Divers

M

machanes

New member
We just tried snorkeling off our 22' Cruiser over the weekend and are thinking of getting dry suit certified.

Anyone have advice on diving from a C-Dory? Setup?
I bought a 3 step ladder that hangs over the side. Does anyone use a platform off the stern? We have twin Honda 40's.

We are able to go out of Whittier and Seward, Alaska. We've motored to Valdez as well. Any advice on dive sites in any of those areas?

Thank you,

The Merry Wanderer.
 
I dive regularly from my 22 angler.
I found a 4 step ladder that I ordered from E bay with high hand rails.... fits perfectly onto my swim step. We take off our fins, then enter boat with full scuba kit.

I usually keep two fully rigged kits, bungeed into the back corners of the cockpit. Helps to keep everything organized and off the deck.

A gear up bench has been very helpful too. There are some pics in my profile, I think.
 
We had a custom swing mount welded to our Armstrong 4-step ladder.
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Our C-Dory Tomcat is the perfect boat for the type of diving we do. Sometimes we go offshore to the backside of Catalina Island, about a 70 mile run. We also have seven other islands within 115 miles of our slip. Most of the time we dive reefs and wrecks that are within 20 miles of home. We also have wrecks and reefs less than a mile from the harbor.

We have a pilot house so we can get out of the weather. Wind, sun, hot, cold, rain, or just splashing saltwater takes its toll on you after a day on the water. If it's hot, we have two fans or we can open windows. If it's cold, we have a diesel stove/heater. The Tomcat has a queen size V-berth in case anyone needs to sleep on the way to or from a dive site. We also have a refrigerator, sink, marine head, and hot/cold freshwater shower. I added a longer hose so we can shower and rinse our gear out on the deck after diving. We don't go inside the pilot house with wet gear. We also have an air dryer and two dehumidifiers to keep the musty smell common to many boats away. We've owned the boat for ten years and it still smells fresh.

The boat is powered by twin Honda 150 HP outboards with hydraulic steering. We had a custom swing dive ladder installed to make climbing back aboard in full gear easier. I installed racks for up to eight single tanks or sets of doubles. A stainless Bruce type anchor and 400 feet of chain holds the boat in any conditions we have been out in. The shiny anchor is very visible underwater, making it easier to find our way back at the end of a dive. Chain markers let me know how much chain I have let out. I have different color markers a fifty feet intervals. Caribiners with bolt snaps are attached to the railings along either side of the boat so we can clip off our cameras rather than trying to carry them up the ladder. Our camera rigs are the size of many small cars. :( A thirty gallon rinse tank keeps our cameras, computers, and compasses salt-free.

Inside we have a VHF radio mounted as well as a handheld backup. A GPS/RADAR/Fishfinder multifunction display allows me to anchor within five feet of my coordinates every time. I have a drop camera so I can check the visibility and conditions on the reef before we gear up. It has saved us from a lot of aborted dives. I have a large dive flag on a long PVC pole that can be seen a couple of miles away.

The catamaran hull provides stability. There is nothing worse than having so muscles after a day of holding onto rails on a monohull. It's great to be able to gear up on a 25 foot boat that isn't rocking.

It is fast enough to get us there and back, comfortable enough without having to treat it like a yacht, functional enough to get us on the dive sites accurately and safely, and it keeps Merry happy, which is the most important function.

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Well done you guys.
I was already thinking of the tank holders across the transom but the swing ladder hadn't come to mid. Ours is a 22' cruiser so we'd have to add the stern platform and the ladder. I went with a ladder that hangs off the side for now. We'll see how that works. If not, I'm buying a Tomcat. We've already been thinking bigger and the seas tend to stack up pretty quickly around here. Glaciers and mountains tend do that. Having the ability to scoot away quickly would be nice if rough seas build while we're down.
Thank you for the great ideas.

By the way, impressive dive shots. My wife's setup is like a small vehicle too.

Again, thank you,
Merry Juanderer.
 
That's an awesome set up on the No Pressure! I love it.
A tomcat may be in my future one day.

No additional clip points needed on my gear for the bungees. The bungee is clipped to underside of rod holders, stretches across dive kit and then clips back to a fitting that was originally intended for a cooler mount I believe.

Diving from a small c dory is all about conserving space and making your divers keep their stuff organized. We like to use big plastic tubs. Two tubs fit easily under my gear up bench. Each tub holds fins, booties, suit, and bag of smalls (computers, masks and all other little accessories)

Here is a link for the ladder I bought.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Steps-Wide-S ... 0008.m2219
 
My son and I dive off our CD25 whenever we get the chance (seems fewer these days). We have a portable 4-step ladder to hang off the side and use a bungee cord that latches onto an installed bolt-hook under the gunwale to prevent it from coming loose. I like the 4 step, the lowest one is deep to allow easier entry and steps are closely spaced. We take off all our gear in the water and clip it onto a mooring line strung between the rear cleat and mid-ship cleat. Works for us.
 
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