Does anyone have and use a Hooka Diving unit for bottom maintenance and zinc replacement? In Houston, our boats are seldom out of the water, so that means hiring a diver monthly or bi-monthly to check the zincs and bottom cleaning. In my never ending search for ways to reduce the depth of the "money pit" I am looking at 12v surface mount compressors. The Brownie Power Snorkel looks like a good system at around $600. Anyone have experience with this kind of gear? Anyone built one? (Doesn't look that difficult.)
Hooka Diving Systems for Boat Maintenance!
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Does anyone have and use a Hooka Diving unit for bottom maintenance and zinc replacement? In Houston, our boats are seldom out of the water, so that means hiring a diver monthly or bi-monthly to check the zincs and bottom cleaning. In my never ending search for ways to reduce the depth of the "money pit" I am looking at 12v surface mount compressors. The Brownie Power Snorkel looks like a good system at around $600. Anyone have experience with this kind of gear? Anyone built one? (Doesn't look that difficult.)
Why spend much when little is required?
Jon, you've connected the right set of dots. In moderate climates like ours, servicing your own bottom will extend the life of your bottom paint significantly at very little cost. And just like every other aspect of boat ownership, someone is selling a product wherever you look that is suitable, expensive...and unnecessary. Before you leap towards spending many hundreds of dollars, consider doing what I did: First, I spoke to the diver I was using. I asked him if he had a spare regulator (or could find one) and could lash up some hose to it (I asked for 40' for my 42' boat); his price $100. I next put an ad in my company newsletter, asking if anyone was getting out of diving. That brought me a nice aluminum tank for, I think, $80. So now I have $180 invested in a system I've used for the last ten years. The tank lives permanently in a cockpit locker. If I needed to unfoul an anchor or look for a lobster, it would go into the dink. The hose and regulator are in a small bag with my fins and mask. When it's time to service the bottom, I toss the hose & regulator over the side after connecting one end to the tank, which stays rooted in the locker. I get two scrubs on my 42' boat to one tank fill,which costs me a few bucks. I paid for the hooka rig in about 4 summer months. I'm certified and you should be, too. My tank is inspected annually and hydro'd every 5 years; so should yours. This isn't a good choice for the Village Idiot or the guy who begins swilling brews with lunch. But it's a great option to have under your belt, for lots of uses. Jack
Jon, you've connected the right set of dots. In moderate climates like ours, servicing your own bottom will extend the life of your bottom paint significantly at very little cost. And just like every other aspect of boat ownership, someone is selling a product wherever you look that is suitable, expensive...and unnecessary. Before you leap towards spending many hundreds of dollars, consider doing what I did: First, I spoke to the diver I was using. I asked him if he had a spare regulator (or could find one) and could lash up some hose to it (I asked for 40' for my 42' boat); his price $100. I next put an ad in my company newsletter, asking if anyone was getting out of diving. That brought me a nice aluminum tank for, I think, $80. So now I have $180 invested in a system I've used for the last ten years. The tank lives permanently in a cockpit locker. If I needed to unfoul an anchor or look for a lobster, it would go into the dink. The hose and regulator are in a small bag with my fins and mask. When it's time to service the bottom, I toss the hose & regulator over the side after connecting one end to the tank, which stays rooted in the locker. I get two scrubs on my 42' boat to one tank fill,which costs me a few bucks. I paid for the hooka rig in about 4 summer months. I'm certified and you should be, too. My tank is inspected annually and hydro'd every 5 years; so should yours. This isn't a good choice for the Village Idiot or the guy who begins swilling brews with lunch. But it's a great option to have under your belt, for lots of uses. Jack
Why spend much when little is required?
