87 replies to this topic

[Latitude Adjustment]

Those of you who had to ride in the back seat of my Amigo at the Dutch Springs HH and Kamala who got stuck in the middle of the night waiting to be rescued at BTS will be glad to know I've upgraded to a Mazda CX-7. The neat thing about this Scuba Utility Vehicle is the spare cover is carpeted on one side and a catch basin on the other so I can just flip it over and pile the wet stuff on and when I rinse the gear hose the cover off.

[jeff]

run what ya brung.

when you are looking for a new scuba rig, does it have to haul bark for the yard? atv's to the sand and mud? girl and her kids 363 days a year? race the high skool kids at the lights? haul clients to the club?

I have had alot of fun driving my mgb to dive in febuary. ya gotta meet your buddy there though and bring warm cloths. My muti-purpose is a 90 mini cherokee because its a four door with leather seats and power everything(that works) and room in the back for when I do get to go dive.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a scuba car
grocery car
race car
hunting car
tow car
fancy car
pick up chicks car
dirt trails car
show winning car
boy, that would be a big key ring

Edited by jeff, 13 January 2007 - 02:11 PM.

[fala]

I just got an 07 FJ Cruiser last year and so far I love it. I do use it for more than just diving, but in my case I had to have a manual transmission since I'm so use to it which automatically meant a 4x4. I look foward to many dive trips with this SUV:

[drckw]

Those of you who had to ride in the back seat of my Amigo at the Dutch Springs HH and Kamala who got stuck in the middle of the night waiting to be rescued at BTS will be glad to know I've upgraded to a Mazda CX-7. The neat thing about this Scuba Utility Vehicle is the spare cover is carpeted on one side and a catch basin on the other so I can just flip it over and pile the wet stuff on and when I rinse the gear hose the cover off.

OK OK I still like my subaru. Plastic well in the back works great and gas mileage is in mid 20's so the rest of the time I can actually commute comfortably in it. And on the snow; wow, the AWD is great..Oh, and I"m at 113,000 miles and going strong. (no, the car....)

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[Moose]

What about a rescue truck from a dive organization?

It's for sale $3500 with Generator...

It's a Ford crash truck that spent it's life as a rescue truck for a dive organization that I'm a member of.

It's stripped of it's emergency lights and ready for sale. I'm asking $3500. It comes with a built in generator, 4 raise-able high powered lights, trailer hitch, dual batteries (with switch.) All compartments are lit internally.

It runs great (both the truck and generator.) The only reason we are getting rid of it, is because we got a new truck. Feel free to pass this email on to anyone or group that might be interested. Note, if you buy this truck, you may be entitled to a tax benefit (check your local laws.) We are a licensed Nonprofit.

Check out the pics...
http://www.megageek....e9?OpenDocument
And
http://www.megageek....50?OpenDocument

There are more pics of what it looked like before all the lights were removed...
http://www.megageek....26?OpenDocument
And
http://www.megageek....27?OpenDocument
and
http://www.megageek....28?OpenDocument
and
http://www.megageek....29?OpenDocument

[Brinybay]

Edited by Brinybay, 27 December 2007 - 09:33 PM.

[Penguin]

OK, for what it's worth.......

I am driving my second Toyota Sequoia Limted which is the larger model to the 4Runner and Highlander. The first was a 2001 which had 100,000 miles on it when the dealership totalled it during a test drive following a scheduled timing belt replacement. I never had any problems with it until a 19-year old dealership employee wasn't paying attention, ran off the road, sheared off a utility pole and stopped 8 inches from hitting a house. On the good side.......All airbags deployed and all of the "crunch-zones" worked as designed. Oh, and yes, i got a GREAT deal on my 2006 Sequoia.

There are limitations and I am contemplating a trade-in for the New Tundra's being released next month. Beyonbd the "smell" mentioned by others, SUV's do provide limited access to gear. A pick-up with either side access cap or tonneau cover provides greater access, keeps "environmental crud" out of the interior of the vehicle and provides room for easy donning/doffing gear. The extended cabs have gotten very nice in terms of entry/exit and passenger comfort as well. The advantage to the fiberglass tonneau cover is that it does not obstruct the drivers view and is solid and locking eliminating anyone from seeing gear as well as providing for a decent level of security.

I have have friends that have built some very nice tank racks in the back of their pickups. This keeps the tanks from rolling around, keeps them organized, restricts their space requirements and eliminates the need to crawl into the back of the truck retrieving them.

I am biased toward Toyota and am driving my 6th. Expect to get a trouble-free lot of miles on them providing adequate maintenance. My Sequoia at 100,000 miles was tight as a drum, had zero rattles, was mechanically sound and provided me 100,000 miles of trouble-free driving. I had planned on driving it for another 4 years had the dealership not changed that decision for me.

[Brinybay]

OK, for what it's worth.......

I am driving my second Toyota Sequoia Limted which is the larger model to the 4Runner and Highlander.

