Underwater Scooter - DPV's

[cweimaraner]

Has anyone tried the Seadoo Sea Scooter? I see that it has a 30' depth rating. Wondering if one could modify it to allow deeper dives! Possibly 80-100' would be enough.

Thanks!
Jim

[tbrown]

Just out of curiosity, how much are these units going for. Seems like at 30' max, these are a bit limited for diving.

[cweimaraner]

That's the catch. They say Diving and snorkeling, but at 30'......

Units brand new are available for around $350.00. I think it would be worth getting one and seeing if you can modify it for deeper depths.

Jim

[tbrown]

Normaly I would not suggest this, but if you are thinking of doing serious modification to a scooter, why not just build your own. There are plans availible from many sites (pretty much look like the same unit) where you can build your own scooter for about $150 (out of trolling motor and motorcycle battery) and is rated to 90 ft. Never had the guts to do this myself, but it seems trying to modify one would be the most expensive and possibly the least functional. Just food for thought.

[Richie]

You might have seen my recent DPV post, but I'm in the process of building one myself. If you'd like we can toss ideas around...

Richie

[cweimaraner]

I just got done reading your posts. I would like to chat a bit about how you're going about it. Please e-mail me a number I can call you at..... Maybe we can save each other some bucks, as I'm getting ready to build one too.

Jim

[prop]

Hello

The Seadoo scooters are only good to a depth of 30 feet and are more of a toy than a DPV. They range in price from $500 to $700 dollars. I personally would recommend a Gavin or Farallon. Check out this site for Farallons and other intresting scooter types.

Cheers

[javelindan]

Was flying home and found a write-up in Sky Mall on a "Sea Scooter" from Sharper Image for $399. The write-up cited a depth of up to 100ft but when I got online to get more info on the product, the site write-up cites depths of up to 30ft... bummer! Anyway, here's a link to the Sharper Image site on the Sea Scooter. If there's interest, there's a sale right now on factory reconditioned models for around $270.

[ScubaDiveandTravel]

Hey guys,
Don't bother trying to modify the Sea Scooter. You will spend a lot of time and quite a bit of $$$$ trying to get it down to depth. Your biggest problems would be keeping the hull from imploding, and preventing leakage where the prop shaft exits the main body. Neither of these modifications are cheap or easy. If you want a relatively inexpensive scooter, try the Torpedo's. They are rated to 170ft and retail around $900. I am bringing several into rental if anyone would like to try them. The rate is $35/day. Also, you can pick up a used tekna for around $850. I know a person in Ohio selling one for $750. Shipping would probably run about $50. I bought mine from him several years ago, and it is still running perfectly. The only down side is the 130ft depth limitation. Feel free to email me if you would like any help or advice with scooters. scubadivetravel@qwest.net

Happy Diving,
Richard

[Freedive WI]

I have a Dacor seasprint that i use for freediving. My father-in-law had a Farallon for years, until it finally died, and now uses a Gavin short body to mount his video system on.

We had played around with those little ones advertised in the scuba mags- I think that they are called they "ray" or something like that. They sell for less than $500 and they are total crap! I can easily swim faster than the scooter can go and I can't imagine trying to use one with bulky scuba gear on. They were a pretty big disappointment.

I have a friend who rents out Areis scooters at his shop. Those even have a battery indicator window on them to let you know how much further you can go. HTey balance out very nice for tec diving, like when your carrying doubles on your back and a few stages under your arm. They do cost a bit more than a Torpedo.

Jon