Jon, you've connected the right set of dots. In moderate climates like ours, servicing your own bottom will extend the life of your bottom paint significantly at very little cost. And just like every other aspect of boat ownership, someone is selling a product wherever you look that is suitable, expensive...and unnecessary. Before you leap towards spending many hundreds of dollars, consider doing what I did: First, I spoke to the diver I was using. I asked him if he had a spare regulator (or could find one) and could lash up some hose to it (I asked for 40' for my 42' boat); his price $100. I next put an ad in my company newsletter, asking if anyone was getting out of diving. That brought me a nice aluminum tank for, I think, $80. So now I have $180 invested in a system I've used for the last ten years. The tank lives permanently in a cockpit locker. If I needed to unfoul an anchor or look for a lobster, it would go into the dink. The hose and regulator are in a small bag with my fins and mask. When it's time to service the bottom, I toss the hose & regulator over the side after connecting one end to the tank, which stays rooted in the locker. I get two scrubs on my 42' boat to one tank fill,which costs me a few bucks. I paid for the hooka rig in about 4 summer months. I'm certified and you should be, too. My tank is inspected annually and hydro'd every 5 years; so should yours. This isn't a good choice for the Village Idiot or the guy who begins swilling brews with lunch. But it's a great option to have under your belt, for lots of uses. Jack
Jon, you've connected the right set of dots. In moderate climates like ours, servicing your own bottom will extend the life of your bottom paint significantly at very little cost. And just like every other aspect of boat ownership, someone is selling a product wherever you look that is suitable, expensive...and unnecessary. Before you leap towards spending many hundreds of dollars, consider doing what I did: First, I spoke to the diver I was using. I asked him if he had a spare regulator (or could find one) and could lash up some hose to it (I asked for 40' for my 42' boat); his price $100. I next put an ad in my company newsletter, asking if anyone was getting out of diving. That brought me a nice aluminum tank for, I think, $80. So now I have $180 invested in a system I've used for the last ten years. The tank lives permanently in a cockpit locker. If I needed to unfoul an anchor or look for a lobster, it would go into the dink. The hose and regulator are in a small bag with my fins and mask. When it's time to service the bottom, I toss the hose & regulator over the side after connecting one end to the tank, which stays rooted in the locker. I get two scrubs on my 42' boat to one tank fill,which costs me a few bucks. I paid for the hooka rig in about 4 summer months. I'm certified and you should be, too. My tank is inspected annually and hydro'd every 5 years; so should yours. This isn't a good choice for the Village Idiot or the guy who begins swilling brews with lunch. But it's a great option to have under your belt, for lots of uses. Jack
I'm opening a can of worms, and I know it but
Yeah, I built one, it came in just under $225. The only hard thing to find was the regulator, and you can find them online. You NEED to find an oil LESS air compressor DON'T USE A COMPRESSOR THAT REQUIRES OIL!!!!!!!!! Home depot has good ones, I'm using regular air hose, (50 ft) I like a bright color, and a 2nd stage scuba regulator. (I found mine at a scuba shop, an older model for $20. Get more hose then you think you need, it makes it much easier to move around under the boat. The compressor I use gives me about 2.5-3.0 cf of air at 130 psi, and that plenty. JUST REMEMBER THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. Ok every body let me have it!!
Good luck Jon, Tom s/v GAIA
Yeah, I built one, it came in just under $225. The only hard thing to find was the regulator, and you can find them online. You NEED to find an oil LESS air compressor DON'T USE A COMPRESSOR THAT REQUIRES OIL!!!!!!!!! Home depot has good ones, I'm using regular air hose, (50 ft) I like a bright color, and a 2nd stage scuba regulator. (I found mine at a scuba shop, an older model for $20. Get more hose then you think you need, it makes it much easier to move around under the boat. The compressor I use gives me about 2.5-3.0 cf of air at 130 psi, and that plenty. JUST REMEMBER THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. Ok every body let me have it!!
Good luck Jon, Tom s/v GAIAI'm opening a can of worms, and I know it but
Yeah, I built one, it came in just under $225. The only hard thing to find was the regulator, and you can find them online. You NEED to find an oil LESS air compressor DON'T USE A COMPRESSOR THAT REQUIRES OIL!!!!!!!!! Home depot has good ones, I'm using regular air hose, (50 ft) I like a bright color, and a 2nd stage scuba regulator. (I found mine at a scuba shop, an older model for $20. Get more hose then you think you need, it makes it much easier to move around under the boat. The compressor I use gives me about 2.5-3.0 cf of air at 130 psi, and that plenty. JUST REMEMBER THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. Ok every body let me have it!! Good luck Jon, Tom s/v GAIA
Yeah, I built one, it came in just under $225. The only hard thing to find was the regulator, and you can find them online. You NEED to find an oil LESS air compressor DON'T USE A COMPRESSOR THAT REQUIRES OIL!!!!!!!!! Home depot has good ones, I'm using regular air hose, (50 ft) I like a bright color, and a 2nd stage scuba regulator. (I found mine at a scuba shop, an older model for $20. Get more hose then you think you need, it makes it much easier to move around under the boat. The compressor I use gives me about 2.5-3.0 cf of air at 130 psi, and that plenty. JUST REMEMBER THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. Ok every body let me have it!!
Good luck Jon, Tom s/v GAIASelf Maintenance is Good
Dear Jon Tom has got the right idea. Twenty years ago, while I was in college, I cleaned boat hulls. Now that I have my own boat it only makes sense that I would maintain my own vessel. I have cleaned my own boats hull since it was new. That was five years ago and it still has another year or 2 left on it. Putting together a hookah system is not difficult and Tom's comments are very accurate. You can save a boat load of money doing your own maintenance and the peace of mind that you know exactly what is going on under the boat is invaluable.
