Scuba Vehicles - Toyota Prius V as a dive car?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

fmerkel

Contributor
Messages
1,756
Reaction score
726
Location
Salish Sea (Seattle)
# of dives
1000 - 2499
We've been using our 1991 'Scubaroo' as a dive car for years. Runs OK but we're thinking of something 'greener'. I'd be very interested in going all electric (avoid the maintenance and issues with gas engines completely) but there's nothing out right now that will haul the gear and do the distance. The Prius V (the sorta station wagon), looks to fill the ticket; adequate space for a couple tanks and gear buckets. You can get a waterproof 'tray' for the back. Flat back for donning a geared up tank.We do almost exclusively shore diving in the NW.

Anyone know how well it actually works with the load, especially at freeway speeds? The Subaru has a 2.2L engine, the Toyota only has a 1.8L. At freeway speeds it's essentially running on the engine at that point, no electric involved. The est. mpg is 41. Not sure if it can do that for trips carrying gear. Mixed driving it certainly might with the battery helping out in stop and go driving around town.
 
I have a 2013 Prius (standard size) and it works fine as a two person scuba vehicle - two tubs, 4 cylinders. I have hauled 8-10 cylinders in it for work as well. As long as you accept that it is not a sports car it is a great all around vehicle and still gets above 40 mpg loaded with our gear.
 
Prius V has a payload capacity of just shy of 1000lbs.

2 divers at say 400lbs total give or take
Gear for divers is going to be about 100lbs minus tanks
AL80's are about 40lbs each, so 4 of those is 150lbs

650lbs right there so it's OK on payload. HP steels can be up to 60lbs each when full, so there may be another hundred pounds there.

Please do the calculations for payload capacity as that correlates to your braking ability as well as potential insurance coverage in the event of an accident.
 
One advantage is my wife and I are small, combined payload of say less than 250# :). Generally we only carry 2 HP 100's and other cold water gear, maybe another 200#+. Rarely we throw another 2 tanks in, or another diver but that gets crowded and messy. No problem at all with the 1000# payload. Thanks for the info, didn't think about looking that up.


We definitely want the flat trunk area for gearing up. We have a Honda Civic sedan and can use it for the same dives but loading and gearing up become more of a hassle.
 
Just make sure the height of the hatchback area will fit a vertical tank. Makes loading and gearing easier.

You will be able to easily fit 6 tanks (stacked 3,2,1 with a strap keeping them together) and fins in the trunk, along with two tubs of gear in the backseat.
 
One advantage is my wife and I are small, combined payload of say less than 250# :). Generally we only carry 2 HP 100's and other cold water gear, maybe another 200#+. Rarely we throw another 2 tanks in, or another diver but that gets crowded and messy. No problem at all with the 1000# payload. Thanks for the info, didn't think about looking that up.


We definitely want the flat trunk area for gearing up. We have a Honda Civic sedan and can use it for the same dives but loading and gearing up become more of a hassle.

that's ideal. With the third diver, especially if everyone is doing 2 tanks it starts to get snug real fast and it's a real issue for tech divers as there are surprisingly few vehicles that will actually handle 2 divers for the type of cave diving I do. For those dives, we will each have 500lbs of gear, my main buddy and I are ~250lbs each at 6'4" and 6'6", so 1500lbs right there and that's not including anything like a cooler for food or drinks, chairs, or heaven forbid another person with us. It's scary but that's why I have a trailer.
On a "light" day we have 250-300lbs of gear each which is why it's important to calculate
 
I have a V since 2 years and love it notting this size will give you that kind of MPG i sometime load it to the top and dont feel it at all.
 
I've seen Priuses used for dive vehicles. They seem to work well. I'm using a Honda Fit, it easily hauls a lot of gear and is fuel efficient. I considered the Ford Focus too, but liked the cargo layout of the Fit more. I've been pretty happy with mine overall.
 
My Prius easily carries two divers, gear and four HP100 tanks. It is great for the dive commutes from Atlanta to Cave Country.
 
Same here. Two big tubs, cooler, 6 steel tanks and lots of extra room and weight capacity in our standard Prius. We have two of them. They replaced the two we had before that each had 240,000+ miles when we traded them. I have also hauled a complete fill station with four big t cylinders, compressor, booster and panel, the works. I've driven nothing but since 2004 and won't change soon. I'm a home builder and have no need for a truck with my prius. The hatchback rocks. I have carried 50 2x4-8' studs and other crazy things inside and closed up. The 10' step ladder won't quite let me close the hatch. Don't want the v.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom