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Northern Atlantic: New England States An area for the cold water divers of the New England States.

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Old 12-11-2011, 12:10 AM   #1
spearoscott
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Dive boat options? what do you use???

I have a 23' boat with a cuddy and I am looking for a small boat to trailer. I think 17-20' is max what I want. I have thought about a C.C. but not sure if I want a V-hull or a flat bottom knowing that I will be going into shallow areas with rocks I don’t want to bottom out or have a hard time pulling it from the shore if we beach it. I have looked at a few inflatable and I think that’s what I really want but they are more then I want to spend. It would be a used boat, nothing nice at all. I want to be able to beat it and not feel bad. It would have to hold 3 divers and gear.

If anyone has had experience with the Avon hard or soft bottom and could comment on the durability of the soft bottom or if they make good dive boats that would be helpful. Some info says they only last 20 years and then brake down and don’t hold air??

what do you like to dive from in coves and shallow water?

Thanks, Scott
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Old 12-11-2011, 05:35 AM   #2
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

find a Triumph or Logic 15 or17 either CC DC or tiller. there a Roplene plastic boat and are though as they get. I have a 1700 skiff that I love and dive it all the time.
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Old 12-11-2011, 08:00 AM   #3
Kevin Sheets
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

You can get a used Carolina Skiff with boat, motor and trailer for 5k or less. They are durable and take a beating (ask my dive buddies). The flat bottom boats ride rough, my next boat will a V hull. The problem with a small boat and hauling more than two divers is the weight, it can easily exceed the boat's design with the gear included. You will need a motor big enough to get on plane and handle the load. I would get at least a 50 hp. My boat is 16 ft with a 30 hp Mercury. If I was to repower, I'd go with a 50 hp Evinrude Etech or Honda 50. The 30hp Merc 4 stroke is great on gas, but I can't take more than one other diver with me.

If you are just diving around the bay, a 17 -19 ft Roemarine or Carolina Skiff will work fine.

Keith Richardson got a nice inflatable at West Marine for a decent price but I think the ride is rougher than mine. The inflatables are not cheap.



http://http://newlondon.craigslist.o...687462428.html

Last edited by Kevin Sheets; 12-11-2011 at 08:10 AM.
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Old 12-11-2011, 10:21 AM   #4
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

1. V bottom or flat bottom means little when it comes to grounding.
The V bottom will cut waves whereas the flat bottom will pound.
The flat bottom will give more lateral stability, ( less " tippy")
Google " deadrise "

2, The trailer is the key to launch/retrieve. A roller trailer is the best.

3. A Carolina skiff will give you the most payload for it's size. Look for the DLV model. If I remember correctly, a 19 CS is rated for 1100 lbs.

4. The Logic suggested above is a stable, well mad boat but it is heavy and difficult to repair.

5. Imho, your best value is to buy a boat without a motor ( or with a piece of crap) but a good hull and re power it. For what you want to do, you can get away with a smaller, tiller steered motor. A tiller steered motor needs optional steering hydraulics above about 40 hp.

6. Most center console boats in the 17-19 range have the console located so that there is not a lot of open cockpit space making it crowded for divers.
With a tiller steered boat, the area forward of the steering seat is open.

7. I have owned a couple of small inflatables . All I can say about them is that RIB's are the only way to go.

8. I have used boats in the 19 - 21 range in RI and have no problems getting into rocky areas. The problem is that the outboard protrudes below the hull. Fiberglass is cheap, lower units are not.

9. The biggest worry is anchoring in rocks and leaving your boat unattended. Way too much to talk about now.

Current boats : 22 Hydrasports Vector 22 cc 250 hp Yamaha 2009 "Breathless Again"
13 Boston Whaler 1987 40 HP 2000 Yamaha
"Gasp" Project boat almost done
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Old 12-11-2011, 10:43 AM   #5
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

A separate thought gets a separate reply.

I have been thinking about a rebuild in that size range for a while. Trailering a 21 ft boat between FL and RI was getting to me. For me, a rebuild is not a restoration, but the most inexpensive way of getting a decent looking and useful boat. Maybe this will give you something to think about.

