| It was early December; we were nearing our chosen | | | | But finding a diver isn't always easy to do. Here is |
| anchorage, Shark River, on Florida's west coast at | | | | Florida, divers are sometimes not reliable and can |
| the western most point of the Everglades. The | | | | charge outrageous prices. And you never know |
| oceans were smooth; the weather has been partly | | | | exactly what they did or didn't do below either. So |
| cloudy and warm all day. I could not wait to enjoy a | | | | what's a mariner to do? |
| cocktail on the trawler's fantail watching the sun set. | | | | Some time back I decided that if I wanted my |
| In just another hour or so we would be there. | | | | trawler to have her bottom inspected as often as I |
| All of a sudden, thump, thump and the port engine | | | | liked, my best choice was to do it myself. After all, |
| died. What was that? A quick look down below by | | | | most mariners learn early on that you must become |
| me found nothing amiss. But our First Mate's vigilant | | | | moderately self sufficient to own a boat. It's not that |
| eyes spied a crab trap float, suspended from a line | | | | saving some cash wasn't good, but you just can't |
| attached to the boat. | | | | rely upon others to help maintain a boat. |
| We had been avoiding these floats all day; there | | | | I had watched divers go under my trawler and |
| were thousands on them in the gulf set by the local | | | | wonder how he did it with all that gear on that must |
| crabbers. We obviously missed one and now had the | | | | surely get in the way. Is there a better way? You |
| trap and line rolled in our running gear. We were miles | | | | bet. I discovered a gentleman called Dennis Parker. |
| from civilization and we didn't have a mask and fins, | | | | Dennis is a boat owner himself and had his trawler |
| much less any dive gear. There was no cell phone | | | | here in Florida at one time. Dennis and his team was |
| service out there nor were we close enough to | | | | marketing a new tank less dive system that might |
| reach anyone by VHF. Matters didn't look good, not | | | | prove to be useful. |
| at all. | | | | Dennis and his team began in 1996 as an effort |
| Could that hypothetical scenario happen to you? | | | | between several boat owners and engineers. The |
| Think again! We don't think about it and it's rare that | | | | need was felt by all to design and build a tank less |
| it does ever occur. I have personally made that trip | | | | dive system that could be affordable for boat |
| many times, hoping we could avoid that sort of thing | | | | owners and simple to use. |
| and we always did so. But the possibility is there and | | | | The system was developed with an oil-less |
| it's best to plan and be ready for the worse. | | | | compressor to supply air to a dive through hoses. A |
| How about just checking the bottom of your boat | | | | regulator, air hose and belt comes with the package. |
| regularly? For boaters that have larger vessels that | | | | you will need to supply a mask, wet suit and fins. |
| remain in the water year round, especially in salt | | | | The system will allow a decent to 30 ft, but most |
| water, inspecting your yacht's bottom regularly is a | | | | boaters will only be about 4 ft under the water. |
| requirement. Sure underwater bottom paints keep | | | | All complete, including the system, wetsuit, mask, and |
| growth from the hull, but the running gear looses the | | | | fins the cost came in at under $1000.00. |
| paint over time and attracts the growth. And the | | | | I can clean my trawler's bottom when needed, check |
| boat zincs, the sacrificial metal placed there to | | | | the zincs, and scrub the water line. It takes only |
| protect the remainder of the boat, they need | | | | about 30 minutes to do all of that. |
| checking too as they only last for 6 months or so. | | | | And if I ever see that nasty crab pot, I can take |
| And of course, there is always the slime that | | | | care of it. |
| manages to grow at the waterline. | | | | |