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View Full Version : What DPV do you recommend?



Sarah
01-23-2007, 06:42 AM
I know it is always a tradeoff, power on time versus size versus speed, but who makes a nice, compact scooter that has fast recharge, won't kill me if it dies and I need to swim back to the boat with it, can be made to float if it dies so I culd theoretically attach a sausage to it and retrieve it later, and all wrapped in a package that has good manufactuer repair support if needed?

Zero
01-23-2007, 07:02 AM
Ive used an Apollo a few times and they are pretty good on speed but in top gear only get about an hour runtime out of them. Slow them down and you could fin nearly as quick but they go for much longer. Charging will always be a sore point. Quick charging isnt the best for the battery so a slow overnight charge will make the battery last longer.
Havent used one but did a few dives with a guy who was using a silent submersion. MMMMMM very nice.
There are a few cheapo ones coming out of China that get along ok but only rated to about 35m.
All the ones ive seen in action didnt float or were very close to neutral so would need a bit of lift out of the sausage to keep it afloat.

Matt

WreckDiver
01-23-2007, 11:39 AM
The ones I make are pretty cool.!

I think the SS N-19 is BAD AZZ.!


Dago.

DRE
01-23-2007, 12:54 PM
www.dive-xtras.com

Zero
01-24-2007, 12:23 AM
Maybe stretching it a bit but how about these?
http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/4095/
http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/3396/
http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/4625/
http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/1890/
http://www.navy.com/about/shipsequipment/submariners/equipment/

Matt

mattwave
01-25-2007, 07:31 AM
One big vote here for the X-Scooter.
I have sold 5 without a hitch for over a year now.
Very Light and Compact, the speed control trigger sets it apart from other scooters as well as the brushless motor.

Let me know if you are interested in one, and we can talk price.

lars2923
02-23-2007, 09:24 PM
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=DWS1502&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-daily_html-_-22FEB07_SUMMERFUN-_-SUMMERFUNmain

I know, it's not a real scooter, but it's cheep and fun.


Lars
"Let's go Diving"

hbh2oguard
02-28-2007, 05:18 PM
lars that looks pretty good especially for the price, and you can take it down deep enough to still have some fun

lars2923
02-28-2007, 09:46 PM
I just received it. It's a pretty blue.
I forgot to enter the super secret code when purchasing "SUMMERFUN"
to get the additional $20 bucks.
$149 - $40 + $22 (shipping) basically $130.. Todays the last day for the sale.
If you have friends/relative near by, purchase one for each address. The mail
in rebate is good for one per address..
I plan to mount my video on it and use it to move me though the caverns.
I do not know how much noise it will make, but underwater, theres not much sound to listen to. I'm usually slow when taking video compared to everyone else. so I hope this will help.. I'll have to get a pic of me all decked out with all
my equipment on.. You'd think I came from another planet.

hbh2oguard
02-28-2007, 10:11 PM
yea I was checking out one of the other links and they were thousands, so can't beat the price.

lars2923
02-28-2007, 10:19 PM
Those other professional scooters will cost a pretty penny. As Carl would say
Billions and Billions..
That is my next purchase. I think after that, I will have pretty much
sustained the dive industry for another 5 years. OMGosh, you should see my
garage. It looks like a dive shop..

acelockco
06-25-2007, 02:58 AM
I am waiting to hear a report on how the cheepo scooter worked out. I can see spending $150 on one of those if it works. I can't fathom spending thousands on one of the good ones, even if they do work great. If the cheepy works though, I am sure it would be a blast to play with.

SO LET US KNOW HOW IT IS/WAS

sjspeck
06-25-2007, 08:25 AM
There was a guy on our boat with one last summer. It lasted long enough to get really far from the boat b4 it failed and he had to tow it back. He did get almost 5 minutes use out of it. It was that exact model also, I remember the baby blue and the Stingray on the side.

