Pete C. wrote:
cavelamb wrote:
Pete C. wrote:
cavelamb wrote:
The question, of course, is what will you actually NEED - vs want.
They are quite different.

Richard
First off since I didn't see the original post, are we talking hobby
workshop or fix the boat in the middle of nowhere shop, as they have
quite different requirements.
I came across that very question while writing the above.

Are you a machinist afloat? You'll need a Navy support vessel to
carry a full machine shop.

Yes, but I think a small lathe/mill combo for someone who builds
miniature engines and the like is viable on a reasonable sized boat.

Or are you a sailboat with some repair/make capability?

Second off, on your hookah setup, in the interest of saving space and
weight, I'd suggest you home-brew this one as a combo unit, combining a
small Honda gas engine with both a small water pump and a small oilless
air compressor with filter to feed the hookah. This should save weight
over two separate units. For the hoohah part you just need a suitable
oilless compressor with filter, and a normal SCUBA second stage
regulator on a long hose.
These are pretty much off the shelf items - at least at the local Northern Tools
store. Keeping them separate gives the greater flexibility.
The AC/DC den set can make power to run bumps and stuff, while an engine driven
pump can go anywhere anytime - all by itself.

I like the hooka suggestion, Pete.
My only beef with the oil-less compressors is NOISE (huh?).
But a way to compress and store air would lend itself to a home brew hooka.
The store-bought one is priced in Boat Units!

Yes, that was my other point, the Brownie's units are $$$. Since a
hookah setup is pretty simple and you're dealing with shallow depths a
homebrew unit isn't that difficult. Noise from the oil-less compressor
isn't an issue when it's powered by a gas engine and you're 15'
underwater working on patching the boat.


Anybody still aboard would go deaf quickly and painfully!


I'd suggest including a tether on the end of the hookah line if you're
working out in open water so you can't easily get separated from the
boat. Getting separated from the hookah at 15' isn't that big a deal (I
presume you have a SCUBA cert?), but getting separated from the boat in
the middle of nowhere certainly is.


When I was a kid. Haven't seen it in 40 years tho.

The tether is a given. We use them on deck too.

If you would like a good sailing adventure read, pick up Hank Searls "Overboard"
form way back in the mid '70s.

Even the best tether won't help if you unclip it!


Also, 830W is 6.9A, not 10.5A which is probably starting surge. Either
way, a Honda EU2000i will run that, My EU2000i runs my camper A/C of
similar spec just fine.
I noticed that. Their web specs.

I was thinking about running off of the house batteries - with an inverter.
You couldn't dive without the genset running...

You could always get a real HP SCUBA compressor, but those are $$$ as
well. I actually just got one myself, but it's not exactly portable. It
needs and overhaul and since it's currently 15hp electric drive I think
I'll repower it with a surplus Kubota diesel to make it more convenient.

In my wildest dreams I can't imagine getting something like that up and
down the companionway hatch!

I wish there were a way to add a compressor to the genset.
It is water cooled, and very quiet, but it's pretty much a sealed up unit.