Sea Doo Switch as a dive boat?

[dmaddog59]

I'm curious to know if anyone has tried using a Sea Doo Switch as a dive boat. If so, how it compares to other similar sized watercraft, what configurations seem to work well (or don't), and so on?

 

[Brett down under]

Pretty cool idea! Do groups of divers just group-buy a cheaper boat / zodiac and hit the waters themselves. Dive boats are great, but the cost obviously adds up if you do it regularly. These Sea Doo Switches look cool but I can imagine wouldn't be cheap. Hypothetically, what would make a good "group dive boat"?

 

[rjack321]

Flaws: Their weight capacity is pretty modest for their lengths. Expect the jet drives to bog down and struggle under heavy loads. Hard to install a tank rack
PLuses: no prop strikes

 

[Brett down under]

View attachment 801808

Flaws: Their weight capacity is pretty modest for their lengths. Expect the jet drives to bog down and struggle under heavy loads. Hard to install a tank rack
PLuses: no prop strikes

Yeah weight is a good point. You'd probably be limited to 4 divers + captain.
I was curious to see if someone had rigged a neat tank solution taking advantage of the modular deck system, or something after market. A quick google hasn't yielded any results.

 

[DarR]

I am in the market for a Pontoon boat. I have physically seen the BRP Switch and I'm seriously considering a 21~22 footer but I have some serious reservations.
The biggest issue with the Switch is the singular entry point at the bow. The larger cruise model does not have a gate at the stern adjacent to the platform and has a flimsy boarding ladder. No models have side openings which is an omission for docking and loading. I have reached out to BRP about diving accessories and accommodations such as a multiple tank holder which they sent to R&D for consideration. Until major changes and for these reasons, I'm looking at a tradition tri-toon boat for our lake and adjacent rivers.

 

[Gone for diving]

I think an all aluminum pontoon would be sweet..... don't need the slide. But it could be new type of entry...

I would love something like this with a VW diesel and an alpha one mated together

 

[thomschoon]

We tested one last year as an option to replace our Whaler. My wife liked the idea for it as a floating party barge. I found the railings light duty as was many of the pieces , it was tippy as it is narrow and sat quite high in the water. Overall I didn’t see the quality or stability that you see in pontoon boats. There is also the issue of it essentially being a jetski with a deck, I already have a jetski so the meandering steering of a jet wasn’t an issue, but I prefer a regular boat that doesn’t try to become a sail when the wind ind picks up. It just didn’t work for us living on a salt marsh.

 

[DarR]

I would have edited my post above but I can't find that functionality after it's been up for awhile.
I don't mind the jetboat as it has no prop and a clear stern. I was also looking at the Yamaha jetboats, especially the center console models, but they're designed with fishing feature. I reached out to them about diving features but that may take years to implement if at all.

 

[rjack321]

I think an all aluminum pontoon would be sweet..... don't need the slide. But it could be new type of entry...

I would love something like this with a VW diesel and an alpha one mated together

The bi-hull really only works on the flattest water.

More modern tri-hull pontoon boats are more functional for diving since they can handle rougher waters and usually much larger engines and weight.

 

[Gone for diving]

The bi-hull really only works on the flattest water.

More modern tri-hull pontoon boats are more functional for diving since they can handle rougher waters and usually much larger engines and weight.

Yeah. I was working at a marina and saw this, no wood deck, seemed pretty solid... and yes tritoon would more than likely make way more sense, it was just an example,