You can sometimes get a pretty good deal on an Apollo on eBay. I've seen AV-1's sell for under $500.

acelockco
06-25-2007, 12:53 PM
That sounds exactly like what I expected to hear. LOL.

So basically you save air for the first 5 minutes of the dive and then burn through your remaining air dragging that thing through the water.

I would love to hear from anyone that actually has or has had one of these.

amtrosie
07-03-2007, 09:42 PM
I know it is always a tradeoff, power on time versus size versus speed, but who makes a nice, compact scooter that has fast recharge, won't kill me if it dies and I need to swim back to the boat with it, can be made to float if it dies so I culd theoretically attach a sausage to it and retrieve it later, and all wrapped in a package that has good manufactuer repair support if needed?



So now the truth comes out, SIZE DOES MATTER! For a good scooter that isn't too big I recomend the mini-Gavin. It is relatively light (about 17-19 kg. or 35-40 lbs.), does not overpower the user and is again, relatively manuverable. Submerge has an excellent line of scooters that are quite quick and easily balanced for the individual divers needs. The Gavins (full sized) are also work horses. I have used the mini and standard sized short body Gavins, as well as the UV-18 from Submerge. Truth-be-told, I like the submerge scooter the best. They really kick diver butt!! Oh yeah, they are blast to run as well.

That is my 2 psi, at depth.

All scooters should be balanced so as to be slightly positive bouyant, so hooking them to an SMB should not be an issue. As far customer support, while I have not had any interaction with the above mentioned manufacterers, the divers that I dive with have, and they are complimentary of both.

Questions?

scuba smurf
12-24-2007, 01:11 PM
another vote for the X Scooter, top notch!! much lighter than the older pioneering scooters and very durable

Chantelle
12-24-2007, 03:14 PM
Ok Smurfy.... We've had this discussion too many times :p

Er.. I'm a bit biased, but I think I'll have to send my vote to GI3 and the Gavin...

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/Gitterdun7/Diving/June%2007/DSC00402.jpg

The Publisher
12-24-2007, 04:28 PM
Some of the CCR crowd swear by the Zeuxo ADV 14 (http://www.suex.it/modelli.php?mod=4)

http://www.suex.it/imgmodelli/midi/11886381523985_1.jpg

No stainless steel buckles on the nose to snag on anything.

BillGraham
01-11-2008, 11:32 PM
I ended up with the N-19 and I really like it. It's light and nimble, really fast and it has a pretty decent burn time. And I can carry it without killing myself.

aquamaniac
04-21-2008, 11:25 PM
This looks cool: Sea-Doo Seascooter Explorer (http://seascooterexpress.com/store/sea_doo_explorer.html) and the price is right but I havn't seen any reviews yet.

acelockco
04-22-2008, 01:15 AM
Anything by Sea-Doo is a pool toy or a glorified version of one. At least everything I have seen.

thalassamania
04-22-2008, 06:26 AM
I know it is always a tradeoff, power on time versus size versus speed, but who makes a nice, compact scooter that has fast recharge, won't kill me if it dies and I need to swim back to the boat with it, can be made to float if it dies so I culd theoretically attach a sausage to it and retrieve it later, and all wrapped in a package that has good manufactuer repair support if needed?I have a pair of Farralon Mk-6 DPVs. They weigh in excess of 70 lbs apiece, have almost endless power on time, take forever to recharge and if you need to swim one back to the boat you'd best pray that your buddy is close by with the other. The manufacturer is loing gone (though I know him and still have a personal relationship). They can be found, every now and again, for reasonable prices on eBay and such. Great DPV, probobly not the one for you though. You should consider: the ARMJET (http://www.jetboots.com/index_files/Page432.htm)

http://www.jetboots.com/index_files/image3311.jpg

acelockco
04-22-2008, 05:18 PM
OK, I think I have found the best DPV ever designed.

