tank boots removed?

[Angleseyskipper]

can anybody out there explain to me why anyone would want a twin set with no tank boots on?
reasons against:
shags bottom of cylinders
slide all over the place when kitting up
Damages the hell out
gel coat finish on hard boats.

is there a valid reason out there or is it just a fashion thing?

[steve-k]

<font color='#000080'>yes but there 1337 mate said they look cool without them lol, probably a dir prerequasit

the only time i thaught it was cooool was an instructor with inverted 7s with a s/s guard come stand, and the bastard surfaced after doing a 55m dive with loads more air than me, on twin 12s

[Seadart Bob]

<font color='#333399'>Yep

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (yellow butty box @ July 08 2003,22:54)]Damages the hell out
gel coat finish on hard boats.

Gives boat operators something to do while buddy
is digging big holes in seabed hoping to find his fortune.

[want to borrow a paint brush?]

Cheers
Bob

[Stu Sheridan]

They say boots hide and encourage corrosion...

They may have somthing there, i've just looked at me feet :0

Stu.

[John Gulliver]

Tank boots do encourage and hide corrosion BUT it takes years, in the case of my oldest tank 15 years, before there are visible rust specks. In my opinion, the advantages of using boots outweigh this disadvantage, but do remove the boot and check the cylinder bottom once a year.

[Gavin Yates]

<font color='#000F22'>I don't have boots cos they made my backplate sit incorrectly on the 7s and I've got use to not having any on the 12s.

I've got boots on the singles but not the stages.

The chances of entanglement are tiny and the argument about hydrodynamics is utter gash when you're wearing a drysuit but for me the best reason not to have them is it makes you lie the buggers down when you're not holding them.

[RobK]

So what are boots for?

Standing your cylinders up? I got told never to stand your cylinder up on my first ever lesson so why have them?

They are no use under the water at all and serve no purpose, so why take them?

Now as to drag etc, etc I have no idea if they make any difference at all. Probably not in most situations, though they may have an impact scootering in a high flow cave.

As to rusting, well as John pointed out, that could take years. But how many people remove the boots every year and check? If you don't have boots you can do a visual check of the outside of the cylinder before you dive and know 100% that there are no external problems. You can't do that with boots on.

If you want to not damage the boat you're on, take a rubber car mat with you and put that down first. You can then leave that on the boat when you dive

Cheers,
Rob.

[John Gulliver]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (RobK @ July 09 2003,11:39)]So what are boots for?

Standing your cylinders up? I got told never to stand your cylinder up on my first ever lesson so why have them?

We were all taught that and it's obviously a good rule. I'd certainly never leave my cylinders unattended standing up but look at any diveshop/centre and you'll see dozens of tanks standing. It's also much easier to fill a cylinder standing (takes a lot less space).

[Dr Stevil]

Good point John, My mate was talking about that recently, how during training you're told never to leave it standing up, then you go to Sharm for a week and see 1000 tanks standing around on the quayside...

My boots were taken off and modified before getting the tanks wet and they've been checked yearly since

[steve-k]

<font color='#000080'>thaught we all had to have our tanks checked every 2 years?


putting your kit together on an unbooted cylinder is a pain in the arse, even more so with heavy twins


i am sure yellow bb was just taking the piss with this thread, in hope to spark a usless responce from a no0bi, lol well you got one