SS N-19 Saltwater, price increase is coming.......

[owlbill]

http://www.silent-submersion.com/SALTWATER/index.html

[Cameron]

I guess I ordered in time! Does this mean that I can bother you on this site too?

[owlbill]

DOH DOH DOH DOH :roll:

[Tom Falardeau]

I saw an N-19 at Ginnie on Monday.... still about 12-15 pounds heavier than an X-scooter due to the PVC construction, although pretty much the same size. Can't say I cared much for the way the battery is built onto the tail assembly.

[JimC]

N-19 is heavier, but it also has more run time than a standard X. About the same runtime (and a bit less weight) as a long body X.

I like the way they did the batteries, since they are completely sealed units, you can toss the battery into the drink and it will still work. They are different scooters for sure. Both look like great rides.

[owlbill]

A good thread on TDS about them too.

http://thedecostop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23776

[Cameron]

Well I am will have two of the packs in my scoots when I get them so we will see if there are worth the duckets at the end summer, and after a year. And yes Tom I know... 77 Lbs.... but 3 hours burn at full tilt....mmmm scooter

[owlbill]

Me thinks youze gize are talkin about 2 diff scoots....the N-19 and the UV-N37. The N-19 is the mini (X-scooter like) unit from SS and the N37 (like yours Cam) is the larger size model. Both with NiMH of course.

[JimC]

Short X - 38lb, 50 minutes run time (on full)
Tekna - 55lb, 50 min
UV-18 - 70lb, 90min
Short X - Lithium - 38lb, 90 min
N-19 - 50lb, 100 min
Long X - 55lb, 120 min
N-37 - 77lb, 180 min

[Tom Falardeau]

Well.... my 10 month old X-Scooter today proved what I had been suspecting was happening since last November's cave trip: the battery is dying. It no longer takes a full charge, the initial voltage drop under load is about 20 times what it should be (as compared to my wife's battery which is still in good working order), etc....

A replacement is $425US. See Tom cheering for the X-Scooter? Nope. Not after it showed, contrary to all reviews, that it doesn't have the thrust and speed of a Silent Submersion or a Gavin in a cave. I really do wonder about the reviews I read that rated the X-Scooter favourably in terms of speed. I have to call bullsh*t on that. And now the expensive battery is dying after two dozen or so dives.

I've emailed the manufacturer, but since the battery is beyond warranty, the best I'll probably get is "sorry". I'll let y'all know what happens.

Bill... can you price me a Silent Submersion UV-18, please? It may be twice as heavy as the X, but it'll get me through the Lips in Ginnie without swimming it, contrary to the X, and the batteries cost a fraction of the price.

Anyone interested in buying a year-old X-Scooter (you can get a replacement battery through Burton's Dive), start thinking about it. Once I hear from DiveXtras and see what I'll do, you just might be able to get one for a little over half the price of a new one, and I'll throw in the homemade stand/carrying frame for free.

[JimC]

Before you jump on the SS... SS's and Gavins are hand wound and each and every one of them drives at different speeds. There is no real quality control on Gavins and a bit on the SS. Marc may have a fast one, or be in better trim or you may get a slow one... slower than the X. I know people who have mixed scooters teams and the fastest scooter changes from day to day, depending on who is riding what and who brought which scooter.

Sucks that your battery is dieing.. not much you can do about that one. At only 10 months it sounds like some bad cells in the pack. It might be fixable, but that is painful to no end. Involves taking the pack apart and cycling each cell individually a few times then burn testing each for capacity and some other stuff. Then the hard part is trying to replace the duds with reasonably matched ones.

T-13 days until my cheap Tekna arrives.

[Tom Falardeau]

Well, my X-Scooter battery is off to California, to be opened up and tested by Rabbit Tool, the maker of said battery. If it's a defect, they will fix it at no charge - so hopefully other than the cost of shipping it there (at 6.3 kg, it's a big boy and cost a few $$ to mail), that'll be it. Of course, we'll how long it takes before I see the thing again. If it's like when I sent my old 10wHID can light to Halcyon for warranty repair, it was 3 months, and pretty much the end of the dive season before I saw it again.

[Tom Falardeau]

Well, UPS have my X-Scooter battery in their greedy little hands and are holding it at the UPS depot for my pick-up tomorrow (Wednesday). Not a word from Rabbit Tool as to the what/why/how... but obviously they have returned it to me without asking for money so I'm presuming they did a free repair. UPS on the other hand want a little over $50 from me to release it. *Sigh* I forgot to tell Rabbit Tool to not send via UPS since those thieving b*****ds screw Canadians over royally with their inflated customs brokerage fees. I just hope the battery works good as new - otherwise I'm going to be really pissed.