kayak diving?

[triton94949]

Zodiac would be my first choice, but there are a lot of good manufacturers out there. My guess is that any manufacturer's inflatable with floor plates (or better yet a rigid hull) and a transom outboard mount should be adequate. Compare features and materials, and get one that seems reliable and big enough for two divers, gear, and a tender.

West Marine had a few floor models that had me drooling last time I was there.

The main advantage of the trailer is that it lets you set up the inflatable in advance. You can park the trailer in a parking lot too, and chain it up and to a post, even if you do not have a garage. Just break down the boat and store it in a closet at home. That is what I did with mine. If you can also afford the trailer, then yes definitely get it as well. The boat will cost a couple of thousand, the motor will cost a couple of thousand, and the trailer will cost a couple of thousand too. It adds up fast.

West Marine will definitely make you drool over the many choices that are available in inflatable boats. You might need the assistance of 2 strong friends to drag you back out of there. I know the feeling.

 

[MSilvia]

The main advantage of the trailer is that it lets you set up the inflatable in advance. You can park the trailer in a parking lot too, and chain it up and to a post, even if you do not have a garage. Just break down the boat and store it in a closet at home.

That will certainly work, but I was thinking of a friend (who unfortunately moved) who used to keep his inflatable inflated and ready to go, sitting on the trailer in his garage (after the first one was stolen from the dock and not recovered). He primarily used it for a sailboat dinghy, but he used it often enough that deflation was rarely a problem. He'd drive it to the water, load it up and go, and then when he was done he'd trailer it up, drive it home, rinse it, and park it in the garage.

 

[triton94949]

That will certainly work, but I was thinking of a friend (who unfortunately moved) who used to keep his inflatable inflated and ready to go, sitting on the trailer in his garage (after the first one was stolen from the dock and not recovered). He primarily used it for a sailboat dinghy, but he used it often enough that deflation was rarely a problem. He'd drive it to the water, load it up and go, and then when he was done he'd trailer it up, drive it home, rinse it, and park it in the garage.

Matt, I think that if I had garage space to dedicate to a boat and trailer, then I would indeed keep it inflated like you say, but get a RIB (rigid bottom inflatable). Those are really nice, and they cut across the water faster than a soft bottom inflatable. Size would then be the only question. How big of a RIB could I get into the garage? Cost as well, of course. Now the cost would be in the range of $10 to $20 thousand.

The inflatable that I had before I could deflate and store in a closet at home. It was about half the size of a washing machine when broken down and packed into its travel case. The transom and motor went on separately. That kept it out of the sun, and it did not take up garage space. But it did in fact take up the entire closet, with the transom, the motor, the oars, the anchor crate, and the fishing gear. I think I paid about $5 thousand for everything, and no trailer.

The cost advantage of a yak is hard to touch at around $750 dollars. But I think your idea of an inflatable instead is a good one. It hurts your wallet more though.

 

[scubastew]

unfortunately you've gotta double the $750 if you are going to get your dive duddy to "yak-it" as well...Uugh!!

...another season of diving, another maxed out charge card....

that said I am still "thinking" about the purchase of a diveyak. But will go with the recommendation to rent one first. kayaks seem to be pretty fun all-on-their-own. And would be fun in a lake or pond and for fishing...

that said, does anyone recommend a specific yak brand & model? I'd like to be able to bring a second tank on the yak in order to get more than one dive without returning to shore.

some folks have recommended the ocean yak - scrambler XT but are there others? The scrambler doesnt appear to easily store a 2nd tank. I liked the look/features of the malibu, pro explorer.The Malibu has a large front hatch which looks to hold a tank/mask/fins/snorkel/etc with little problem. Also the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 is interesting...

Scrambler XT
Malibu ProExplorer
Tarpon 120
other?

recommendations?

 

[MSilvia]

I've never used one, but I bet the folks on www.kayakdiving.com would have some strong opinions.

 

[whitelief]

I could not find the site I was looking for, but did bump into this: http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/index.html.

How to articles, recommendations on gear and on and on.

I bought a couple of XTs off of ebay last year, and am still slowly fitting them out for diving. I've got enough rope and floats and anchors and tie-down loops for a small flotilla. Now for some warm weather . . .

 

[BioG]

I know that Ocean State Scuba (http://www.scuyak.com/) in RI, and Discover Diving in NH teach, is there anywhere closer to Boston? I know PG dive in Newton was talking about having it last year, but I keep forgetting to ask when I'm there.

I'd love to learn sometime, I've been looking Ocean State's and their 2 day is course tempting. I'll call Discover Diving and find out what their format is.

-Steve

 

[oceancurrent]

I am a fan of kayak diving - very enviromentally friendly way to dive! Let us know when you find out more about the NH course vs. the RI one...

On a separate note - nice photos, Steve! Very strong sense of composition and perspective! All you need is a good strobe and a bit of post-processing to bring some color in the shots.

By the way, I too shoot with an Oly-5050. Love the camera! You can see some of my shots from last summer here:
http://ase.tufts.edu/scuba/reports/