Nekton boats may come back!!

[pir8]

so what's happening. Everything else seems way off subject. If Deep can give us an update or tell us not going to happen.

See post #306

 

[daniel1948]

Not going to happen. Too expensive. Banks aren't lending. It's been an interesting thread, though. Clearly, there's a lot of interest in a stable dive boat. Maybe when/if the economy improves someone will build a stable boat again for diving. Probably won't be cheap, though. Stability costs money, and that's likely to translate into high cost for divers. I think Nekton, with its low prices, attracted divers who needed a stable boat, as well as divers looking for an economical trip. I think that next time a stable boat comes into the business, it's going to be for divers who need a stable boat and are willing and able to pay premium prices. If that happens before I'm too old to dive, I'll be there!

Maybe a submarine. Travel below the waves and swell. I have no idea if this would be practical. There are tourist subs that take you down to 100 feet. Of course, they have no living quarters. The whole boat is just two long benches and windows. This would probably be way too expensive, but it would solve the seasickness issue for all but the most hypersensitive.

 

[tarponchik]

So, would you give them nitrox without requiring them to be certified first in its use?

No

So maybe you just want to make it available to anyone who wants it and is properly certified for its use.

Yes

Would you prohibit dive shops from operating unless they have nitrox equipment?

No, why bother? Competition will take care of them.

And please note that even if your statement above is correct, is does not mean that nitrox is safer, because most DCS hits are non-fatal, whereas most oxygen toxicity hits are fatal. You might end up having fewer incidents but more deaths!...In sum, I think you are relying on anecdotal, rather than scientific evidence, and misinterpreting even that.

Wait a second here...did I give you the link to stats that says DCS gives more fatalities than what could be assumed to be oxygen toxicity? I did, didn't I? If you think smth is wrong with these stats please say so or find better stats, but these were the only stats we've seen so far here.

(And I presume you meant to type "oxygen toxicity" when you wrote "oxygen narcosis," because the danger from oxygen-enriched gas is toxicity. Narcosis comes from nitrogen, as much as from oxygen if not more so. To avoid narcosis you have to use a helium mixture. But that requires a lot more training than nitrox, and is more expensive.)

Yes, thank you.

Of course none of this has anything to do with the thread topic. But what the hey! The original thread topic is dead anyway.

Looks like we've got nothing to lose...;-))

 

[didi440]

Hey Kris.

Thanks for the update. I'm sorry the boats won't be coming back. I enjoyed my trips with Nekton. I thoroughly understand your decision. My husband and I are business owners, and any expansion of our businesses requires through research, due diligence and cash flow planning. It sounds like you did all of that and in the end, it just wasn't going to work.

I enjoyed sailing and diving with you. Take care.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I'm way late in this Disscussion.

My 500 psi.

1. Wait until the boats get auctioned with other assests. I think Liens etc... should be pennys on dollar by that time.

2. If you get the boat Pick a port and Run it 48-50 weeks a year (2-4 weeks a year for maintenance) . Don't transition it to another home port.

I read the verdict. Maybe if someone can pick them up for a lot less $$$ it would make sense.

 

[Shasta_man]

I speculate that the stability wasn't the main draw for customers, but rather the lower charter cost and travel cost to get to the boat. The price was always lower than others and the cost to get to the boat was cheaper and easier than flying to places in the Pacific or even other spots in the Caribbean. While you had guests that valued or even required that, I find it hard to believe that made up the majority of the customers.

 

[mike_s]

I speculate that the stability wasn't the main draw for customers, but rather the lower charter cost and travel cost to get to the boat. The price was always lower than others and the cost to get to the boat was cheaper and easier than flying to places in the Pacific or even other spots in the Caribbean. While you had guests that valued or even required that, I find it hard to believe that made up the majority of the customers.

I agree that was a lot of it.

but if you looked at their price, surcharges, etc and added them all up, it was actually cheaper to go on the nicer Aquacat boats.

a couple years ago I did a "total cost comparison" between the two boats and posted it on a thread here and without travel costs the Aquacat was cheaper overall.


Now... however, you add in that a LOT of people could drive to the Aquacat departure and not have to fly to the Bahamas, or flights into FFL were cheaper than those into Nassau for those who did fly, yes the US Departure did make it cheaper.

 

[daniel1948]

I speculate that the stability wasn't the main draw for customers, but rather the lower charter cost and travel cost to get to the boat.

If this is true, then it was a really bad business plan: Attract people with low prices after building an overly-expensive boat. If it's the low prices attracting people, then build a more conventional and cheaper boat!

I assumed it was the stability because they touted it so highly, and because that was why I sailed with them.

I agree that was a lot of it.

but if you looked at their price, surcharges, etc and added them all up, it was actually cheaper to go on the nicer Aquacat boats.

a couple years ago I did a "total cost comparison" between the two boats and posted it on a thread here and without travel costs the Aquacat was cheaper overall.

Are you sure of this? I no longer have any numbers (I'd have to dig through ancient credit-card bills) but I seem to remember the Pilot being much cheaper than Aqua Cat. I sailed on both. And I don't remember surcharges on the Pilot.

I admit it could be my memory. And I will admit I paid for nitrox on Aqua Cat but not on the Pilot. (Couldn't see paying for the low % Nekton offered.) But I seem to remember a BIG price difference. (I paid for a single cabin on both boats.)

Aqua Cat was a MUCH nicer boat with spectacular food, but it bounced around like a cork. The food on the Pilot was acceptable but nothing special, but the hydraulic dive deck on the Pilot was very nice. I'd highly recommend the Aqua Cat to anybody who does not get seasick, but not to anybody who does.

 

[mike_s]

Are you sure of this? I no longer have any numbers (I'd have to dig through ancient credit-card bills) but I seem to remember the Pilot being much cheaper than Aqua Cat. I sailed on both. And I don't remember surcharges on the Pilot.

yes I'm pretty sure of it. I posted it here in a thread a few years ago. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Now.. when I say that, I'm talking total cost. That included port fees, fuel surcharges, nitrox fees, etc. and at the time, Aquacat for example was $150 on Nitrox and Nekton was $250 on nitrox. Then you had all those port/security fees here that were higher than on the Aquacat (or included differently).

I'll see if I can dig up that old post today.

it wasn't much difference in total, but I just did it to show that the lower initial cost of the Nekton didn't mean it was cheaper overall once you included all prices/fees and add on's.

 

[daniel1948]

Well, that's interesting. I didn't notice it when I sailed with them, but maybe I wasn't paying attention because price was not the deciding factor for me. And I didn't buy the nitrox on the Pilot because I didn't think the low level of enrichment was worth it.

FWIW, we had steel 100's on the Pilot, so they did give us more air on every dive, which translates to more bottom time if you stay shallow enough that you don't bump into your no-deco limit. And they imposed no time limits on the dives as long as we were back on the boat before the dive deck closed. So there was the potential for more dive time. (I only made 2 or 3 dives a day, but there were folks who made 5 dives every day.)

And total cost really should include travel to the boat, though of course that depends on where you are.