Steel tanks boots

[logandzwon]

Hey guys, I have a set of PST HP 100s. Currently it has no boots and while I store them at home in a pelican rack, I have some trouble with transport, boats, etc because of the round bottom. I want to get a set of boots to put on when I take them out. I see there are two styles, the round kind, and the softer rubber Faber kind. Any benefit or drawback to either type?

 

[Wolfie]

I use my boots to stand them up at home and the boots come off when going out. If on a boat boots give a sense of stability yet they are not stable.. If there are no appropriate racks lie them down. Boots also grab and tear boat upholstery and also provide an unneccecary entanglement issue while underwater. Then there is the whole rinsing drying and rusting problem....

 

[ajduplessis]

Boots work well. I remove mine after every dive trip to make sure there is no water/damp in the boot.

 

[Abdullah]

I just bought a used steel twin set made in Germany with no boots. The bottom of the tanks wear at the points where they contact the floor of the truck when pulling them out. They also wear on the very bottom where they rest when upright. The previous owner used duct tape to protect them. I'd like to get some boots to protect them during transport, but they are a wierd size. Measured with a soft tape, they are 19.5 inches around, which makes them 6.21 inch diameter (they are long, skinny, 12 Liter cyclinders).

Does anyone know where I can find boots for these?

---------- Post Merged at 07:26 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:09 PM ----------

I have the round hard plastic ones on my Faber 100s. They hug the tank pretty tight and have a beveled top edge that reduces the potential to snag. They are smooth and a bit less likely to entangle than the octogon style due to the lack of corners. The round ones work better for twins as well. There is an increased risk of entanglement over a slick bottomed tank, but for me, the risk is remote and I'd prefer a little armor to protect the bottom of my investment from excessive wear.

They drain fine, but some moisture does remain trapped. I usually set them boot deep in a tub of fresh water for a few minutes after rinsing them down to extract any remaining salt residues. Then let them drain and dry.

The hard plastic boot goes a long way toward protecting the base of the cylinder during transport and filling. And, they are nice when you kit up to stabilize the tank. Like any flat aluminum tank, the booted tanks won't stand on their own on a pitching deck, but a stiff flat bottom surface on a tank is way easier to control than a wobbly round bottom.

I'm careful with my kit, but other folks that handle them - not so much. You have to trust folks with your tanks if you want them filled or if other people load them on their boat. The boots stabilize the tanks at the fill station and protect the bottom when they're manhandled in transport. The hard plastic is pretty tough material and has been very durable.