Scuba Gear for Basic Boat Maintenance

[silverheels3]

OK just so you know we're not snowing you on this. The thing is that at anchor in grenada the current sweeps most of the shrimp away. We scrape the bottom by positioning our bodies up current. My wife is the certified diver and she just quipped, "Females usually have less body hair so she gets away with it." Honestly...I just snorkel around the hull, scraping from the boot down as far as I can reach easily...I'm either just wearing a bating suit or most often nothing at all. guess the shrimp in the shots above are more extreme than what we get in or latitudes. Nevertheless I'mm telling the truth here and take it as I've related here folks. We're not in the habit of fabricating fast answers on forums such as this. We don't usually post here or on FB as some folks just like to shoot from the hip with unwarranted criticism ya know? Have a great summer. We'll be back in Grenada by August and cleaning the boat too before cruising northward toward Antigua/Barbuda and Montserrat again this winter (in colder water...brrrr) ;-)

[StuM]

Don't see those shrimp or anything like them when cleaning the hull in this part of the world either.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by StuM

Don't see those shrimp or anything like them when cleaning the hull in this part of the world either.

I reread the post, and realized SH's saying they have those pesky shrimp to a lesser degree but in the current they don't stick to a smooth slick sleek sunscreened, toned tanned naturist Canadian female certified diver. Probably the Canadian aspect, eh?

I am curious about the bottom paint. 4 years in the tropics is outstanding. Whatcha using? How many coats of ablative? Tbt? How long between cleanings?

[silverheels3]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

I reread the post, and realized SH's saying they have those pesky shrimp to a lesser degree but in the current they don't stick to a smooth slick sleek sunscreened, toned tanned naturist Canadian female certified diver. Probably the Canadian aspect, eh?

I am curious about the bottom paint. 4 years in the tropics is outstanding. Whatcha using? How many coats of ablative? Tbt? How long between cleanings?

LOL from my 6'2" blonde wife of Dutch heritage!!!

We're using Vivid Caribe 3 coats in white so you can see the barnacles and mussels under the hull very plainly. We scrape the waterline and down 3 ft a couple of times a week during my morning swims. The SCUBA accessible lower portion is done every month or so...depending on which island we're anchored at and the strength of the currents etc. Granted, the antifouling is thin now and we plan to haul this summer for sure. Still....3-4 years is pretty good. Tin is available in Grenada and Trinidad but we'll recoat with a semi- hard ablative...Seahawk 44 in on our shopping list. The bootstripe will come down a few inches as we've lightened ship of much of the "Stuff" that we loaded the boat up with in Toronto before shoving off in 2008. Unlike the more isolated communities of Bahamas,groceries are easy to find in Eastern Caribbean so we don't need to haul 4 bottles of heinz ketchup and 24 cans of Bushes Brown beans etc like we used to. Sodastream sounded like a good alternative to carrying soda cans but the syrup and CO2 refills are problematical in Caribbean. Local beer and soda in cans is universally available.
Sorry for the subject change...just explaining the reversal of the bootstripe location. most folks raise it....ours is being lowered. :-)

[stnick]

Had the same problem on a old 28 Sabre . The crab pot chain, broke the strut .
After the replacement i installed a cutter on the shaft.
Though a cutter will not stop chain it wii cut thru rope and you'll never know !
Thats a good thing..

[jhthorpe85718]

I'm a diver too....I carry a very lightweight scubapro lite hawk...I put it in my carryon and put the weights in my pockets. I agree with your assessment about a small pony tank....I would just get a small pony that's not heavy, if it can go into the strap on the scuba pro and an inexpensive regulator, a few weights (so your not fighting getting down....

Off you go...it's a great idea. and you can use it to clean your bottom and change your zincs...

[frank_f]

Originally Posted by jhthorpe85718

I'm a diver too....I carry a very lightweight scubapro lite hawk...I put it in my carryon and put the weights in my pockets. I agree with your assessment about a small pony tank....I would just get a small pony that's not heavy, if it can go into the strap on the scuba pro and an inexpensive regulator, a few weights (so your not fighting getting down....

Off you go...it's a great idea. and you can use it to clean your bottom and change your zincs...

How are you doing that?

The airlines are allowing you compressed gas and free weights on board in the cabin?

You were damned near cuffed and strip searched if you were carrying a pair of fingernail trimmers. I don't fly much anymore so have the laws been relaxed?

[hellosailor]

frank, the TSA does not allow any sealed tanks or compressed gas tanks, but if the valve is removed the tank can be carried, empty and open.

It is still always the inspecting agent's discretion to allow or deny the carriage of anything that might be used as a cudgel, and that includes anything you could use on someone's head.

They have relaxed some rules and they still argue over others but the TSA's position is very simple: The inspecting agent has full, final, and unquestioned discretion and they never ever reverse that decision, as a matter of unwritten policy.

[pbiJim]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

the TSA's position is very simple: The inspecting agent has full, final, and unquestioned discretion and they never ever reverse that decision, as a matter of unwritten policy.

