At what point do you buy a tank?

[BennyM]

I would certainly buy two tanks but STEEL.

 

[blackvans1234]

I would certainly buy two tanks but STEEL.

While I appreciate your advice on the steel, I think you missed a subtle hint in this thread.
I'm cheap / broke, which is why I'm trying to figure out what would be the most cost effective method of diving
(yes yes yes diving isnt cheap)
Two aluminums would be pushing it too
If dive shops would fill their rental multiple times a day then I may not buy one.

If they will try to charge me (even though im back same day with my rental, wanting to dive again) then I will buy a tank (or two)

I dont mind diving, running to the lds and getting tank re-filled, and going back to the dive site, as FL is chop full of dive shops

 

[windapp]

Here is what I am doing about the whole tank buying thing.

Everytime I rent tanks I log the price.
Everytime I can't dive because I don't have my own tank and don't want to rent two for a two tank dive, I write down the price I would have paid for the two tank rental.

After a year, I tally up all the rentals, and compare to the cost of buying, and maintaining my own tanks. If it doesn't pay back in a year, I won't buy a tnak.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

@blackvans1234: To save money, I'd recommend checking out the Miami Craigslist ads for used scuba tanks.
Navigate to the "sporting" category in the "for sale" section.
Use the search terms "dive" and "scuba."
Feel free to limit your search to Palm Beach County.

Here are a few tips for buying a used tank:

• Contact a few local shops to price out relevant tank servicing: tumbling, hydro/vis, just a vis, and tank valve overhaul. This should help you figure out how much it will cost to make a used tank dive-able.
• Avoid AL tanks made of the 6351 alloy, since those tanks have been condemned on account of sustained load cracking.
• Ask to look inside the tank to check for rust or corrosion. Note that you'll have to completely drain the tank in order to do this.
• If the tank is out of hydro, try to negotiate with the seller that the sale is contingent upon the tank passing hydro. FYI, a tank that fails hydro will still have value as a recyclable item.
• Be patient.

 

[DMDavid]

cheap scuba sucks i live near them but they will not let me pic up tanks to save shipping.

They don't have the tanks in Riviera Beach, the tanks are shipped from a wholesaler and that is why there is no pick up available.
I tried to save the shipping cost as well but in the end they were still cheaper than any other LDS in Florida.

Average price of a new 80cf Aluminum from a LDS is $165.

Cheap Scuba price with shipping $149 or slightly less if you get it from their Ebay sales.

 

[--tom--]

While I appreciate your advice on the steel, I think you missed a subtle hint in this thread.
I'm cheap / broke, which is why I'm trying to figure out what would be the most cost effective method of diving
(yes yes yes diving isnt cheap)

Well, the last two steel 72's I got, one was free, the other I had to buy an AL80 with it: $20 for both--I sold the AL to a friend for $20 (& he was thrilled), so $80 after hydros, I have 2 steel tanks.

The deals are there, although you have to be looking for them.

 

[boulderjohn]

@blackvans1234: To save money, I'd recommend checking out the Miami Craigslist ads for used scuba tanks.
Navigate to the "sporting" category in the "for sale" section.
Use the search terms "dive" and "scuba."
Feel free to limit your search to Palm Beach County.

You know, you and I should check with each other before we post. Lately it seems that we are posting the same thing a the same time.

While you were posting this, I was browsing the South Florida Craig's list--gobs of used tanks for sale. If you are willing to do the hydro, some are extremely cheap.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

You know, you and I should check with each other before we post. Lately it seems that we are posting the same thing a the same time.

While you were posting this, I was browsing the South Florida Craig's list--gobs of used tanks for sale. If you are willing to do the hydro, some are extremely cheap.

Great minds think alike.
I considered posting links to "good deals" in South Florida, but I'm an advocate of the "teach a broke student how to fish" approach.

 

[smorneau]

Petro is near $4 a gallon. Don't forget to figure that into the equation.

 

[blackvans1234]

Good advice with the craigslist suggestion

What kind of stinks (this is ignoring your patience suggestion ), is that I want to dive the day I get down to florida, and probably won't have the oppurtunity to wait for a tank to be hydro'd and whatever else it needs.

Maybe ill buy one new (to hold me over), and then scour craigslist as much as possible
it seems that the more tanks you own, the more you'd have to dive for it to be worth it. So instead of my theoretical 48 dives for the ONE tank to pay for itself (yearly), it'd have to be 96 dives for TWO tanks to pay for themselves (this is in the first year)
Now that i'm thinking about it, that might not be that hard to achieve