New Member from PNW = Edmonds/Everett

[QwikSticks]

Hello my name is Brian and I have been a lurker for a bit but decided I needed to become more active. I have lived in the PNW most of my life and I spend a lot of time chasing Tuna, Salmon, and Halibut off of Westport, la Push, and Neah Bay in the summer. Last Year my partner Laura and I were certified AOW and Dry Suit and have about 30 dives in the PNW, Croatia, and the Caribbean so far. We have our own gear and have made several trips to Edmonds Underwater Park since its only 15 min from the house. I recently secured moorage in Everett and now want to get the boat set up diving - in particular I need to weld up a dive ladder as the factory one is a bit short. I would love to connect with other boat captains/divers in the area to work through rigging on mine.

Looking forward to being part of the community - here are a few pics of us from the last year.

 

[Billg68bg]

Hi and welcome aboard.

 

[JohnN]

Divers with boats are my most favorite people

 

[davehicks]

Welcome! You should check out the Marker Buoy Dive Club in the area. (www.markerbuoydiveclub.org) There are lots of members with tons of experience diving in the area, as well as some boaters. It's a great way to join others on planned dives that are happening all the time.

 

[Hppyfam]

Hello! I recently moved to the same area, if you ever need a dive buddy hit me up!

 

[KenE]

Welcome to the board, Western WA has a huge diving community and very welcoming to new folks. There are several FB sites that are active. Most folks will welcome you joining for a dive! I have not been turned down yet, if they had a dive planned.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Hey Brian..... welcome to SB. Looks like you've got a Hewescraft and I can't really tell from the pic but it looks like an AK 24 since you've got the diamond plate decking in the cockpit.

I run a 2017 Ocean Pro 220 and Everett is also my home base ........ I usually moor at Everett May through Sep....if it's available.......and pull it and store in my home shop for the rest of the year.

For basic dive mods I have an SS "Tree" style ladder that's easy peasy to R & R with a single clevis pin on a small bracket that's bolted to my primary offshore bracket... I have it slightly offset to keep it a bit further away from the motor (Honda BF250) and the transducer. I'm not a welder, so had it custom made buy a fabricator up in Marysville.

For a tank rack that is super easy to R & R and requires no drilling to your boat is a simple Trident 6 tank wire rack. Mine just sits on the deck on a carpet and with tanks it doesn't move around even in heavy seas......but I still have a couple of heavy duty suction cups holding it to the bulkhead wall for additional control. The only downside to this rack is that is doesn't like 8in diameter tanks with octogonal boots.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Welcome! You should check out the Marker Buoy Dive Club in the area. (www.markerbuoydiveclub.org) There are lots of members with tons of experience diving in the area, as well as some boaters. It's a great way to join others on planned dives that are happening all the time.

I'll second this. It is the most active dive club in the area and they plan dives all over the place.

 

[QwikSticks]

Thanks for the ideas Dive Dog.

The boat is the newer style 250 Alaskan which is a lot bigger than the 240. I like the ladder set up on yours and the fact that it can be removed with a pin is perfect. I have the same short 2 step ladder you do that i thought about welding up 2 extra steps that could be pinned onto that and removed when not needed. It is a narrow ladder but they did install a hand rail next to it which is helpful.

For tank storage this boat has 2 fish boxes that 2 tanks could lie down in on each side and then a crazy large storage area between those boxes that 2 people can crawl into. I was thinking about just making a rack to lay tanks into that middle box - They may be able to just stand up in that box with a rack like your using which i like better. For tanks hooked up and ready to go i was thinking maybe something as simple as a bracket that goes over the lip on the middle shelf with a bungie to hold them upright.

 

[Cthippo]

Hello and welcome from Bellingham!

Very glad to see other people actually diving around here. So many folx I know locally only dive on vacation in warm places. If you want to do some wreck diving I have lots of sites to hit!