There are limitations and I am contemplating a trade-in for the New Tundra's being released next month. Beyonbd the "smell" mentioned by others, SUV's do provide limited access to gear. A pick-up with either side access cap or tonneau cover provides greater access, keeps "environmental crud" out of the interior of the vehicle and provides room for easy donning/doffing gear. The extended cabs have gotten very nice in terms of entry/exit and passenger comfort as well. The advantage to the fiberglass tonneau cover is that it does not obstruct the drivers view and is solid and locking eliminating anyone from seeing gear as well as providing for a decent level of security.

I have have friends that have built some very nice tank racks in the back of their pickups. This keeps the tanks from rolling around, keeps them organized, restricts their space requirements and eliminates the need to crawl into the back of the truck retrieving them.

I am biased toward Toyota and am driving my 6th. Expect to get a trouble-free lot of miles on them providing adequate maintenance.

I like p/u's because it's the most practical vehicle for my needs, which (besides hauling and securing dive gear) are general transportation and occasional need for the bed, such as moving and taking the dog out for a ride (she sheds profusely and always insists on driving, that's why I don't allow her in the cab).

There is a device called a "Tilt-A-Top" that enables you to tilt open the canopy from the side. I saw one once at a dive shop and wrote the info down, but have since lost it and damned if I can find it anywhere, I only remember it was somewhere in the mid-west. Since I only own two tanks and usually only use one at a time, side access would be nice, but isn't real critical to me.

I'm already wishing I had the 4-door variety where the extended part of the cab has it's own mini-doors, but Ford didn't put those on the Rangers until 2006 (mine's an 05). I'm not particularly biased towards Ford Rangers, it was just the most practical vehicle and best deal for my budget and needs, and there were lots of them to choose from.

Edited by Brinybay, 28 January 2007 - 11:09 AM.

[Cairo]

I've got a jeep wrangler which is good for Hawaii I easily fit two peoples worth of gear and 2 tanks in the thing, without fins and what not spilling into the front seat.

[ereediver]

I'm holding out for a vehicle that has an air fill station, sleeps six, is sea worthy to 15 foot seas, gets 35 mile per gallon on the road, and can store all the gear you could possibly own. Flying would be nice, but I thinks that's askin too much.

I can dream can't I.
The old Trailblazer will have to do till then.

Edited by ereediver, 29 January 2007 - 01:34 PM.

[ereediver]

There is one thing better then owning a pick up.... Having friends who own pickups...lol

Edited by ereediver, 29 January 2007 - 01:36 PM.

[Moose]

I'm holding out for a vehicle that has an air fill station, sleeps six, is sea worthy to 15 foot seas, gets 35 mile per gallon on the road, and can store all the gear you could possibly own. Flying would be nice, but I thinks that's askin too much.

I can dream can't I.
The old Trailblazer will have to do till then.

For an extra $500, I throw an air station cascade, air fill system on my truck for sale.

It's sea worthy, up until it gets submerged in water however.

http://www.megageek....e9?OpenDocument

Edited by Moose, 29 January 2007 - 02:26 PM.

[ereediver]

I'm holding out for a vehicle that has an air fill station, sleeps six, is sea worthy to 15 foot seas, gets 35 mile per gallon on the road, and can store all the gear you could possibly own. Flying would be nice, but I thinks that's askin too much.

I can dream can't I.
The old Trailblazer will have to do till then.

For an extra $500, I throw an air station cascade, air fill system on my truck for sale.

It's sea worthy, up until it gets submerged in water however.

http://www.megageek....e9?OpenDocument

Being the public service sector myself. I've seen the condition of the old ambulance converstions Plus my wife would kill me.....

[jextract]

Hey Greg, plan on getting a lot of mileage out of your Ford. I have a '99 Explorer with 190,000 miles on it and it runs like a champ!

[jonjon]

Alright Folks...

I am considering ditching my little Honda Accord in favor of a more SCUBA friendly vehicle. At the moment I am considering between a Toyota Tacoma (XtraCab or DoubleCab) or a Toyota 4Runner. Are there any particular pros & cons between either a pick up truck or SUV? And should I even be worried about picking up a truck with 4 wheel drive? My main concern will be using the truck to make some trips in and around Texas over the next few years. The only real pro I can think of for an SUV over a pick up truck is in case I want to store my equipment while I am away from the vehicle for an extended period of time...and that would only come into play if I had several divers with me because I could probably store 1-2 divers equipment in the cab with an XtraCab or DoubleCab set up. Let me know if anyone has any wisdom to shed on this subject...

Thanks...

Kawika

I think this is a great post, I have used several "dive vehicles" and I find the best is the new 2006 Toyota Tacoma V6 extra cab 4x4 MY REASONS: it has an all composite no rust bed, strong that last long, extra space behind for more seating etc, plenty of tie down attachments in bed area, the 4x4 model is made a lot stronger and more rugged than 2x version and when you need 4x4 it is there { I like to help people that are stuck in a rut } gas milage is not as good is only bad side