Shore Dive Cart & Setup Aid

[plongere]

Ok I agree tis is a wierd request. I am looking for a cart that will haul one or two tanks, plus gear for cold water diving. It must be able to go over uneven ground. Also, and most important it needs to double as a "set up" aid. For example, afte reaching the beach, place the tank on the unit, then assemble the gear on the tank. Step into BC and walk to water. Upon exit, back into device and then unhook. Keeps sand and guck (technical term) out of equipment.

Thanks in advance. jimcox

 

[Warren_L]

When I was at Catalina Isl. a couple of months ago, the shop on the pier had these heavy duty wagons (I think they were about 2' x 3' with a heavy duty frame) that easily held 3 tanks plus a full set of gear. Easy to pull along. You could quite easily set up your gear on it, but it may not be tall enough to step into your gear, though. Right on the pier, Catalina Diver's Supply http://www.catalinadiverssupply.com/

 

[Mitten Diver]

I have not built a trailer yet, but when my son James and I were diving up at Higgins Lake here in Michigan we had to cart all of our gear back and forth to the cabin from the boat down at the beach.

We used an old red radio flyer wagon to haul the gear. While this unit had the hard rubber tires we could leave the back rail on and lay four steel tanks across the wagon and then stack our other gear on top of the tanks. This worked okay for us for that application as we had no other choice.

Next summer I will either buy a yard landscape wagon from Lowes or one of the home supply stores and adapt it for diving. They have a green flat bed wagon with a steel mesh deck that you could add tank roll supports to and even some straps so you could belt the tanks in place. Plus the wagon looks to be about 2'x4' in dimension so it should be a better fit for two divers gear. Plus like I said you could adapt the tank mount system so that you could pull this wagon behind yourself without someone keeping a hand on the tanks. The hill leading to the beach is steep enough that two people pulling the cart would be benificiall. This cart has soft rubber tires so it looks like it would be easy enough to pull through the sand on the beach to get to the dock. this might not meet your requirements for height to don and doff your gear, but like I say it could be adapted with the addittion of a raised platform that you could set your tank on.

I have the benefit of a brother-in-law that could weld up anything so we may just build a dive specific cart for hauling gear back and forth to the beach. I have a trailer that I pull behind my car so getting the trailer back and forth to the dive site would not be an issue.

I have seen on this board a collapsable cart that could be used to haul your gear, but it would not meet your needs for keeping sand and guck (technical term) off of your equipment as it appears to be more of a dolly. If I were more of an advanced user I would find the previous post and provide a link for you, but since I am not I will let you do a search for it. Try dive cart and possibly look for it in the DIY section. My wife would tell you if she had access to the computer that I spend to much time on this site already.

Good luck with the search.

Mitten Diver :54:

 

[jplacson]

Segway!!! hahahahaha... just kidding! ... well, unless you've got $4000 to throw away. I have seen them go over rocks and sand though.

 

[bnelson]

We had one student last time we were at Monterey who borrowed the Hotel Luggage cart to cart all his things to breakwater.

Hilarious, everyone had a good laugh when we saw him coming. It held his tanks, he could hang his suit on it to dry, it held all his stuff. It was a great idea.

 

[RICHinNC]

Here is a weird thought for you. Im pretty sure you wouldnt want to drag your cart into the water so as not for it to get stolen while you are gone....

but....does anyone who shore dives in places where things left behind are often not there when you get back....like extra tanks....ever just take them in the water and leave them at depth where they would be safe....safer....than leaving them in a car?

thought just struck me as i was sitting here having my morning coffee.

 

[Diver0001]

Ok I agree tis is a wierd request. I am looking for a cart that will haul one or two tanks, plus gear for cold water diving. It must be able to go over uneven ground. Also, and most important it needs to double as a "set up" aid. For example, afte reaching the beach, place the tank on the unit, then assemble the gear on the tank. Step into BC and walk to water. Upon exit, back into device and then unhook. Keeps sand and guck (technical term) out of equipment.

Thanks in advance. jimcox

Check the DIY forum. There was a recent thread on this with some good links.

R..

 

[Warren_L]

Here is a weird thought for you. Im pretty sure you wouldnt want to drag your cart into the water so as not for it to get stolen while you are gone....

but....does anyone who shore dives in places where things left behind are often not there when you get back....like extra tanks....ever just take them in the water and leave them at depth where they would be safe....safer....than leaving them in a car?

thought just struck me as i was sitting here having my morning coffee.

I've seen people put a few things in a weight bag in the shallows. But that's about it. I don't know that I'd want to put a tank that might only be a few pounds negative in the water and then come back only to see it drifting away....

 

[kworth]

Ok I agree tis is a wierd request. I am looking for a cart that will haul one or two tanks, plus gear for cold water diving. It must be able to go over uneven ground. Also, and most important it needs to double as a "set up" aid. For example, afte reaching the beach, place the tank on the unit, then assemble the gear on the tank. Step into BC and walk to water. Upon exit, back into device and then unhook. Keeps sand and guck (technical term) out of equipment.

Thanks in advance. jimcox

Here you go: Northern Industrial Jumbo Wagon —48in.L x 24in.W, 1400-Lb. Capacity | Hand Pull Wagons| Northern Tool + Equipment A friend has one of these and bought my wife one for her birthday. It goes over almost anything and carries everything we own for an all day multiple dive excusrsion.... $100!

 

[offroadr1]

im actually working on building one right now. hadnt thought about making it a setup bench though since i dive sidemount, but i think i could tweak a few things and accomplish that.