Boating USA — March 2018

XS Scuba racks (left) secure tanks with bungees. Laying scuba tanks on a

portable foam rack (right) keeps the cylinders from rolling around on deck.

bottom edge. When opened, it becomes

a 6-foot-wide dive platform that extends

2 feet 4 inches outward. Boston Whaler’s

270 Dauntless is available with a fold-

out swim patio on the port side to make

diving easier.

Even more dramatic is the dive access

point on the Belzona 325 Center Console

and 327 Walkaround. The entire aft

gunwale slides smoothly astern to create a

wide starboard-side opening. A port slider

is optional. When you’re done diving, slide

the door closed to secure the cockpit.

Not to be outdone are Sea Ray’s SLX

400 (2017 Boat of the Year) and SLX 400

OB. The side of the boat in the starboard

quarter folds out to become what Sea Ray

calls a patio wing, but which divers will

view as a great way to drop in. A foldout

boarding ladder on the aft swim platform

off ers an easy way to reboard.

TANKS FOR THE STOWAGE

One of the issues for scuba divers is

fi nding a way to secure dive tanks.

Otherwise, the heavy, cylindrical

tanks tend to roll about like proverbial

loose cannons in sloppy conditions,

threatening to damage the boat

interior and equipment and injure

crewmembers.

One common solution takes the form

of tank rack systems such as those from

Roll Control (in which tanks snap in and

out) or XS Scuba (which uses bungees

to secure tanks). Yet where you install

these racks poses a question. There are a

number of choices, but in a custom boat,

it’s important to work with the builder

in deciding where and how you want to

secure tanks, says Clinton.

Intrepid has designed some

innovative tank stowage systems,

including motorized racks on one of its

custom 40 Cuddy models. Four tanks

(two on each side) elevate from inside the

transom to the perfect height to mount

and dismount them while seated at the

foldout stern bench-style seats.

In less elaborate, albeit elegantly

simple, solutions, a builder might use

a locker or create recesses under the

gunwales for tank racks. On the Scout

420 LXF, for example, an insert fi ts inside

the covered transom livewell to convert

this space to top-loading stowage for

fi ve tanks. The insert is quickly removed

when it’s time to go fi shing and you want

to carry live bait.

Aboard the Boston Whaler 330

Outrage, there’s a lounger forward of the

center console, and underneath is an

elongated stowage locker — Whaler calls

it a garage — where you will fi nd racks to

secure scuba tanks.

The interior of a center console

represents another location for tank

racks. The best center consoles for this

purpose are those that open from the

front. This gives you more elbow room to

transfer tanks in and out versus a console

that has the door on the side. These racks

can also hold helium tanks for those days

when you want to kite-fi sh but there’s not

enough wind, so you need a big helium

balloon to keep the kite aloft.

STOWING GEAR

“A common theme among boating divers

is a desire to have a home for everything,”

says Clinton. With this in mind, Intrepid

asks its dive-oriented customers to bring

in all of their gear during a design session,

he reveals. In this manner, Intrepid can

build a boat that has a place for every

piece of equipment, from masks, fi ns

and weight belts to wetsuits, buoyancy

compensators and spear guns.

To accommodate dive enthusiasts,

some boat models off er abundant built-

in stowage for gear. The Belzona 325 CC

Adventure Edition, for example, features

copious room for dive gear under the

wraparound seating in the bow, as well

as below the lounger forward of the

center console.

PHOTOS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) COURTESY XS SCUBA, COURTESY JC SCUBA, COURTESY INTREPID POWERBOATS (2), COURTESY SCOUT BOATS

BOATINGMAG.COM | MARCH 2018| 89