This thing is a little slower than some of the others, but it does not use all of the battery power of the others, it has an unlimited max depth, the unit is cheap and parts are even cheaper. This is surely the best DPV on the market and will outlast ALL other DPV's!

aquamaniac
04-29-2008, 11:13 AM
Anything by Sea-Doo is a pool toy or a glorified version of one. At least everything I have seen.I've had great luck with the
Seadoo Seascooter GTI (http://seascooterexpress.com/store/sea_doo_gti.html)
I do a lot of quick shore diving with a max 75ft depth and lugging a 50 lb DPV isn't realistic. It's nice and light and runs forever. I was just wondering if anyone had used the Seadoo Seascooter Explorer (http://seascooterexpress.com/store/sea_doo_explorer.html). It looks quite different from the GTI. One drawback is it may be to heavy for me at 32 pounds

aquamaniac
07-06-2008, 12:20 PM
I did end up getting a Sea Doo Seascooter Explorer. (http://seascooterexpress.com/store/sea_doo_explorer.html)

Here's my review of my new Sea-Doo Explorer
What I like so far: First, it it really completely different than other Sea-doo Scooters. It feels like a very well thought out DPV with heavy duty construction and quiet operation. Shifting between the 3 speeds is very easy and can be done with one hand. The 3rd speed is very fast-good for getting to your dive spot but way to fast for cruising a reef. I find the 1st and 2nd speed are adequate most of the time. The battery charging system is very simple and convenient: Just pop the nose cone off, pull out the battery and place in charger-no disconnecting leads etc.
What I don't like so far: Now I understand why the sea doo seascooter vs supercharged (http://seascooterexpress.com/store/sea_doo_vs_supercharged.html)and seadoo gti seascooter (http://seascooterexpress.com/store/sea_doo_gti.html)
at 18 pounds are popular with shore divers. The Explorer at 32 pounds may be lighter that most higher end DPVs but it's still pretty heavy to carry if you need to go anything but a short distance to your shore entry point.
Battery indicator light could be larger.
Extra batteries are pricey.
Overall: So far, it has really exceeded my expectations especially at this price (being the nearest competitor starts at about $2000 us)

ljj
07-13-2008, 02:48 AM
http://www.vimeo.com/1256770

also, when you get bored just scootering...

check THIS out!

www.scubatics.org

Sarah
07-13-2008, 03:52 AM
That looks like so much fin, oops, I mean fun!! ;)

ljj
07-13-2008, 08:31 AM
To whom? I thought you'd be thanking someone who's name starts with an I...
fickle fickle girl!! ;)



Ok Smurfy.... We've had this discussion too many times :p

Er.. I'm a bit biased, but I think I'll have to send my vote to GI3 and the Gavin...

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/Gitterdun7/Diving/June%2007/DSC00402.jpg

Chantelle
07-15-2008, 08:40 PM
To whom? I thought you'd be thanking someone who's name starts with an I...
fickle fickle girl!! ;)

Heh.. funny thing is, is the only part that isn't Gavin on my scooter is the clutch. ;)

ljj
07-16-2008, 04:16 AM
When you can try them out in person!!!

There will be more on the schedule in the future months, and maybe even in a pond near you!!!

---------------------

Not sure where this is to be posted... it's a free thing as far as I can tell, so in reading the 'rules' and the topic, figured here is as good as any...

JULY 19TH, Saturday, Les Davies, Tacoma
JULY 20th, Sunday, T-Dock, Mukilteo

Try out an X-scooter!!

Don't miss out on the FUN!

We will be there with Dive Rite and Bonica, 9am - 4pm

Contact info@dive-xtras.com for more details

mempilot
07-21-2008, 02:26 PM
I bought a slightly used Silent Submerse N-19 Saltwater and love it. I would like to see a lithium ion battery option for it though to extend the run time.

lars2923
07-21-2008, 10:06 PM
I bought a slightly used Silent Submerse N-19 Saltwater and love it. I would like to see a lithium ion battery option for it though to extend the run time.

Where did you buy your used SS?

Thanx,