Sea Scooters - Fun In The Water For All Ages - Pool,Lake Or Sea!

Thinking About Purchasing A Sea Scooter or Dive Scooter?

Sea Scooters or PWP's (Personal Water Propellers) , or DPV's (Diver Propulsion Vehicles) are small hand held water crafts used by swimmers or divers to move through the water, typically between 2 and 5 MPH. Not only will they save effort, air, and time for divers but they are a blast for casual recreation and will even give you a bit of a work out while skimming around in the water. It is not difficult to keep your head above the surface while in operation if that is what you desire.

It can be confusing trying to find the right sea scooter with so many now on the market. This article will attempt to relate the information we have found useful when shopping for a Sea Scooter. Our experience is recreation related so if you plan to be deep sea diving, or going deeper than the average snorkeler please do further research with regard to safety and SCUBA certification. Changing your elevation quickly underwater can be deadly if you lack the experience and training involved.

That said, lets get on with the fun stuff. There are basically three categories of Sea Scooters in our opinion, Scooters suited for children, adults, or professionals.

Rechargeable battery powered Sea Scooters are the most common, however there is at least one gas powered model currently on the market. They range in price from less than $100 U.S to a few thousand depending on the power, construction and depth rating for a given model.

The first model we will examine is best suited for children and the least expencive.

The Sea-Doo Seascooter Aquanaut Youth Water Scooter , Retails for around $100. It is shorter in length, therefor easier to manage for small hands and is categorized as a "Pool propulsion vehicle for children between ages 5 and 10" The Aquanaut Youth Water Scooter runs at up to 1 mile per hour with a 100-pound maximum capacity.

Moving up in power and price we reach the "adult" category.

The 'Blue Dolphin' Water Scooter Seascooter retails for around $120 and offers the following

• Suited for pool, lake or sea
  
• Run up to 3 miles per hour and 82'/25m in depth with aerodynamic three-fin design
• Enjoy 90 minute run time per charge
• Play safely with safety features for ages 12 years old and up
• Carry up to 220 lbs

Reviews for the Blue Dolphin were unavailable at the time this was written. Having not used one personally I am unable to make a determination of quality at this time.

Next in line is the Deco Stingray Water Scooter. It retails for around $150. It moves at around 3 MPH, ( I know... I thought the same thing, but 3 MPH feels much faster in the water, an experienced kayak enthusiast moving about 4 MPH knows it takes a lot of work) It weighs 31 pounds which is quite heavy for the 150 Watt motor.

• 150 Watt motor with 12V rechargeable battery
• Delivers up to 1 1/2 hours of run time for fun at the beach or the pool
• Can take rider to depths of 65 feet
• Carries up to 220-lb. rider

The reviews are fairly good for an entry model Sea Scooter. As will all models, READ THE MANUAL! . If the inner cones pump screw is left off when you go in the water you can sink your scooter rather quickly and it will NOT be good for the motor or battery.

My personal pick and the scooter I currently use is the X-Treme - X 155 ,
(mine on the charger at the moment gearing up for a day at the beach tomorrow.)

X-155 Electric Powered Sea Scooter - Dual Battery - 250 - 300 Watt Motor - $210-$230

"The X-Treme X-155 dual speed aqua sea scooter. The fun will never end with one of these close by this summer. The X-155 Sea Scooter comes complete with a dual battery system (24 volts), battery charger, branded X-Treme Logo duffle carry bag, and is ready to take you up to 100 feet below the surface any time you are ready.

The Sea Scooter is just plain fun. This unit can be used in swimming pools, at the lake or even in the ocean for serious divers if you choose to go down deep, but best of all it's also great for kids playing in the water. The X-155 sea scooter is also simple to use, just hold it in front of you, pull the first trigger on the handlebar and let it take you away, pull the second trigger to activate the 300 Watt speed setting for maximum power and if you want to go under water, just point it in that direction and it will take you right down.

