Tank boots on or off

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There is absolutely no reason to have boots on a set of double 108s. That's what I dive mostly and I just lean them on my truck bed cover or one of the tank stands. If you don't have a truck, they will slide in/out of your trunk easier without the bands.

I do have boots for several of my tanks that get used for single tank or even sometimes in sm.

I have actually sanded down the inside edges on a few of my tank boots so they are easier to slide on/off. That way I can use them when it's convenient, but they don't stay on long enough to cause issues.
I like that idea it's mainly for standing them up in my house I have tile throughout my house so it's a pain to lean them up without sliding. I'll just take them off for diving and leave them on while there at home
 
I like that idea it's mainly for standing them up in my house I have tile throughout my house so it's a pain to lean them up without sliding. I'll just take them off for diving and leave them on while there at home

if it's for that, then it's actually quite easy to build a rack that will hold them. A 2x4 frame over a piece of plywood to support them on the bottom then use some spray adhesive and put non-slip carpet backing on the bottom so it doesn't slide around and that will solve that problem
 
I can't think of anyone I know who lives in cave country and actively dives, who utilizes tank boots. Does that help answer your question? :)

you must not get into the Peacock area very much as there are several long time instructors that still have boots on their tanks...

I dove Peacock fairly often when I was diving regularly (knee surgery next month!). I didn't say I never saw tank boots, I said: "I can't think of anyone I know who lives in cave country and actively dives, who utilizes tank boots....". I stand by that.

I'm sure someone could point out a specific instructor or two I may know who utilizes tank boots, but offhand, the first couple dozen I thought of, do not.
 
I used a dremel to round the top edge of my tank boots to limit entanglement. If you do this, make sure to leave a small lip somewhere to help you bang them off the tank later. It would be nice if manufacturers of boots would consider the issue.

However, when I embarked upon cave training the instructor (Reggie Ross) said no way - I had to remove them completely. I remove them before a cave dive and put them back on for everything else. My tanks just got their first hydro and there was some wear under the boots (from ocean diving/salt I think). It was easy to clean up.

I added a rubber mallet to my dive tool bag to ease them on/off.
What does your cave instructor say on the matter?
He told me that u don't see many cave divers with them on. I took that as if there not on then there's a reason for it
 
He told me that u don't see many cave divers with them on. I took that as if there not on then there's a reason for it

8" doubles, with certain tank boots do have a decent risk of getting a line caught between the tanks and getting hung up. The boots that are octagonal are particularly prone to it as the points can be almost touching and the flat bit above them makes it quite difficult to get out.
The smooth edge tank boots that came/come with Faber tanks eliminate this, but they do like to trap water which can cause corrosion to be accelerated especially since Faber tanks aren't hot dip galvanized.
I agree with no tank boots in an overhead on 8" diameter doubles and believe it is the only situation where there is actually a real risk of entanglement.

With 7.25" tanks there is a 3/4" larger gap between the tanks so any argument about an entanglement hazard is irrelevant in my opinion. Don't see a lot of 7.25" diameter doubles because of size requirements for big dives so most people go straight to tanks like LP104's/108's.

In sidemount it is also irrelevant since the tanks are fully separate.

Is it possible with 7.25" doubles and sidemount bottles to get hung up? Yes, absolutely, but you have to get the tank hung up, then twist around to wrap the line full circle above the tank boot, then try to slide it off the bottom and it will get hung up on the boot. If you do that, I'm sorry, but you deserve to get hung up and stuck there because that is seriously impressive.

A huge part of why you don't see them in cave country is the historical fact that no one had tank boots down there because of the DIR movement making people take them off. Take that 20 years later to now, and basically no one in cave country buys new tanks so there are no boots to go around.
 
A huge part of why you dont see cave boots in cave country is that they cause corrosion and have the potential to to trap line, and regular divers don't want to deal with either of those issues. Nothing to do with DIR.

CCDS had a tank around around for while that was in in terrible shape under the boot. Maybe someone has a pic of that?

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A huge part of why you don't see them in cave country is the historical fact that no one had tank boots down there because of the DIR movement making people take them off. Take that 20 years later to now, and basically no one in cave country buys new tanks so there are no boots to go around.
 
A huge part of why you dont see cave boots in cave country is that they cause corrosion and have the potential to to trap line, and regular divers don't want to deal with either of those issues. Nothing to do with DIR.

CCDS had a tank around around for while that was in in terrible shape under the boot. Maybe someone has a pic of that?

In fresh water, especially with proper maintenance I have yet to see an issue. Next time you see Paul Heinerth ask him to show you the bottom of his. The problem with corrosion is the faber tank boots, not the normal ones.

also the line trap is BS for sidemount and/or 7.25" tanks. It is real for some boots with 8" doubles, but not for 7.25" doubles or sidemount.
 
Boots are for your feet and a courtesy to boats. If you're going into an overhead they come off. There is zero benefit and significant risks to having that boot.
 
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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