 6" x 2.125"

Another design is a triangle with a circle in the middle. I think I could cut that out of plywood.

Has anyone already made these or have any other ideas?

I usually hold the tanks down in my trunk with a cargo net but I got a new car that doesn't have a place for a net.

 

[Tamas]

The simplest and cheapest idea is to use pool noodles and some rope. Cut the noodles to the length of the tanks, and thread rope through the top, mid and bottom.....and you will get something like this:

 

[Vtdiver2]

The simplest and cheapest idea is to use pool noodles and some rope. Cut the noodles to the length of the tanks, and thread rope through the top, mid and bottom.....and you will get something like this:

I made the same thing, got the noodles at a dollar store. Whole thing cost me about $3....and it works great
C-Dawg

 

[TimR]

I've also seen a triangular wood shape, kind of like the rack used in billiards, except that inside is cut in a circle with foam padding. Size the hole so that the foam fits the tank snugly. Could easily be cut out of plywood. Just slip one of these over each end of a single tank and it won't roll in the car. Cut a hand hold in each traingle and you have some easy grips for moving the tank around. I've been meaning to cut some for myself. Just haven't gotten round2it

 

[Wayward Son]

PVC works well, too, and will likely last a lot longer. I'm going to make a set with it it & see.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

A guy up in Washington makes plastic triangles and I wish I had his link for you cause they work great.

 

[mike_s]

The foam tube thing worked great for me. I made mine out of a pool noodle that I picked up at the Dollar Store. So my total cost was simple. $1 buck.

You can use any rope you have around the house, but thicker roap works good because it's less likely to tear the foam when you knot it.

I made mine out of some very long old bungy cord though. that way you get a
little stretch with them. Works good with the stretch if you have different
diameter tanks, but rregular rope should do this also as thaty will all conform
to your tank diameter and the diamter isn't really that big of a differencea to matter
that much.

 

[ericrd]

I used some PVC pipe instead of foam (similar diameter). Better resistance than foam.

eric

 

[Charlie99]

I used some PVC pipe instead of foam (similar diameter). Better resistance than foam.

I found that PVC is too smooth tanks would slide on it. To keep rugs from sliding, there is a soft rubber diamond grid mat that is designed to go throw rugs and the floor. Some of that stuff wrapped around the PVC and glued in place stopped the tanks from sliding.

 

[SDAnderson]

I built a simple plywood box that has has given me storage space for several tanks plus a nice flat "top" that becomes a new "floor" for the back end of my SUV. It won't work for a normal auto trunk, since you need to be able to swing the doors open to gain access to the cubbyholes. It's very simple - a sheet of plywood cut down into two 48" X 30" pieces and a second sheet cut to make 10" tall walls and dividers. I've got one compartment that is big enough for a set of doubles, two compartments big enough for AL80 deco bottles and one compartment that holds a couple of argon bottles and a transfill whip. I use some soft weights to chock small tanks in place and lined the top and the first 12 inches of the bottom with a soft rubber sheet to keep anything from sliding around. The rest of the dive gear goes in boxes stacked up on top of the box. The only problem I ran into was the need to secure the "back" very well, since that is what provide the stability to keep the box rigid. I ended up screwing a blocks cut from 1" x 1" into the corners where the back meets the top, bottom and side walls for some extra strength. The whole project took a couple of hours to put together and four years later is holding up well.