A Boston Whaler Montauk built after 1981, when they changed to a better hull design. A rebuildable trailer. No motor or a piece of crap that the seller knows is a piece of crap.
Strip out the hull. Fill interior holes with Marine Tex. Sand interior and exterior.
Paint with Gorilla Grip. non skid interior, smooth exterior. Hull is done.
Power with 90 HP 4 stroke. Rewire boat. Replace steering cable and helm.
Rebuild trailer as needed.

The most important thing to do is to find a place to hide it from your wife.
"Not another f#$king boat !!"
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Old 12-11-2011, 01:47 PM   #6
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

I agree a used good condition hull with a new motor is a good way to go. Trailers can be rebuilt and cleaned up.
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Old 12-11-2011, 03:19 PM   #7
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Sheets View Post
You can get a used Carolina Skiff with boat, motor and trailer for 5k or less. They are durable and take a beating (ask my dive buddies). The flat bottom boats ride rough, my next boat will a V hull. The problem with a small boat and hauling more than two divers is the weight, it can easily exceed the boat's design with the gear included. You will need a motor big enough to get on plane and handle the load. I would get at least a 50 hp. My boat is 16 ft with a 30 hp Mercury. If I was to repower, I'd go with a 50 hp Evinrude Etech or Honda 50. The 30hp Merc 4 stroke is great on gas, but I can't take more than one other diver with me.

If you are just diving around the bay, a 17 -19 ft Roemarine or Carolina Skiff will work fine.

Keith Richardson got a nice inflatable at West Marine for a decent price but I think the ride is rougher than mine. The inflatables are not cheap.



http://http://newlondon.craigslist.o...687462428.html
X2 on Keith's boat! I dove with him this year on it and it is a very nice inflatable.
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Old 12-11-2011, 03:50 PM   #8
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

If the boat is a fiberglass boat and not an inflatable then it will be very used when I get it and I wont buy one with an engine on it. I have a few engine options here so I dont need one.

I dont mind a rough ride from a flat bottom as I remember my old tri hull was very stable in rough water compared to my 14' v-hull duck boat that I won't take out of a river.

Because my 23' boat takes all my money I am looking for a boat in the few to five hundred range, not something nice. I found a 13' avon that says it will hold 1100 lbs and a 40hp engine, problem is 1 can I put my 3 divers and gear in it? and the bigger problem is online some sites say they only last 20 years and this one was built in 1990. I dont mind a beat boat but sinking isnt my goal. I have a honda 50 that will power this awesome too.the avon is a soft bottom and inflatable keel, dont know what that means for rubn' rocks

thanks!
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Old 12-11-2011, 04:30 PM   #9
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

My 1700 skiff is rated for 8 people or 1900lb,I have dove 6 on this boat and had no problems although 5 is the best 30mph wot 1-2chop.I have yet to crack it despite trying. PM me with questions. Triumph boats are sweet and will runover alot before you need to worry about welding them.
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Old 12-11-2011, 05:08 PM   #10
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

Quote:
Originally Posted by spearoscott View Post
If the boat is a fiberglass boat and not an inflatable then it will be very used when I get it and I wont buy one with an engine on it. I have a few engine options here so I dont need one.

I dont mind a rough ride from a flat bottom as I remember my old tri hull was very stable in rough water compared to my 14' v-hull duck boat that I won't take out of a river.

Because my 23' boat takes all my money I am looking for a boat in the few to five hundred range, not something nice. I found a 13' avon that says it will hold 1100 lbs and a 40hp engine, problem is 1 can I put my 3 divers and gear in it? and the bigger problem is online some sites say they only last 20 years and this one was built in 1990. I dont mind a beat boat but sinking isnt my goal. I have a honda 50 that will power this awesome too.the avon is a soft bottom and inflatable keel, dont know what that means for rubn' rocks

thanks!
It's the UV that kills inflatable boats. They have a short life in tropical areas for that reason. A 13 Avon soft bottom ( removable floor boards ? ) could have spent a lot of time deflated inside. As long as the Hypalon is not cracked, it could be good. An Avon has enough chambers to get you home even if one deflates.

