Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

MNDiver · 09-13-2006, 04:21 PM,

For you scooter savvy folks.Â Â

Assuming that I actually implement my idea of using a scooter for ice diving, what makes one scooter better than another.Â Also, how much scooter is enough. Some of them get to be many thousland dollars and others are a few hundred bucks.Â For ice diving I would not take it much past 30' or so.Â I am sure I would use it in the off season for Superior and the like but not much deeper than 100'.Â So what should I look for in a scooter?Â What features are of value and worth the extra $$ and which are not.Â I am SURE it will not be used for cave diving, if that helps narrow it down.

Also, if you have purchased one, and were to do it all over again, where would you get the scooter?

Thanks again.....

josh b. · 09-13-2006, 04:27 PM,

Hey MNDiver, try talking to Fred or Jon in the freediving section, I think they know a bunch on scooters...

Good luck
JOSH

LKunze · (This post was last modified: 09-13-2006, 07:44 PM by LKunze.)

If I were to ever buy a scooter I'd look at the X-Scooter. They are not cheap but are very nice. They are also more compact and lighter than say an SS or a Gavin and they use NiMH battery packs.

A cheaper option would be a Torpedo scooter. Jean on the board here has one I believe. I've tried one of these and it seemed to be a decent entry level scooter and wasn't overly heavy but also didn't seem like a cheap toy like some of the other lower priced scooters out there. I haven't seen too many local divers with scooters but they are a lot of fun and would allow you to cover more area on your dives and get to more dive sites easily. Unfortunately a scooter is just not in my budget right now but some day I'd like to get one.

**freedivernd** · 09-14-2006, 06:28 AM,

my brother just sold his yellow seadoo scooter for $25. at a garage sale... says what that one was worth. His silver seadoo is a lot of fun and they're very reasonable. they are a hoot while freediving but with scuba gear on I don't know how they'd perform. riding the scooter is the one time I wish I could hands free equalize. Kind of a nuisance to run the throttle with an elbow while equalizing with that hand and steering with the other. Realize that while freediving on a fast descent with the scooter means that you're equalizing constantly (and no tank of air to back up those equalizations)

eelpout · 09-14-2006, 06:40 AM,

Shopping for a scooter is like shopping for a car. You can get a compact car to save gas, buy a pick up to haul gear, buy a van to haul gear and people. As the original poster was looking for suggestions on scooters that would work for recreational depths. Try looking at the scooter that TUSA , Apollo or Scubapro make. They cost around $2000 and can get you down to 200 feet.

For Openwater and compactness, the x-scooter would be a good choice. The x-scooter is lighter than the Gavins and SS scooters. They are also more complicated to fix if you have a problem with them.

If I was looking for a Technical Diving (deeper than 130')scooter for Openwater and want to fly around with it, I would look at the X-scooter or a Gavin mini. If you want to go deeper and have no chance to Â have access to repair, and charging facilities I would look at a Gavin or SS. Although Â buying extra battery packs are an option for any of the scooters.

Our team owns 5 Gavins and 1 x-scooter. Most of the Gavin Owners plan to dive their scooters in caves in the future.

Freedive WI · 09-14-2006, 07:35 AM,

I've owned an Apollo scooter for close to 10 years now and really love it for freediivng- it worked OK for wreck diving but has a bit of a depth limitation for that kind of stuff- I wouldn't want to take it much past 200' as it's only rated for 165'.

My father-in-law, whom I often work/dive with owned a Farallon for 20 years and has since upgraded to a Gavin. I've tried both and I still like my Apollo best for freediving. The reason is that it weighs a LOT less and I can switch out the batteries in less than a minute- try doing that on a Gavin!

I wear a belt/crotch strap with a scooter ring for freediving and had one built into my harness for scuba diving. This allows me to equalize with one hand while flying the scooter full blast while freediving- you wouldn't believe how much faster the scooter goes with out a tank on!

I usually use my scooter for wreck diving and like to switch out the battery while we switch wrecks during the surface interval. I can switch it out in, literally, less than a minute and be ready to go on the next wreck long before we get there.

I know of a freediver on the west coast who just bought a Dive-X scooter and loves it- especially the light weight. If I had the cash that is what I would buy next.

I have used the scooter that Fred's brother bought and wouldn't want to use them for scuba diving, they barely had enough power for freediving when compared to a "real" scooter. They are cheap, though I bet you could pickup a Dacor/Apollo for less than $800 on Ebay from what I've seen.

Farallon's are fast, but way too bulky. I know that Kirk Krack did some 500' Trimix wall dives down in Cayman with them before he switched over to freediving. Once he started freediving he took them down, while freediving, to depths in the 260' range so they are certainly proven for the deep stuff. Incidentally, Kirk bent the crap out of himself while freediving with a scooter to that depth so you need to be careful when combining freediving and scooters.

One other note. After extensive talks with Kirk I started to carry a Spare Air bottle with me while freediving with my scooter. I know I can freedive past 100', but if my scooter floods in the middle of a dive like that I want to have an extra breath to make it back up. I would never condone using such a small bottle for scuba diving, but for freediving it's a nice little back up- which I have never had to use.

Jon

SDT · 09-29-2006, 04:14 PM,

Hands down, the best scooter on the market is the Silent Submersion. You will however pay for the quality. These scooter run around $3600. They are definitely the Harley of underwater scooters. If you scared off by the price tag, the torpedo is probably your best bang for the buck. It has ample speed, burn time, and it has a depth rating of 170 feet. These run around $1000 new. I have two used units for $499 each if you are interested.

Richard Dreher
612-508-4469
richard@superiordivetraining.com

Freedive WI · 09-29-2006, 05:28 PM,

So what makes the S.S. scooter better than a Gavin, Farallon, Dive-X, or Diverite?

Jon

SDT · 09-30-2006, 11:29 AM,

I definitely like the motorcycle style switch for the SS over the Gavin, but I think the Gavin is also a great scooter. The customer service for SS is also great. Rodney and Suzie definitely make sure you are happy with your equipment and stand behind their product. As for the farrallon, I have owned two of these and had nothing but problems with the circuit boards. I haven't dove the Dive X, but the fact that I have never encountered one of these at a dive site may say something. I would really like to get my hands on one to try it out. I dont even want to get started on the dive rite arrow. Is it even in production anymore??????

MNDiver · 10-14-2006, 07:19 PM,

Thanks everyone for their feedback.Â It has been pretty informative.Â

And yes, the Silent Submersion price is scary.Â But if it is the best, then it is proably worth it.Â I looked at the Torpedo and ...well...er... IMHO it seemed cheap.Â The switch was pretty weak design.Â Since winter in approaching and I can always find more camera gear to buy, I am going to hold off for now.Â

If anyone has a Silent Submersion and is in the area, I wouldÂ love to give one a try, particularly ice diving.Â I will cut the hole and bring the rest of the gear if you bring the scooter!