What makes a good dive boat?

[Charters2dive4]

A lift would be great. I will look into it. If any one has any more pics of lifts for diving id like to see them.

 

[Necklinsberg]

Good, complete pre-dive briefing. One that is both interesting and informative and is not done in a monotone since the DM has been diving this same site 2 or 3 times a week for years. [flip side of course is that the divers actually listen and participate in the briefing and aren't scattered all over the boat getting ready]

Positive check-out / check-in system for divers, such was DAN's colored clip on tags.

Suspended trapeze at 15 ft for safety stop so divers aren't crowding a line

 

[Akimbo]

A lift would be great. I will look into it. If any one has any more pics of lifts for diving id like to see them.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/north-carolina/384275-hatteras-under-pressure.html

JT'S NEW LIFT PLATFORM 5-1-11 - YouTube

Beowulf diver recovery - YouTube

God's Pocket Resort - Boat Elevator - YouTube

Dive Boats in Weymouth

Diver Lift - YouTube

diver lift 2 - YouTube

Diver on lift Jacob George - YouTube

blue turtle ailsa craig - YouTube

Loyal Watcher - the new diver lift - YouTube

New Brazen Hussy - YouTube

Not the Scillies - YouTube

Rossendale sac scapa flow 2010 - YouTube

Scapa Flow Diving Holidays - YouTube

U12 - Uboat found off Eyemouth - YouTube

 

[Ayisha]

Another type of non-electronic lift like on the Joseph Simon in Tobermory was one in Cozumel (I believe it was one of the Aqua Safari boats I was on -not sure if this is it). Just sit on it and a crew member easily winds it up to the deck:

 

[Hickdive]

It might make you unique in the US, but in the UK dive lifts are pretty ubiquitous due to health and safety regs. One of the relatively few times when it is a good thing to be a pampered European.

There's no UK or EU H&S reg that I am aware of that requires boats to be fitted with diver lifts.

The ubiquity is down to being competitive as people will charter a boat with a lift in preference to one without.

It is increasingly rare to find boats without them and those tend to be in areas with a single boat operating and no competition.

A good example is Scapa where until a few years ago there weren't any lifts then one skipper got one installed and within a season just about everyone had them.

For single-cylinder wetsuit divers they aren't really necessary but in the UK where drysuits are near universal and twinsets/rebreathers with bail outs and deco cylinders are entirely normal they make an enormous difference to diver safety and comfort.

There is another advantage. Heavily laden divers on a ladder can take quite a while to recover and since UK boats are almost always operated as live boats it reduces the amount of time the boat is simply drifting, unable to monitor other divers or move to pick them up. Before lifts I spent more than enough time floating, waiting to be picked up, watching and willing a distant figure to "get up that f***ing ladder, ffs!".

 

[Wingy]

Please dont shoot me for ignorance but ..... prop guards?....are they mandatory in the US? Quickest way to lose a customer who travelled a long way to provide them with a boat that requires a backwards roll entry with a close up prop view.

Ive never ever seen a boat with a lift, but after having fallen asleep on the surface waiting for three people to haul a very large woman up onto a boat...id say they sound like a good idea.

 

[Hickdive]

Please dont shoot me for ignorance but ..... prop guards?....are they mandatory in the US? Quickest way to lose a customer who travelled a long way to provide them with a boat that requires a backwards roll entry with a close up prop view.

Ive never ever seen a boat with a lift, but after having fallen asleep on the surface waiting for three people to haul a very large woman up onto a boat...id say they sound like a good idea.

Don't know about the US but I can't remember the last time I saw a boat with a prop guard. I jump off hardboats or backward roll off RIBs without a moments thought because the skipper or cox'n would have to be a drooling incompetent to have to the prop engaged when deploying or retrieving divers. The Loyal Watcher video linked to in post #33 shows how a hardboat comes alongside a diver. Good skippers don't need you to fin more than a handful of strokes to reach the ladder or lift.

 

[Akimbo]

Another type of non-electronic lift like on the Joseph Simon in Tobermory was one in Cozumel…

By non-electric do you mean unpowered? How does that work? Or are you talking about a submerged platform at the base of the ladder? That is not a lift, but an improvement over a bare ladder for sure.

One common denominator seems to be the depth of the lift or submerged platform at around -4'/1200mm. Is that consistent with everyone else’s experience?

---------- Post added March 31st, 2013 at 08:29 AM ----------

Don't know about the US but I can't remember the last time I saw a boat with a prop guard...

Prop guards are pretty rare because they really hurt efficiency. Kort nozzles are pretty common on medium size vessels (100-400') that cruse in the 10-12 knot range, but aren’t true prop guards — but do help efficiency at lower speeds and “probably” reduce whale injuries.

Jet boats are probably the best for maneuvering around divers, but also have an efficiency penalty.

---------- Post added March 31st, 2013 at 08:31 AM ----------

New subject: Here is an inexpensive boat feature I like. A mirror so the diver can check for hair and hood edges in their mask. It is also nice for booger checks after the dive.

 

[Ayisha]

Hi Akimbo, I have no understanding of engineering or electronics at all. All I recall is that we sit on the platform and they have a wheel that they wind that rolls up (and down) the platform. When a diver gets to the boat, the platform is down, the crew is watching bubbles, the diver sits on it, and it goes up. When the platform is up, you can giant stride or do a seated entry, even if someone else is getting unkitted on the other half. It's been several years since I was on the local one, which is used mainly for students. I remember hearing the motor on one of the platforms, but the other seemed to be manual power, but it didn't look too difficult.

The lifts that I have seen do seem to be at least 3 feet or so.

 

[Akimbo]

…All I recall is that we sit on the platform and they have a wheel that they wind that rolls up (and down) the platform. When a diver gets to the boat, the platform is down, the crew is watching bubbles, the diver sits on it, and it goes up. When the platform is up, you can giant stride or do a seated entry, even if someone else is getting unkitted on the other half….

Interesting. I suppose you can use a counterweight or torsion spring for the weight of the platform and rails then the manual winch/crank would only be the weight of the diver and gear. A simple boat trailer winch like this one wouldn’t be bad for a single recreational diver.



BTW, this is a really beautiful winch in stainless. TRAILER WINCH 1600LB DUAL S.S. - seasense

http://www.amazon.com/Seasense-Stai...r=8-6&keywords=seasense+stainless+steel+winch