Shallow Water Scooter Use

[DeepSeaDan]

you made the right choice with multiple batteries if you're doing short SIT's. I probably would have bit the extra money and got the 4-gang charger so they all charge together, since series charging can get really annoying if you get busy and it also lets them sit on the charger longer to balance all the way out, but there is no way you were going to do what you wanted to do with recharging mid-day.

Running in the cold affects the burn time of the batteries, but they will still throw off a good bit of heat and I think you'll be surprised how not-cold they are when you pop them out

You're right on the issue of the gang battery charger; I just cancelled the single charger order & will have to see if the Amazon dealer will accept the cancellation. Then I'll order up the gang-charger.

On a side note - how do you tech folks mount a dive light on these scooters? The deeper rivers are pretty dark, with lots of sunken logs for obstructions, so a good light is definitely necessary.

 

[tbone1004]

You're right on the issue of the gang battery charger; I just cancelled the single charger order & will have to see if the Amazon dealer will accept the cancellation. Then I'll order up the gang-charger.

On a side note - how do you tech folks mount a dive light on these scooters? The deeper rivers are pretty dark, with lots of sunken logs for obstructions, so a good light is definitely necessary.

whatever dive light you're going to use. very rare to see "headlights" on a scooter

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Be careful when you’re running in shallow water, aquatic vegetation will foul the prop and render the blacktip inoperable.

Thanks for that, A in G. I've dived all the rivers I will be scootering many times ( picking off the easy finds ), but I will heed your advice and steer clear of the underbrush.

 

[NothingClever]

whatever dive light you're going to use. very rare to see "headlights" on a scooter

@DeepSeaDan - I don't think I have even 1/20th of @tbone1004 's experience underwater but above water I've found that having a light that allows you to broadly look around increases the quality of your exploration and avoids the tunnel fixation that sometimes occurs when you have a fixed direction light. I think a hand-mounted light (canister with cord or self-contained cordless) will be a better fit for you. You'll get to where driving the BlackTip with your right hand happens independently of where your left hand (with the light) and eyes are looking. You'll be able to speed up, slow down, stop, start again, etc while you peer under and over debris all around you. If you mount a light on the BlackTip and use that as your primary, you're going to tend to follow the dot and miss a lot on the flanks.

Good luck and enjoy your BlackTip...it's a slick little tool.

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

Make a light helmet thing

 

[DeepSeaDan]

@DeepSeaDan - I don't think I have even 1/20th of @tbone1004 's experience underwater but above water I've found that having a light that allows you to broadly look around increases the quality of your exploration and avoids the tunnel fixation that sometimes occurs when you have a fixed direction light. I think a hand-mounted light (canister with cord or self-contained cordless) will be a better fit for you. You'll get to where driving the BlackTip with your right hand happens independently of where your left hand (with the light) and eyes are looking. You'll be able to speed up, slow down, stop, start again, etc while you peer under and over debris all around you. If you mount a light on the BlackTip and use that as your primary, you're going to tend to follow the dot and miss a lot on the flanks.

Good luck and enjoy your BlackTip...it's a slick little tool.

Thanks NC.

I have a nice n' powerful, broad light I use with my GoPro, which should do the trick. Because I know these rivers so well, I'll likely just motor over to the areas I want to excavate. Experience has taught me that continuous searching is a very slow, thorough affair; to go faster might mean you'll miss something, as oft-times there is but a glint of glass to indicate a possible find. I'm curious as to how difficult it will be to hold position while blowing away sediment, though I will likely use the low to lowest thrust setting to move material. Many areas I know of will have sufficient debris to allow me to brace myself, otherwise, I may have to drive a steel rod into the bottom ( likely rebar ), to brace my foot against. I'm glad the unit will naturally point nose-up when idle - should make washing away material a bit easier. As with any new toy, there is always a learning curve!

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

I tried to blow a cheeky stonefish from the deck of a silty sandy wreck but blew myself away instead
But don't tell anyone

 

[tbone1004]

@DeepSeaDan if you do put a head light on the scooter, please turn it off when using it for excavation. If any divers come anywhere near you they'll think you're dying...

 

[DeepSeaDan]

@DeepSeaDan if you do put a head light on the scooter, please turn it off when using it for excavation. If any divers come anywhere near you they'll think you're dying...

Understood. I will assume this to be a rule that divers apply in the technical realm.

Though I typically enter the water with a fellow hunter, we usually head off in opposite directions; and, I do as many or more hunt-dives on my own, as with a friend. It is a rarity that there would be any other divers in the area, as these rivers hold little of interest to sight-seeing divers.

On the logical side, it would be useless to have the light pointing up & away from the area of interest.

Happy New Year!

DSD

 

[NothingClever]

...it would be useless to have the light pointing up & away from the area of interest.

You're on it.

I think @Julius SCHMIDT has a good recommendation of using a cave helmet with some lights rigged to it. If there are as many timbers as I'm imagining, a helmet would allow you to go looking about without scraping and gouging your noggin.

Happy hunting!