US Watersports Diver Propulsion Vehicle Survey

[KDB]

Please help us with our school research project on Recreational Diver Propulsion Vehicle Survey.

This is a SURVEY on Diver Propulsion Vehicles (DPV) (Sea Scooters) in the US! Your answers will be supporting a school research experience on water sports!

*There is no unique identifying data collected or stored from this survey*


**At the risk of skewing some of the survey data, but aiding in some of the questions I have received, here is a listing of spec range our hypothetical* product must meet. This is a business proposition and not an engineering task.

• Power Rating: 250-500 Watts
  
• Run Time: ~1 to 1.5 hrs
• Battery: Lithium Ion
• Full Charge: 6-8 Hours
• Quick Charge(75%): 1-3 Hours
• Max Speed: 3-4.5 MPH
• Depth: 50-150 ft.
• Removable Battery: Potentially
• Weight: 10-30 lbs.

 

[tbone1004]

sub $1600 options for a dpv with cave diving as an option to select.... that's kind of adorable. Our batteries cost at wholesale is often more than that...

 

[Wookie]

And you lump the 50 year olds in with the 75 year olds. Remember, we're the ones with the money who don't necessarily want to kick any more. And, I own multiple DPVs but I don't use them, they are loaned out all over the country.

 

[KDB]

sub $1600 options for a dpv with cave diving as an option to select.... that's kind of adorable. Our batteries cost at wholesale is often more than that...

Yes, we understand that. There is a purpose behind the madness.

 

[KDB]

And you lump the 50 year olds in with the 75 year olds. Remember, we're the ones with the money who don't necessarily want to kick any more. And, I own multiple DPVs but I don't use them, they are loaned out all over the country.

Thank you for the feedback.

 

[Schwob]

Yes, we understand that. There is a purpose behind the madness.

Curious:
What e.g.: is the purpose of asking what one would be willing to spend on a DPV w/o qualifying the performance envelope of that DPV that one would spend money on?

It appears to me that noise emissions rarely are included as criteria. Why is that?
Noise may not matter to someone who is soley interested in getting as deep into a cave as possible and back (also I may wish it mattered), but on a reef with many divers, I think it matters. It matters to me.
I would prefer "silent" if given a choice a whole lot over contributing to the UW-jet-ski-(aka-DPV)-tourist-crowd that descends as a horde on a reef from a boat with instructor and all and incredibly noise pollutes the place for quite a long way for as long as their dive takes ... and the next ... Just saying a DPV also engineered to be silent (especially non-whining) would be ... quite nice .. That said, I admit I am far from being an expert here - but I can hear...

What's the deal with just one kind of prop on a battery powered device. That will provide optimum efficiency for a small load range only or? What about exchangeable high efficiency (and silent) props tuned for a few different "load ranges" so that the 270lb guy with a bunch of tanks (or two or ... of them pulled by one DPV...) can select one that offers near optimum efficiency (and pending if that means speed (e.g. if needing / wanting to head into a current) or range) and so can the 120lbs single tank person...?

 

[KDB]

Curious:
What e.g.: is the purpose of asking what one would be willing to spend on a DPV w/o qualifying the performance envelope of that DPV that one would spend money on?

It appears to me that noise emissions rarely are included as criteria. Why is that?
Noise may not matter to someone who is soley interested in getting as deep into a cave as possible and back (also I may wish it mattered), but on a reef with many divers, I think it matters. It matters to me.
I would prefer "silent" if given a choice a whole lot over contributing to the UW-jet-ski-(aka-DPV)-tourist-crowd that descends as a horde on a reef from a boat with instructor and all and incredibly noise pollutes the place for quite a long way for as long as their dive takes ... and the next ... Just saying a DPV also engineered to be silent (especially non-whining) would be ... quite nice .. That said, I admit I am far from being an expert here - but I can hear...

What's the deal with just one kind of prop on a battery powered device. That will provide optimum efficiency for a small load range only or? What about exchangeable high efficiency (and silent) props tuned for a few different "load ranges" so that the 270lb guy with a bunch of tanks (or two or ... of them pulled by one DPV...) can select one that offers near optimum efficiency (and pending if that means speed (e.g. if needing / wanting to head into a current) or range) and so can the 120lbs single tank person...?

Thank you. I am going to modify the initial post to emphasize the focus on recreational and refer some of these questions/comments to the person who created the survey to possibly modify the questions some.

I think our lack of scuba/snorkeling experience in the group is clear. We are not representing any one product, but have a product spec frame.

 

[tbone1004]

@Schwaeble we do care very much about the noise the dpv's make. When you have to listen to it non-stop for over 2 hours, if it has an annoying whine, it gets REAL old real fast

 

[The Chairman]

we do care very much about the noise the dpv's make.

Yeah... I dive a rebreather because they are way quiet. I want a quiet scooter.

 

[Schwob]

@Schwaeble we do care very much about the noise the dpv's make. When you have to listen to it non-stop for over 2 hours, if it has an annoying whine, it gets REAL old real fast

I know ... I've been there... whine, whine whine... maybe there are quieter ones than what that outfit in Egypt used (they were full sized full fledged scooters so, not little hobby scooters) that's why I called them UW jet skis... I was like a commando descended to "stink up the place with noise"... Get's very old and fast so...