This is consistent with what I have seen. Even when the inspector's made-up rules are directly in conflict with the written instructions on the TSA website or CFR regulations, the officer's whim of the day is what they go by. Fortunately, these days, I only see them go badly off the books once in a great while.

I too have flown with tanks that had the valve removed. Anything bigger than a "Spare Air" has always been checked, not carried on. I don't know if that is the rule. It's just what I did. Any time I pull the valve, I bring spare O-rings.

[hellosailor]

Whim of the day. I like that!

I wonder, if you brought a big bottle of good booze, well exceeding three ounces, just how long it would stay in the discard bin until someone took it home.

[crazyoldboatguy]

Someone had posted earlier that a commercial diver he knows recommended against using the hookah dive gadgets as the oil from the compressor is dangerous and harmful. When I looked up these gadgets, and the "off the shelf" tankless compressors they used, they all refer to "oil-less compressors". So, I am curious - where does the oil come from?

I am intrigued by these devices, which have been around for decades. I have never heard of folks being injured when using them correctly. I would bet if someone had been injured, these products would have disappeared from the market after all the lawsuits were filed. I didn't have the time to go back over the 8 pages of comments so hoped the writer would recognize the post and comment. I certainly want to know more before I buy or make one of these gadgets. Thanks

[rcontrera]

Hookah is basically a low pressure compressor, filtration, hose and a regulator. Some come with a reserve tank to supply enough air to give the diver a chance to come up safely if the compressor quits and some don't. Both lubricated and oil-less compressors have been used.

The most important part of the system is the filtration. Compressing air builds moisture in the line and, if oil lubricated, a little oil as well ... oh, and any wear products from the compressor. The filtration will include a mechanical separator that "knocks" the liquids/solids loose and collects them fro removal as well as a chemical filter matrix to scrub the air of any remaining moisture, oil, taste or odor. Some even include a chemical that scrubs deadly Carbon Monoxide.

So, even if you are using a cheap air tool compressor, invest in a good filter system.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

Someone had posted earlier that a commercial diver he knows recommended against using the hookah dive gadgets as the oil from the compressor is dangerous and harmful. When I looked up these gadgets, and the "off the shelf" tankless compressors they used, they all refer to "oil-less compressors". So, I am curious - where does the oil come from?

I am intrigued by these devices, which have been around for decades. I have never heard of folks being injured when using them correctly. I would bet if someone had been injured, these products would have disappeared from the market after all the lawsuits were filed. I didn't have the time to go back over the 8 pages of comments so hoped the writer would recognize the post and comment. I certainly want to know more before I buy or make one of these gadgets. Thanks

There are two types of compressors you can buy- those that are oil-lubricated (typically used to run pneumatic tools) and those that are not, or "oil-less" compressors. For the purposes we are discussing, you only ever want to use an oil-less compressor. There is no oil in a hookah system based on an oil-less compressor and while I don't personally recommend using them, virtually any low-end, off-the-shelf oil-less compressor from Home Depot etc. is probably going to be safe to use. It is also critical (when putting together your own system) that you use breathing hose specifically designed for that purpose, typically known as "Grade E" breathing hose. Never use pneumatic tool hose to breathe through.

[crazyoldboatguy]

I appreciate the responses - I knew the need for filtration is there, oil-less compressor or not. The rest of posts here are also clear on the need for the right grade hose.

I wonder if the commercial diver a previous poster referred to had assumed that a compressor used in a hookah had some oil involved.

Still not convinced re the use of the hookah. It seems that all the parts are off the shelf - pretty much anyone could put one together for much less than a company would charge. The only thing missing would be the cleavage.

I have several tanks that I would take but am concerned about what to do to get them refilled if I am far from a refill station. I don't really want to use up the tankage on a hull clean and leave nothing for the clams.

[Downline]

Originally Posted by crazyoldboatguy

Someone had posted earlier that a commercial diver he knows recommended against using the hookah dive gadgets as the oil from the compressor is dangerous and harmful. When I looked up these gadgets, and the "off the shelf" tankless compressors they used, they all refer to "oil-less compressors". So, I am curious - where does the oil come from?

I am intrigued by these devices, which have been around for decades. I have never heard of folks being injured when using them correctly. I would bet if someone had been injured, these products would have disappeared from the market after all the lawsuits were filed. I didn't have the time to go back over the 8 pages of comments so hoped the writer would recognize the post and comment. I certainly want to know more before I buy or make one of these gadgets. Thanks

Most compressors use oil. All the High pressure compressors that are used to fill scuba tanks use oil. The oil is not the same oil that you put in your vehicle. All of these compressors use filters (or should use filters) to separate the water and oil from the air.
Some of the comments that I've seen makes me wonder if the person making the comment is really a commercial diver.
I've seen some very nice designs from some diamond divers on South Africa's West Coast. They make the frame from stainless steel tubing. This frame also do duty as the buffer tank.