budget friendly DPV: Suex 7Seven conversion

[Leto]

Hi Guys / Girls,

I hope you can help me this. I'm looking for a 'budget friendly' DPV for my REC dives around 2,5 hours in drysuit with doubles (D12/AL80's). It's not about getting somewhere fast but just to cruise the reefs without kicking. I'm not going to fly with the DPV but I don't like carrying 100LBS around.

Suex has just released a new model, the 7Seven, retail is about $2000 here in Europe.

Cruise 45M/150ft per min for 75 min *
Top: 60m/200f per min for 60 min *
Thrust: 185N / 42LBS
Lead acid battery: 24V 15A = 360WH. Weight 7.5KG
Weight with battery: 19kg / 42LBS

* Wetsuit diver with a single 12L / AL80 tank.

I was thinking about replacing the SLA battery with a PING 24V / 30AH LIFEPO4 battery (~500$) doubling the cruise time to 150 min. The PING battery weights 6.8 KG so I would need to add 0.7 KG in lead.

Do you think this would be a sensible conversion or would there be a better alternative? Would the amount of thrust be enough to pull me around (wetsuit vs drysuit/doubles) at acceptable speed?

Thanks!

 

[Jack Hammer]

No experience with your model. I put a Ping battery in my older Dive Xtras Sierra a few years back. The Ping battery is nice and has performed well. They are rectangular in shape not cylindrical, so trimming a scooter can be difficult or in my case impossible. Modifications were needed to make it fit due to length. Also the 24v battery is 25.9v (IIRC), be sure your scooter motor is fine on the high speeds to not overheat. He can make a battery one cell voltage lower, 21v nominal (22.?v) that will perform closer to a lead acid under load. Overall I'm happy with mine. If I were starting over I would go with the lower voltage and possibly less AH to allow trimming and better fitment.