Dear Jon Tom has got the right idea. Twenty years ago, while I was in college, I cleaned boat hulls. Now that I have my own boat it only makes sense that I would maintain my own vessel. I have cleaned my own boats hull since it was new. That was five years ago and it still has another year or 2 left on it. Putting together a hookah system is not difficult and Tom's comments are very accurate. You can save a boat load of money doing your own maintenance and the peace of mind that you know exactly what is going on under the boat is invaluable.
Self Maintenance is Good
Dear Jon Tom has got the right idea. Twenty years ago, while I was in college, I cleaned boat hulls. Now that I have my own boat it only makes sense that I would maintain my own vessel. I have cleaned my own boats hull since it was new. That was five years ago and it still has another year or 2 left on it. Putting together a hookah system is not difficult and Tom's comments are very accurate. You can save a boat load of money doing your own maintenance and the peace of mind that you know exactly what is going on under the boat is invaluable.
Dear Jon Tom has got the right idea. Twenty years ago, while I was in college, I cleaned boat hulls. Now that I have my own boat it only makes sense that I would maintain my own vessel. I have cleaned my own boats hull since it was new. That was five years ago and it still has another year or 2 left on it. Putting together a hookah system is not difficult and Tom's comments are very accurate. You can save a boat load of money doing your own maintenance and the peace of mind that you know exactly what is going on under the boat is invaluable.
Tom, our marina pro diver uses a setup like that
And because the compressor is electric, fumes are not a problem. He works about two jobs a day with no one watching topsides. Because he knows what he is doing, he can get to the surface safely if need be. Several months ago we talked about these systems. The electric compressor could go along cruising. A average inverter would probably run it. Why not, if the operator/diver knew their stuff?
And because the compressor is electric, fumes are not a problem. He works about two jobs a day with no one watching topsides. Because he knows what he is doing, he can get to the surface safely if need be. Several months ago we talked about these systems. The electric compressor could go along cruising. A average inverter would probably run it. Why not, if the operator/diver knew their stuff?
Tom, our marina pro diver uses a setup like that
And because the compressor is electric, fumes are not a problem. He works about two jobs a day with no one watching topsides. Because he knows what he is doing, he can get to the surface safely if need be. Several months ago we talked about these systems. The electric compressor could go along cruising. A average inverter would probably run it. Why not, if the operator/diver knew their stuff?
And because the compressor is electric, fumes are not a problem. He works about two jobs a day with no one watching topsides. Because he knows what he is doing, he can get to the surface safely if need be. Several months ago we talked about these systems. The electric compressor could go along cruising. A average inverter would probably run it. Why not, if the operator/diver knew their stuff?
Unless your a certified diver you can't
Rent the gear that you need, also getting a tank filled is nearly impossible and getting certified costs $$$. Getting an hours worth of air costs about $12. plus tank inspections... well you get the idea. I built my rig because I lost something over the side, now every body calls me when they do. I really enjoy it. But again, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL!!!!! Never never never!!! hold your breath on the way up, you need to be very aware of how you feel, the "taste" of the air, bottom time. Tom s/v GAIA
Rent the gear that you need, also getting a tank filled is nearly impossible and getting certified costs $$$. Getting an hours worth of air costs about $12. plus tank inspections... well you get the idea. I built my rig because I lost something over the side, now every body calls me when they do. I really enjoy it. But again, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL!!!!! Never never never!!! hold your breath on the way up, you need to be very aware of how you feel, the "taste" of the air, bottom time. Tom s/v GAIA
Unless your a certified diver you can't
Rent the gear that you need, also getting a tank filled is nearly impossible and getting certified costs $$$. Getting an hours worth of air costs about $12. plus tank inspections... well you get the idea. I built my rig because I lost something over the side, now every body calls me when they do. I really enjoy it. But again, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL!!!!! Never never never!!! hold your breath on the way up, you need to be very aware of how you feel, the "taste" of the air, bottom time. Tom s/v GAIA
Rent the gear that you need, also getting a tank filled is nearly impossible and getting certified costs $$$. Getting an hours worth of air costs about $12. plus tank inspections... well you get the idea. I built my rig because I lost something over the side, now every body calls me when they do. I really enjoy it. But again, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL!!!!! Never never never!!! hold your breath on the way up, you need to be very aware of how you feel, the "taste" of the air, bottom time. Tom s/v GAIA
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