WTB: Boat for river diving

[Serota]

I would like to buy a used boat/motor/trailer suitable for myself and buddy to dive river caves. I'm thinking of a Jon boat 14' or greater or something similar that will hold 2 people and dive gear. I don't have a lot of money budgeted for this, but let me know what you have and how much you want for it and we can go from there.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I'm not selling mine... but.

You may also want to consider a small inflatable, soft or rigid hull. I use a 10' inflatable with a 9.8hp outboard to run up and down the rivers in the panhandle, no problem wtih two people and two sets of gear(forget having 3 people). When I'm done, I deflate, roll up, and toss it in the back of my car.

You can get em cheap new, or super cheap used.



Look closely and you'll see we have 4 people(including me taking the picture) for 2 small boats.



Jon boat is easier to dunk in the water and pull out with less setup though, just gotta keep the trailer maintenance up.

[Jerry]

I would like to buy a used boat/motor/trailer suitable for myself and buddy to dive river caves. I'm thinking of a Jon boat 14' or greater or something similar that will hold 2 people and dive gear. I don't have a lot of money budgeted for this, but let me know what you have and how much you want for it and we can go from there.

Do you have a specific river in mind? If it is the Santa Fe you have to take into account the shoals. You can run almost anything up and down the Suwannee but the Santa Fe is a different story.

Jerry

[Serota]

Thanks for both comments:

I owned an inflatable when I lived in Wi. and used it to dive in the lakes there. I actually kept it inflated and on a trailer, so it wasn't much trouble to load/unload. I had to sell it before moving. I agree that they would be excellent for river diving.

Regarding Jerry's comment - I would be using it on both rivers, but probably Sante Fe more because it is closer. Would a Jon Boat not be a good choice there? Mike M. and I took his 18' upstream from Hwy 47 and it worked great.

Thanks.

[Jerry]

...............................Regarding Jerry's comment - I would be using it on both rivers, but probably Sante Fe more because it is closer. Would a Jon Boat not be a good choice there? Mike M. and I took his 18' upstream from Hwy 47 and it worked great.

Thanks.

When did you launch at 47 an where did you go? If the river is clear enough to dive the river cave it is also so low you won't be able to get past the powerline shoals in a jon boat. You might get the boat over but it won't be under power. This means you won't get to Ginnie; you would have to put in at Rum Island. There is no good way to get to Rum from Gainesville. You might be able to put in at Poe.

Jerry

[Caver95]

woudl a 33 morgan out island work for you? the dink it comes with would be perfect.

[Serota]

We only went to the Syphon Creek area and then a little further upstream, so we didn't reach the shoals area. What kind of boat would be appropriate for the Sante Fe?

When did you launch at 47 an where did you go? If the river is clear enough to dive the river cave it is also so low you won't be able to get past the powerline shoals in a jon boat. You might get the boat over but it won't be under power. This means you won't get to Ginnie; you would have to put in at Rum Island. There is no good way to get to Rum from Gainesville. You might be able to put in at Poe.

Jerry

[Serota]

I have to admit, I don't know what kind of craft you are describing. Picture?

woudl a 33 morgan out island work for you? the dink it comes with would be perfect.

[chimie007]

I have to admit, I don't know what kind of craft you are describing. Picture?

Morgan's are sailboats.....

[Caver95]

I have to admit, I don't know what kind of craft you are describing. Picture?

http://cavetek.com/conditions.aspx dingy not shown, but a 10ish ft avon