The inflatable keel is to help with tracking and is not that important to buoyancy,

There were a couple of CT tech divers who would take one of those out to the U853 almost every weekend carrying doubles, stage bottles etc, so it has plenty of room.

Does your Honda steer with a tiller ? I thought that 35 was the max.
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Old 12-11-2011, 06:24 PM   #11
Kevin Sheets
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

If you have a Honda 50 look on Craig's list for a used Carolina Skiff 17 to 16 ft. You should be able to find something. The CF by the way is unsinkable, you can literally cot a hole in the bottom. Rocks and crap will ding up the gelcoat, but that's fixable. I use two anchors and get as close as I want to the rocks etc. Lower ends though and props don't like rocks, so a bit of caution is warranted. The CF is light too, easy to trailer and load. I have literally pulled mine up on the trailer and loaded with just the winch, the water was not up to the bunks.
Gabe and I have had the pleasure of walking back along the shoreline along Burma road towing the boat back to the ramp for 2 miles.
I like the Carolina Skiff for diving along the shore and reefs.
Kevin
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Old 12-11-2011, 06:44 PM   #12
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

I've been looking for a cheap CC Carolina skiff for awhile now. She'll come up eventually.
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Old 12-11-2011, 07:01 PM   #13
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

Quote:
Originally Posted by gillotine View Post
It's the UV that kills inflatable boats. They have a short life in tropical areas for that reason. A 13 Avon soft bottom ( removable floor boards ? ) could have spent a lot of time deflated inside. As long as the Hypalon is not cracked, it could be good. An Avon has enough chambers to get you home even if one deflates.

The inflatable keel is to help with tracking and is not that important to buoyancy,

There were a couple of CT tech divers who would take one of those out to the U853 almost every weekend carrying doubles, stage bottles etc, so it has plenty of room.

Does your Honda steer with a tiller ? I thought that 35 was the max.
It has aluminum floor boards removable. No my Honda is not a tiller but the Avon has a post to hold controls . I am one of those people who will just figure something out anyway. I can make just about anything. I might rethink the Avon, you have a good point about how much time it would have really seen sunlight up here rolled up all winter. I will try to find out more about how to gauge the life left on the inflatable material
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Old 12-12-2011, 01:28 PM   #14
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

If you don't care about being pounded to sh*t , the Carolina Skiff is the way to go. That being said, you get pounded in chop. not the waves with longer periods that you find on the RI coast.
I had a 19DLV with 90 Yam 4 stroke that killed me in the bay when the tide was running against the wind but went over the waves like a cork when I got outside. I launched it from a bunk trailer off the beach at Clark's Boatyard in Jamestown. A feat possible only with a boat that light.

In the rocks, anchoring is the key. A Danforth in rocks is a donation to the sea gods and a breakaway grapnel can do just that when the afternoon sea breeze kicks in.

With the right anchoring system, there is no reason why you can't use your 23 in close. It probably draws 16" with the motor up and 30" with it down. If you move slowly and have an aluminum prop, nothing horrible should happen. Just trim the motor up a bit.
Pick your spot. anchor in deep water and scout the area for hazards. Next time, anchor in closer. If you stay aware of how changes in the current and wind will effect your boat, you will be OK.
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Old 12-12-2011, 02:04 PM   #15
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Re: Dive boat options? what do you use???

I got an old Galaxie bowrider 20ft. from 1979. The Chrysler (also original) outboard 140 horse is original and is as angry as an old muscle car. Holds 5 freedivers/ 4 scuba with gear comfortably. It ain't pretty but gets the job done. (Attached) Cost me $450

Only reason I am putting my 2 cheap cents in is because you can spend alot if you want on a boat, or very little. - As long as its safe. The skiffs are probably easier to launch than mine. But the deeper V makes it easier if you're caught in any weather - which this one has.

Just make sure YOU are happy with your choice and not on just practicality.
Best Wishes and Happy Hunting

Greg
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