SCUBA Tank Holder

[merminge]

Closed Cell Foam Kickboard Idea

Thanks for all the great ideas. I stopped at three different dollar stores looking for the pool noodles. They must be summer stock items because nobody had them.

I was taking a load of stuff to the donation place and noticed a closed cell foam kickboard that I thought might work.

The kickboard is 1" x 12" x 18".

I put my tank on top of the kickboard, drew a pattern, and cut a hole in the middle with a carpet knife.

It works great. I slip it over the top of the tank. It holds the tank real well and keeps it from rolling around in the trunk.

It worked so well, I dug around in the garage and found another kick board to cut up. I cut the hole a little bit smaller on the second tank holder so that I would get a tighter fit.

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[DiverBuoy]

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 use a modified version of this one with large diameter PVC pipe and silicon rings near each end of pipe to hold it in place, the noodles tend to tear up right where the knots are, especially when lot's of other stuff gets loaded on top of the tanks (pressing down) and on long long journeys with bouncing and some unavoidable sliding/banging.

 

[ReneeC]

I made the swim noodle version as well but pushed short pvc tubes through the noodle holes and then ran the rope through and tied off with big knots. I've been using this set for over five years already and they work great!

 

[CWMurf]

I just made one to use this weekend. I bought 2" pvc for abt $6. Cut it into 1' pieces. Drilled 7/16" holes through the center. Strung it with poly rope from the bulk section at home depot. $0.14 per foot. I had to take a lighter and melt each knot a little to keep them tight.

Sunday we threw it under the sofa/bed in the back of my van. We let the bottom end of the tanks sit on the floor against the seat frame and set the top end on the holder. Worked like a charm with two each al80 and steel 95.


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[skdvr]

I have a slight modification to the pool noodle version. After finishing with getting the rope all tied off I filled the inside of the noodle the expanding foam from Home Depot and it made the noodle a little stiffer and has kept the rope from pulling through.

Phil

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

I made the pool noodle variety but put fender washers between each noodle and knot.

It's a little slick, though, and tanks do slide up and down a little.

I'm thinking of building another one with PVC covered with pipe insulation. I think it will slide less.

 

[TomP]

I've been noodling on using a noodle for a dry suit hanger. maybe i'll kill two stones with one bird...

 

[skdvr]

Noodles work good to go over a hanger for wetsuits, I do not have a dry suit so I cannot say for sure but I would think that it would fine for a drysuit as well. Just make sure that the hanger its self is sturdy enough to hold the drysuit without breaking...

 

[Sharky1948]

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.

Toss a couple of o-rings on each of the PVC tubes and you have solved the slippage problem.

 

[TomP]

Noodles work good to go over a hanger for wetsuits, I do not have a dry suit so I cannot say for sure but I would think that it would fine for a drysuit as well. Just make sure that the hanger its self is sturdy enough to hold the drysuit without breaking...

I don't have a 'real' hanger so for a from-scratch solution I was thinking I’d cut the noodle to length and then run thin pvc pipe though it. One of the reason I haven't pursued this yet is that I have a 'good enough' hanger that i made from a left over piece of sprinkler pipe.