The X-155 Electric Powered Sea Scooter Sea Scooter is the ONLY sea scooter on the market today that is built with an all metal gearing system. Each end of each gear shaft is fitted into a stainless steel bearing. X-Treme takes there quality very seriously and to prove that, just view the images below that show the metal gear system used in the X-155 compared to the plastic gearing system used in ALL other brands of sea scooter on the market today. Plastic gears will fail, it's guaranteed but metal will not and to back that up, we are offering a lifetime warranty on the gears." - From X-Treme Scooters Website.

It has a faster speed than the more expensive Sea-Doo models (later in this article) , offers a good battery life (1.5 Hours) , and has a lot of power for such a little machine at 250-300 Watts.
It clocks in at around 4 MPH which feels ample.

The highest in wattage I have seen advertised is the :

Underwater 350W Sea Scooter Water Propeller DPV 100 ft deep - Around $350

• Powerful 350W high speed sea scooter, dive down up to 100 ft.
  
• Deluxe Heavy Duty Carry Bag, Battery, Charger are included.
• Operating time: up to 90 minutes (extended battery)  Depth rating: 100 feet  Manual can be downloaded by clicking contact customer service.
• Diver weight limit is 300lbs.  Speed Up to 4.5 MPH. 
  
• Highly maneuverable-weighs just 16 lbs including battery.

I have noticed many dive classes and even Sea Scooter training programs use and recommend the next two Sea-Doo models. "Rated No. 1 overall water scooter by Diving Science and Technology"

The Sea-Doo Seascooter VS Supercharged Water Scooter - $499

* Dive propulsion vehicle for professional and recreational divers
* Propels user at speeds of up to 3 miles per hour; rated for depths of 100 feet
* Rated No. 1 overall water scooter by Diving Science and Technolo

The New More Powerful X-160

WATCH FOR THE ALL NEW X-Treme : X-160 Sea Scooter ARRIVING JULY 1, 2008 WITH 300-350 DUAL SPEED MOTOR & LARGER BATTERY SYSTEM.

I expect the price upon release will be about $100 less than the

Sea-Doo Seascooter VS Supercharged Water Scooter

Which would be around $250- $300 -

I will post actual price after release July 1 !!

I personally use the X-155 which will be replaced by the X-160

*Spare Batteries & Parts For X-Treme Sea Scooters Also Available

====================================================
X-160 Production UPDATE 7/2/08

I spoke with the factory today, the first units of the X-160 Sea Scooters

have been released from production, and are currently in transit to the

distribution hub. X-Treme has said they expect to have them available for

me by this time next week.

In related news, I noticed most places no longer have the SEA-DOO Sea

Scooters in stock, other than a few of the $799 Explorer (Deep Water

Model),and the very basic least powerful Dolphin model.

I attempted to check with Stallion Sport who actually makes the Sea-Doo

scooters for Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. It appears the Stallion

Sport website is no longer operational. Should they not resume

distribution in the very near future this will mean you will see many more

X-Treme Sea Scooters on the water !!!

Tips for keeping your electric sea scooter running well.

1. Stock up on waterproof marine tape and put a ring of tape around the outside of the nose cone where it meets the lower half of the scooter before use. You can either put it under the left and right connectors (latches) which hold the nose cone in place, or over the nose cone latches once the scooter is assembled. The other place I put tape especially prior to salt water use is over the battery air release screw and I even tape up the vent holes on the nose cone, basically eliminating any water flowing inside the nose cone and around the buoyancy chamber of the scooter. This seems to prevent flooding and cut down on drag which makes a big difference in performance.

2. Put a small bead of water proof caulk like the type used in showers, around the rim of the plastic battery housing and in the screw holes that connect the battery housing piece to the control board section of the scooter.

3. Always rinse off your sea scooter with fresh hose water if you have used it in a lake or salt water, the salt or natural minerals can easily build up and rust screws or clog parts of the scooter.