It does not matter how big a boat you have, dive trips always turn it into a mess of gear all over the deck. There is no way around it, it’s just a reality of diving. The best thing to do is to have a plan and try to keep everyone organized as best you can. Here are some ideas on keeping the boat organized and safe on dive trips.
Gear bags are one of the most underrated components of keeping your equipment organized. Bags can range from a quality fin bag that has some extra storage for other equipment, to a solid duffle bag that can hold all of your gear plus a spare of everything. Finally, there are speargun bags that are designed for travel and to be out on a bouncy panga keeping your equipment protected and organized. All of these bags have their benefits based on the type of diving you are doing. If you are going out on a buddy’s center console where storage is limited, try to keep your gear simple. Bring a bag that breaks down and fits in a small space once you have your gear where you need it.
One of the best investments you can add to your own boat is plenty of speargun racks. These tend to be available in two varieties, horizontal and vertical. The vertical racks work well if you have the space to safely add them to your boat. Horizontal racks have the benefit of being able to be placed under a boat’s gunnels. They can additionally hold fishing rods if that is also a hobby of yours. Having proper storage dramatically reduces the chance of injury from just laying the spearguns on the deck. If you have spent enough time spearing on boats, you have probably kicked a spear shaft laying on a boat deck. Needless to say, it messes up your day immediately and dramatically changes the mood on the boat.
For blue water spearfishing, baskets or buckets change the game on gear storage. They still take up a bunch of deck space. Baskets keep float lines and floats organized and easy to deploy. If you’ve ever been on a boat with a bunch of people using float lines without a system, it turns into a tangled mess. Baskets go a long way in keeping the boat organized.
Neptonics Spearfishing 7610 Industrial Ln #8h. Tampa, FL 33637 813-867-3250 https://neptonics.com