Do it yourself: how to make a scuba gear locker by Richard Reid (DentonDivers.com)

If you are like me, you get home from a weekend of diving… head for the shower, and start washing all your gear down. After I’m finished, there is a shower curtain rod placed over the center of the bathtub where I hang my gear to let it drip dry. After awhile, my wife started complaining…

seems she didn’t like me hanging all my dive gear over the bath tub and leaving it there. Something about it being in her way when she wanted to take a bath… REALLY! She just doesn’t seem to have the proper “priorities” if you ask me. However, in the interest of marital bliss, I went out and purchased a storage locker so I could keep my gear in the garage, without having to worry about it being infested by “dirt daubers” and the like.

I went to Home Depot and purchased a Rubbermaid “Large Vertical Storage Shed” (model # 3746) At first I tried using an expandable shower rod to hold the gear…. but no matter how much I tried to expand it, it just wouldn’t hold the gear up. So…. I resorted to “plan B”. A quick trip back to Home Depot for a couple of 2X4’s, some 3/8 X 4 1/2 bolts (10 each), 20 large washers, a section of 1″ electrical conduit, and a bracket to hang the rod on.

I started by cutting the 2X4’s down to 6 feet each. Next, I measured and marked the spots (5 each, 1 foot apart) for my bolts and drilled my bolt holes. I moved the 2X4’s into the storage shed, selected where to install them, and ensured they were level. Then I used my 3/8 drill through the pre-drilled 2X4’s and through the plastic walls of the shed and inserted the bolts (with a washer on each side) from the outside, and attached the nut on the inside of the shed.

Next I measured and cut the electrical conduit using a reciprocating saw and a metal cutting blade. Then I installed the brackets (again ensuring they were level, dropped the rod in place and whalla…. I now have a new dive gear storage locker.

I then added a few homey touches… like a incandescent light in the top of the locker, some self-stick hooks on the walls to hang small items (dive lights, masks, assorted other items), a small shelf for storage of diving related books, spare fins, and other small items, and last but not least, a few of my favorite dive posters, maps of Cozumel, and assorted fish pictures on the inner doors. As you can see from the pictures, there’s even room for my tanks over in the corner.

So for a small investment (compared to what I spent on my diving gear!) I have a nice place to keep all my gear, and “marital bliss” both at the same time.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 at 4:13 pm and is filed under articles, DIY. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.