Ultimate Dive Truck

[NDL_Diver]

Looked into it and here are my thoughts.

1. Leave cellphone in condo. Don't need it even for a map. Small island. I can survive my hour SI not connected.
2. Fill empty 2 liter soda/ water bottles with water and leave in back of bed. Nice hot water rinse.
3. They are F150 crew cabs. Big trucks. Hard to park in town.
4. They are F150 trucks and burn alot of fuel. Fuel is VERY expensive.
5. Throw old dry clothes in back seat of pickup. It does not matter if someone is so desperate for clothes they steal old tee shirts.
6. I have a drybox for my money clip and CC's. I have a dry fob for my keys. Everyone takes wet money.
7. I am cheap.

We always bring an old collapsible cooler we pack in our suitcase. We freeze 1 liter bottles as ice/cold water. Pack a beverage and sandwich or snacks. Stop at food trucks also. BTB has area for wet people. Breeze and bites don't care about wet people. Donner Station wet no problem.

 

[NDL_Diver]

You take a drybox on your dive with you?

Yes. I have a dry box for money, Cc and DL. I use a dryfob for car keys.
My drybox is not rated but used it dozens of times to 90'. Flooded once but my fault since I had something lodged in seal. My dryfob is only for keys. .

I have used my drybox on am old cell phone (had one for diving and one back at condo). Was not worried about flooding phone since it was a 5 year old phone. If flooded I could switch Sims. (back when I worked and needed to keep in touch with the world). Now I leave it in the condo. Don't need to be connected to anyone but my wife who is my dive buddy.

 

[USdiver1]

I like the concept [custom made diving bed for pickup truck], but would prefer to see it applied to a Toyota Hi-Lux more than a Ford F-150, size and fuel economy being the key drivers. Hope the original owners made a profit and the current owners can maintain the biz. A Ford F-150 custom like this could have a niche market in the USA, think cave country.

 

[Diver-6873]

They are overpriced and not needed on Bonaire, I think only 1 or 2 are still here. The original owners sold the business, I’m not sure who owns it now. Bonaire is best with “island beater” pickups for far less….

 

[happy-diver]

Hey five years sold the business something's going good

And but you still have to gear up one at a time in the dirt

or out of the cab in the dirt

The comparison is good

 

[Brad J]

It's your first trip to Bonaire? You do realize that we all manage to deal with a phone, money, change of clothes and even a rinse, but most of us do all that without the Ultimate Dive Truck? Oh I think it's WAY cool, but there is no denying it's overkill. I guess it's like visiting Los Angeles and renting a Ferrari or even just a nice convertible. To some people, it's about the fun, not about the cost. Anyway, I know you're looking for firsthand reviews, not more opinions of its value to divers, so I'll shut up.

I hear you loud and clear, could be overkill. That's why I'm reaching out for folks who have used them. Our first trip so checking with the Bonaire pros if extras like this truck enhance the trip or are just gimmicky with no real better experience.

 

[Brad J]

Looked into it and here are my thoughts.

1. Leave cellphone in condo. Don't need it even for a map. Small island. I can survive my hour SI not connected.
2. Fill empty 2 liter soda/ water bottles with water and leave in back of bed. Nice hot water rinse.
3. They are F150 crew cabs. Big trucks. Hard to park in town.
4. They are F150 crew cabs and burn ALOT of fuel. Fuel is VERY expensive.
5. Throw old dry clothes in back seat of pickup. If someone is so desperate for clothes they steal old tee shirts then they are welcome to it.
6. I have a drybox for my money clip and CC's. I have a dry fob for my keys. Everyone takes wet money.
7. I am cheap.

thanks for the tips. Interesting points on hard to park in town and the poor gas.

 

[Charred]

thanks for the tips. Interesting points on hard to park in town and the poor gas.

The roads on Bonaire are not built for F150 sized vehicles. I just got back and the people driving Fords are painfully obvious on the roads.

As others have said, you don't need a phone with you. You can carry money and a credit card in a little dry box. The key fob goes in a key fob holder. I supposed they could, but no one is stealing water bottles, rash guards, tshirts, shorts from your truck. No one stole my maui jim sunglasses, my hat, my shirts, flip flops or towels.

If you leave your window down while you dive you are basically signally you have nothing of value.

 

[Melissa Flinn]

Can someone please comment on their experience renting these trucks? Are they worth the higher pricing? Did you find the features greatly improved your diving experience?

I really like the ability to lock small items up during the dive.

First timer to Bonaire this summer so trying to decide on the rental truck options.

Thank you!

We have been planning on renting this truck! The only thing stopping us is the payment in full, in advance. Its a huge risk unless you pay the additional price protection of $80.00. Its already pricey! This really puts it over the top. Still, we see all the nice features and really want that truck! I'm glad I read your post. Its got us second guessing. We didn't think about the size of the truck, parking and gasoline prices. Now we are very hesitant. Please let us know what you decide. We are first timers to Bonaire as well. We would love to hear your experience and what you end up doing for a rental.

 

[WetLens]

We just completed a two week stay on Bonaire and opted to splurge on UDT. Yes, it was expensive. That said, it made our trip much easier. We did have another couple with us, so splitting the charges made it easier (we only charged the other couple half of what a regular rental would have been since we drove the decision). Was it worth it? For us, yes.

1. We are not exactly spring chickens anymore - the side mounting of the tanks saved my back.

2. The lock boxes just made life easier as we didn't have to worry about what we brought with us. It was my 7th trip to Bonaire, so I was used to bare-bones travel. It was simply easier to bring my coffee mug along, extra lenses/ports, a safe place to lock up my glasses, etc. We've never experienced a theft issue on the island, but the lock boxes made life easier and I'm all about that at this stage of my life...

3. The mat made changing in and out of wet suits/skins/boots easier and much less sand in gear.

4. The rinse hose was great. I, too, have loaded the back with 2 liter bottles filled with water. First, you have to drink the 2 liters, then build up enough of them to last through two dives rinsing cameras, face, etc. Then there is the plastic the island has to deal with. I've also traveled with refillable shower bags - that worked until they didn't (~2 trips). Again, the hose just made life easier.

5. The totes worked great. Thought they were a bit small at first, but we adapted and they worked out great for both organizing gear during the day and rinsing the gear back at the condo/dive center.

Overall, we found the truck to be very well thought out and made our trip much more enjoyable. For us, the convenience outweighed the additional cost. Were there issues? Of course...

1. The truck we had was old - ~196,000 miles. It shimmied and shaked over 45 miles an hour. But how many places on the island can you go that fast anyway. Minor issue.
2. The suicide doors were probably the main issue we had. As the primary driver, it was a pain dealing with opening and closing the doors. Back seat passengers had it far worse having to wait for the front seat people to open.
3. Yes, it is a bit bigger than most other rental pick-ups. Not that much bigger and rarely caused a problem. Think we had to circle twice for downtown parking one time. I am used to parking way out in regular parking lots anyway, so this rarely caused an issue. Minor inconvenience.
4. While the water tank/hose was a major benefit, refilling it was a pain. The dive center we used would not allow us to refill with their hose (water is expensive, I guess). The condo we stayed at did not have an outside hose available either. We bucket brigaded from the condo... Only refilled 3 times, so while a pain, it was another minor inconvenience. No issue at all if you have access to an outside hose...

It was worth it to us, but understand others that think it is too expensive. I'd do it again as it would be hard to go backwards...