Rebreather fettling bench

[Hazel W]

Right then girls and boys

Im looking for hints tips and suggestions for a bench for fettling and fiddling with scrubbers, lime, and general rebreather bits.
What size, shape , attached equipment etc etc etc
We can go for ideal world if you like but remembering in real world it has to be limited by space on the boat ......so begin !




Hazel

[Digger]

When I wsa diving the unit, the perfect setup is a high bench, with a lip all around the outside approx 3" high (needs to be high enough that any circular bits can't roll off) and as big as space allows.

Worth having is a plughole or similar with a binbag underneath, so people can just sweep stray sofnolime straight into it.

Also worth having a couple of rings on the board which are high enough for Inspo scrubbers to stand up - the little lug on the top means they won't stand up unless put on something with a hole in the middle. A lot of people use a roll of gaffer tape or similar, but having a bench with a couple of rings raised from the surface with make it more stable and a bit more convenient, and might mean less lime on the deck

Worth asking on RBW as well, as they will ask for the world, and then you can try and keep as many of them happy as possible

But frankly any space reserved for this kind of thing is a consideration that most skippers haven't bothered with, so any bench is a good thing.

Digs.

[Al_Star]

Hi Hazel,

Definitely agree with Digs about a bench with a lip so parts can't roll off. Height is less of an issue, if I'm tipping lime in the scrubber it's easier if it's lower when lifting 20kg kegs around. The ability to deal with the odd bit of lime would be key. You invariably can lose a few bits and I know you don't want it anywhere near the boat deck.

Cheers
Al

[gwilson]

I'd have thought using the area above the tumble drier would be the ideal height. A lip around the edge as already stated and possibly a small vice bolted to the bench.

[SCILLY DIVER]

Top Tip ...... Put your scrubber cartridges in a bucket resting on top of a two inch section of soil pipe, [new if possible]. All spillage goes into the bucket and if kept clean, last one to fill gets the dregs. Good results all round and a "HAPPY SKIPPER".................Mike

[Janos]

All I really need is a space to change lime without making too much of a mess. As I'm a very messy person, I think it's best for all concerned if I do this off the boat, but if that's not possible then somewhere easily hoseable-downable would be good.

For the fiddly stuff like changing batteries, I'd prefer to do that inside where I can sit down and take my time.

Janos

[Helen F H]

I'd have thought using the area above the tumble drier would be the ideal height. A lip around the edge as already stated and possibly a small vice bolted to the bench.

There are plans for that bit already Plus some shelves above where the tumble drier is for our emergency kit: our big resus gear, lifejackets for the crew, liferaft grab bag etc

The new bench is going somewhere entirely different.....

[Sonicthediver]

Would agree with Digger about as large as practicle and with a lip around the edge (although 3 inches may be a bit high).

Also agree about a way of collecting the lime that will get spilled but think it could be a gap in the lip with a rubbish bag attached.

container for used lime (before you lob it over the side or dispose of it in other ways)

I have a 2 inch high by 6 inch square block with a 1 and a 1/4 inch hole in the middle for sticking the scrubber in when filling.

The bench needs to be protected from the elements and preferably in a heated room.

Some hooks, high up, for hanging the heads whilst drying (possibly with a few shock cords to stop them banging around if it gets rough).

A couple of small removable plastic containers for small parts in slots so they dont move.

A full set of tools including specialist manufactures bits would be useful to those that have "forgoten" the one item they need to fix the thing ( but I bet they would go walkabout fairly quickly)

I guess that this sort of bench would also be useful to the old school of noisey bubbly types to fix their kit as well

Also for both breathers and other kit it may be an idea to build up a library of manuals and manufacturers contact details, as I have often been asked questions such as "I changed the battery on my VR3 and now its not working properly, what did I do wrong". I keep most of this on a laptop, and it has helped out considerably in the past.

Its nice to see you are thinking about improvements to the services dive boats offer there customers.

[Dr T]

Just get some strong bin bags

a

[Digger]

Would agree with Digger about as large as practicle and with a lip around the edge (although 3 inches may be a bit high).

Also agree about a way of collecting the lime that will get spilled but think it could be a gap in the lip with a rubbish bag attached.

container for used lime (before you lob it over the side or dispose of it in other ways)

I have a 2 inch high by 6 inch square block with a 1 and a 1/4 inch hole in the middle for sticking the scrubber in when filling.

The bench needs to be protected from the elements and preferably in a heated room.

Some hooks, high up, for hanging the heads whilst drying (possibly with a few shock cords to stop them banging around if it gets rough).

A couple of small removable plastic containers for small parts in slots so they dont move.

A full set of tools including specialist manufactures bits would be useful to those that have "forgoten" the one item they need to fix the thing ( but I bet they would go walkabout fairly quickly)

I guess that this sort of bench would also be useful to the old school of noisey bubbly types to fix their kit as well

Also for both breathers and other kit it may be an idea to build up a library of manuals and manufacturers contact details, as I have often been asked questions such as "I changed the battery on my VR3 and now its not working properly, what did I do wrong". I keep most of this on a laptop, and it has helped out considerably in the past.

Its nice to see you are thinking about improvements to the services dive boats offer there customers.

Good thinking on the tools - very few specialist tools are required for most breathers, but if you had the following either attached or on hand for divers to use I think you could rescue various problems:

Inspo hose tool - the broom handle with 2 bits cut out tool
A couple of spare CRP2 batteries for inspo available for sale
2 adjustable spanners
Range of allen keys
Set of jewellers screwdrivers
Soldering iron & solder
Spare cells available for sale (molex and new style)
Spare Inspo mouthpiece (larger than normal size)
Inspo T piece spanner
KISS scrubber tool (a 1" wide knife or chisel will do this)
Whichever multitool is needed for the Delta P RBs
VR3 battery removal tool
Set of O-rings for the common rebreathers (Inspo, KISS, Sentinel/Boris, Revo, Meg) for sale
Cable ties
"Rebreather" tape

This would make it a truly RB friendly boat, and would probably rescue a trip for someone once a season, but you wouldn't be able to buy the amount of goodwill that would generate. If only to be able to say at the briefing "for the rebreather divers, the following are available..."

All that is dreamworld stuff mind, I've never been on a boat which has been able to say they had those things available to hand if needed, but if you want to be the best RB boat in the country, that's a good way of going above and beyond.

Not necessarily cheap, but it could pull in some additional customers or an additional charter from people who otherwise might have used other boats in the Flow that have a reputation for being RB friendly, but can't provide these things. I think it would be a great advert for you if a diver on another boat could come over and you'd be able to provide the part they desperately need not to miss a week's diving.

For starters, I have a KISS handset battery you can have for nowt. I'll send it back with the Nano You may find some fo the rebreather companies are prepared to send you parts to hold for very little, or specialist tools which might just help someone out so far from their base and which can be hard to get things shipped to.

Digs.