Scuba Divers???

So, I'm putting together plans with a few buddies to go diving and realized that my tanks needed to be inspected. I dragged them down to the truck, tossed them in the back and headed off to the local dive shop. I made the first turn out of the development to hear a crashing sound as both tanks rolled across the bed. Luckily no damage, but it left me with a bit of a quandry.

For anyone that dives, how do you secure your tanks in your Ridgeline. I'm thinking that with multiple divers and the associated gear, that this won't be a huge issue. But there has to be a good way to secure them for those trips to the dive shop for air fills.

If you have bought, manufactured, macguyvered a means of transporting scuba tanks in your RL, post up some pics.

So, I'm putting together plans with a few buddies to go diving and realized that my tanks needed to be inspected. I dragged them down to the truck, tossed them in the back and headed off to the local dive shop. I made the first turn out of the development to hear a crashing sound as both tanks rolled across the bed. Luckily no damage, but it left me with a bit of a quandry.

For anyone that dives, how do you secure your tanks in your Ridgeline. I'm thinking that with multiple divers and the associated gear, that this won't be a huge issue. But there has to be a good way to secure them for those trips to the dive shop for air fills.

If you have bought, manufactured, macguyvered a means of transporting scuba tanks in your RL, post up some pics.

I just use the space under the rear seat (I place lead weight in front of the tanks) and the trunk to haul my tanks (6) to the scuba shop.

There are plans on the web that show how to build the following:

1. Wooden rack the width of the bed with half moon cut outs for the tanks.

2. Using two foot legnths of 2" PVC pipes held together with rope fed through holes drilled through the PVC pipes.

MikeT
Padi Divemaster

Should be fairly easy to "Macguyver" something to hold them securely in the trunk, back seat floor or bed. Here's something a clever DIYer came up with:

http://trucks.pcwize.com/ubiquirack.php

Every time I carry tanks I'm reminded of the horror story my first dive instructor used to tell about seeing someone drop a full tank on the valve and how it sailed several hundred feet before crashing through the roof of someone's garage!

MikeT - I'd thought about under the seat, but I was allowing the tanks to bleed off pressure on the ride to the dive shop as they were going in for VIP. As for the trunk, well that's perpetually full of stuff for work.

I'll have to look for those designs on the web. I was hoping that there might be someone that has already tackled the challenge of keeping tanks from rolling around.

you can always buy the cargo net and keep the tanks seperated by the groves on the bed? Don't you have those rubber sleaves that goes over the tank? i think its rubber mesh sleaves to prevent other tanks colliding with each other.

For those interested, here's one of my suggestions:

http://www.scuba.com/shop/product_display.asp?SKUCode=043149&Action=Search

It works really well and you can build your own cheaper.

I used pool noodles (those foam long flotty things) punched holes through them and strung them together with some nylon rope and PVC tubing. You can find them already made at your local dive shop. I dive with doubles so mine don’t roll. If I am caring a lot of them I stand then up against the back and use a ratchet strap to keep them in place. I purchased the Ridgeline because is was very diver friendly.

When I dove a lot and had an SUV, I had a plastic tank box from UK. It had a handle on top and wheels on the bottom so it was easy to move two tanks at a time. It was watertight, so you didn't have to worry about getting anything wet (not a big deal if it's in the bed).
If there is anyway possible, always store or transport tanks lying down-I use to get on students so bad for leaving a tank standing (PADI DM# 55190).