5m Dive boat setup

[playspot1]

Ok, thanks to everyone, especially to Pete7, I have come to conclusions (pretty much) how I am going to outfit my RIB with motor and steering.

The motor will be a 90hp Merc, (4 stroke or 2 not yet decided)

Steering is going to be remote off of a 2 person jockey console that I found for free. Yeah!

NOW, Any of you out there have any pics of your dive boats set up with tank racks or anything such? Keep in mind that that this is a 5m boat. While I will drool and envy those of you with larger crafts set up for diving, I doubt that I will be able to stretch my RIB to 6m or 6.5m. That will come a year or two down the road.

Any suggestions would help, and I have the production facilities to create just about anything out of stainless steel. I was thinking of making integrated seats with bottle racks on the back side. Perhaps 4 tanks per seat.

How about little add ons to help really make a RIB better for diving? I've run power boats large and small my entire life, but never a RIB, and not for diving. I have a 22 foot Aluminum, inboard jet sled with a big block motor, but that is more for river running. Too heavy to tow to different areas for diving.

I'm all set with Electronics, that part I know what I need to invest in. (Good sounder, GPS, VHF, etc...)

Ideas??? You've all been super helpful so far! Thank you again.

[Pete7]

Mike, please watch the weight of the 4 stroke, you might end up with very funny handling with lots of weight on the stern and a short hull length. My first rib was a 4.8 Osprey with an old 4 cyl Mariner 75 hp 2 stroke, handling was awful due to the short water length and heavy engine. Boat was much faster and handled when I changed the engine for the newer 60 hp Merc. What about the Yam 85 / 90 hp (very nice, Alan Priddy swears by them) or the Evinrude 70 Hp ? Humber Inflatables used to do a console in S/S with Fibre glass top for instruments, you could copy it if they have a pic. worked well as the tanks went underneath, it was a stand up type therefore kept the floor space for cylinders and dive bags. Pete

[playspot1]

Ok, so the engine is all set now. What great help to have experienced people to talk with!! Thanks again!

So the engine will be a new Merc 90hp 2 stroke. The weight of the 75 and the 90 is exactly the same, so it will be the 90. As for the Yam, the import duties price it high. With Merc being made here in the US, I can actually buy from Canada (where we travel a lot for diving and such, and a GREAT exchange rate) with no duty thanks to NAFTA. This prices the Merc several thousand dollars (US) less than the imports. The Yam or Honda is roughly £2100 more or less As for the Evinrude???? Well, suffice to say that I am prejudiced. It may be my upbringing, or such, but I just can't buy a Johnson or an Evinrude. While running fishing charters in Alaska I had a 70hp Johnson blow on me 15 miles out and I had to run 4 customers in using my kicker all the way back. I associate Johnson and Evinrude quality together since they are so tight. Also, the new FICHT injection doesn't appeal to me due to the high pressure nature of the system. Probably not fair, but at least this is a bigotry I can live with.


So, thanks again for helping me make up my mind on an engine. Now, I just need some more input on diving setup of the boat. Suggestions wanted!!

[Pete7]

Hi,

Hmm, okay you must keep the weight forward in small ribs so console up in the bows, and keep the console small you will need the deck space. Weight belts and the shot also live up the front. Battery up there as well (about 75 amps), sep compartment though so vapour and eletrics don't mix. If you can make fuel tanks you will get 15 - 20 gallons for the space two red cans take up under the console and give you a good reserve. If the deck is slippy or marked none slip paint is brilliant stuff, apply thinly with several coats. S/S A frame at the back or just a single pole for VHF ariel and signle white light (other nav lights are a pain as they always corrode from the spray off the tubes), drop down if you are going to have a boat cover, its just so much easier. Cables under deck drill some holes and thread through but check if there are any supports underneath. Might be either one centrally or two, one on each chine. Alt, run the cables tight against/under the starboard tube so divers don't catch them. Finally water prooof box for first aid kit and O2 set, and a small tool roll plus VHF. Then add water and go diving

[parahandy]

Excellent advice given so far, I found the o2 kit took up a lot of room in the suitcase type box, on the floor and ended up with the mask and regulator in a waterproof boatbox mounted on the A frame, with the cylinder in a waterproof container.
The First Aid kit and spares were both in boxes on the A frame.
I found from a diving point of view the anchor locker was useless the anchor frequently buried under kit. Ended up with it in a plastic basket. Agree with the point about the nav lighting, always needing attention despite anti corrosion measures.

Regarding electronics, unless these are all well out of the weather they really take some stick, choose sets with "o" rings certified as waterproof, rather than Water resistant. Even some of the waterproof ones have been known to give up their integrity, alternative to this go for hand helds, in waterproof wallets.

Remember convered previously in past threads, pay attention to the mounting of the transducer for the sounder, we mounted ours at the stern (twin 40's) reasonable performance, but did suffer from cavitation problems in certain conditions.

[Matt Lemon]

How many are you thinking that you'll take on the boat ? I would stay well away from adding seats to the boat, deckspace is at a premium on a dive boat.

I have the console about 1/2 way down the boat with an 8 tank bottle rack behind that. All the weights and stuff should go at the front of the boat so if you could build some sort of frame to take fins / weights etc, it would help to keep the decks clear.

> How about little add ons to help really make a RIB better for diving?

Keep the decks as clear and uncluttered as possible to ease kitting up and your divers will thank you for it !

Good luck