What's needed to prepare a boat for diving?

[Firediver32]

When I did my boat, I started with a large pile of cash and quickly turned it into a small one. LOL. Good luck. Nothing beats diving from your own boat.

Seriously, the previous posters have it pretty much covered.

 

[The Chairman]

I have a 40' Offshore Scarab, and I am wondering what I would need to do to prepare the boat for any sort of diving. I don't exactly plan on diving on the boat very often, but often enough to prepare it.

Just sink it and it's PERFECT for diving!!!

 

[SCdiver2316]

I just started diving from my own boat this year and its worked out great and a heck of alot cheaper than the charters. My boat is a 20' center console, it has a swim platform on the right side where I installed a 4 step stainless steel fin ladder, 8' VHF antenna that I also use to fly the 20 x 24 dive flag. That gives the flag a height of about 12' above the water.
I made some custom high density foam tank holders where 2 tanks lie flat under the drivers seat and 4 in the console. I secure these with bungees and they do not move. I run a current line 50' behind the boat with a large boat fender as a float. We also deploy an 18" diameter red float with a 5LB anchor that marks the wreck , its positioned 5' feet forward of where the boat anchor is tied in. This marks the position in case the anchor comes loose so the watch on the boat knows where to go back to in case they aren't GPS fluent, it also gives us a vertical line to ascend on so we can avoid open water surfacing. However I do carry a SMB with a reel just in case.
All our dives on my boat consisted of sites within 20 miles of shore , that is the max limit I established on my boat. Any further out for me will require two motors, a bigger boat and an EPIRB.
We did probably thirty dives this summer on my boat and had no problems. I take two other divers ( 2 down 1 up & switch up after surface interval) with me and they throw me $20 each to help with gas and we have a great time. Its alot more fun than diving with 16 other people on a charter you don't know and it cost $90 less, plus we can make it to the dive site in 32 minutes from the ramp.

 

[oly5050user]

I pretty much do the same thing except for the ramp part.Mine is kept in the water at a slip.But to say it is less expensive is wrong.How much did the boat cost? The extra gas your truck uses to tow it.Insurance.Maintence.If you figure it out its usually less expensive to charter.Hell,I repowered it last year at a cost of $14,000.That alone buys alot of charter days,and I would not have to clean it down at the end of the day.

 

[SCdiver2316]

I meant its less expensive for my friends. Yes I had to buy the boat, electronics, dive ladder, Seatow package,maintenance, storage, etc, etc . I initially bought the boat for fishing but once I learned the area and got confident venturing offshore I realized we could utilize it as a pretty stable dive platform. Its true as the owner of the boat there is alot of cost involved but I really like being able to take my buddies out almost every weekend. They can go out every weekend with me or go maybe once a month with a charter. They can't afford to pay $100+ a trip to go diving, not every weekend anyway.
Its just nice to have people to help out with the fuel, we burn no more than $60 worth of fuel each trip so I base my donation fee on $1 a mile per person just for the outbound distance only.
I have friends that have larger multi engine boats that we go out with when we want to get to some of the further offshore and deeper wrecks. We went out 47 miles and we gave my buddy $50 each (4 divers) for gas/ice/bait/speargun use and we had the best dive I've ever had out of Charleston. Anyone who owns a boat that goes out with someone else usually doesn't mind throwing a little cash there way to help out.

 

[oly5050user]

Great way to go out on a dive.I do the same thing here..Have people chip for some of the expense of the day.Some bring a few dollars, some bring the beer.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

I pretty much do the same thing except for the ramp part.Mine is kept in the water at a slip.But to say it is less expensive is wrong.How much did the boat cost? The extra gas your truck uses to tow it.Insurance.Maintence.If you figure it out its usually less expensive to charter.Hell,I repowered it last year at a cost of $14,000.That alone buys alot of charter days,and I would not have to clean it down at the end of the day.

I'd agree with that. I've had my boat for 10 years, use it 70 days a year. My most
optimistic models say I've roughly broken even relative to using the charter boats, and
that's with two of us diving most of the time.

The best part of your own boat is that goes where you want to go, when you want to
go there, with who you want to go with.

 

[Ana]

I'd agree with that. I've had my boat for 10 years, use it 70 days a year. My most
optimistic models say I've roughly broken even relative to using the charter boats, and
that's with two of us diving most of the time.

The best part of your own boat is that goes where you want to go, when you want to
go there, with who you want to go with.

We use our boat a lot but can't tell for sure how many days a year, I doubt we brake even relative to using charter boats, it is also 2 divers in my case, but regardless of the price difference, it is worth each and every penny.

If nothing else I would have to add to the charter boat's money, the cost of therapy or maybe even court costs and lawyers to get me out of jail after dealing with some of the opeators in this part of Florida.

Like you said: the boat leaves when you are ready to go, no one to wait for, and only the people you want aboard. It is trully priceless.

Even taking into account the after dive maitenance is worth it. My husband and I have been fine tunning the way we do things in order to streamline the maintenance. At this point we dedicate one afternoon a month for a good all around cleaning, the rest of the days is mostly a fresh water shower that takes very little time and effort, much less than what it takes to clean the fish we may get.

The only way I would be against having your own boat is if you never had one, and you have more than half a dozen charters than you trully like, available year round in your area.
I did while I was in South Florida, had a sit on top kayak for days when I was sick of people and for the rest I made a point of not going with the same boat too many weekends in a row. But then up here in the Florida Tundra the choices went down to about zero, don't know how locals do it without a boat, not planing to find out either.

 

[c-snake]

I bet none of you have ever took off with the dive flag still flying or the ladder down have you?

I found an easy way to avoid this. I attach velcro watch straps on the ladder and the flag during storage.

While in use, I move the strap to the helm, that way when I go to start the engine I see the strap(s) and bring in the flag or ladder.

 

[Ana]

I bet none of you have ever took off with the dive flag still flying or the ladder down have you?

I found an easy way to avoid this. I attach velcro watch straps on the ladder and the flag during storage.

While in use, I move the strap to the helm, that way when I go to start the engine I see the strap(s) and bring in the flag or ladder.

The first thing we heard when we got our boat was about the ladder, my husband and I would look at each other and smile to ourselves. Do these people think we are retarded? ofcourse we will know to bring the ladder up.

We were wrong.

The second day out we had one of my kids visit, did a short dive and decided to let him drive the boat back. He tells me the boat is pulling to one side,
-no way... we respond, this is a brand new boat everything is perfect. I look back and see the biggest rooster tale I ever seen. Sure enough we left the ladder down. Fortunately there was no permanent damage, the plate that held the ladder got bent but was easily repaired.
We now have a permanent ladder with hinges, it should be up after use, but if you forget it just swivels and yes the boat would pull to the side a little but now we know immediately.

It has also become a matter of routine, among other procedures we try to remember to do a FLL after bringing up the anchor. Flag, Line and Ladder.