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Post by diysubscooter on Aug 2, 2010 15:29:05 GMT -8
Hi, I am very interested in 1950s and 60s scooters like the Healthways Seahorse. I have found lots of loose ends and conflicting info from the net. I'd really appreciate any info, photos, descriptions, schematics, specifications etc anyone has. Healthways Seahorse I: www.life.com/image/50388425In particular is Healthways Seahorse related to Italian Cos.Mo.S series like CE2F? If anyone else is interested in this topic I'd gladly share what little I know.
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Post by diysubscooter on Aug 7, 2010 9:58:37 GMT -8
anyone?
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Post by Linda on Aug 7, 2010 10:19:52 GMT -8
There are a few members around here that are interested in the scooters, but it might take awhile for them to show up. It's a little slow around here... I guess everyone is out diving!
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Post by diysubscooter on Aug 7, 2010 19:11:20 GMT -8
cool, thanks, I wasn't meaning to come across as impatient
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Post by Linda on Aug 7, 2010 19:32:48 GMT -8
No problem, in fact if you just want to jump in and share what you know, it might spark some conversation. It's certainly an interesting (being somewhat exclusive...) topic.
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Post by scubadiverbob on Aug 8, 2010 11:34:10 GMT -8
I used to have a homemade scooter (Popular Mechanics 1969 or 1970?). It would pull two or three divers at a good pace ... sold it to a commercial dive company when I left Panama. It used two motors and a deep cell battery. Was a lot of fun! Now I have a Tiger Ray; but, it's not worth the effort to take it diving ... goes to show the older (vintage) stuff worked a lot better than some of the newer stuff!
Check out the old Popular Mechanics catalogues. You'll find a few articles on how to build your own.
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Post by diysubscooter on Aug 8, 2010 18:29:27 GMT -8
Here are a few photos I've collected from the web. 1950s and 60s wet subs. Unfortunately I didn't copy the links so I cannot give credit, I hope the sites do not mind. No idea what type that is, if anyone knows please tell us An electric version of the Sea Horse or Sea Shark models sold by Healthways. I think it was actually made by an infamous Italian manufacturer called Cos.Mo.S Spa. Aerojet made several like this. First they were pedal powered then electric Healthways Sea Horse I. The tube is for air for the gas engine
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Post by scubadiverbob on Aug 9, 2010 22:42:28 GMT -8
Just be very careful using them. Some of them can dive fast enough to blow your ear drums and surface fast enough to cause lung damage. I know one guy that made one; but, didn't make the controls correctly to fill the ballast tanks. He had also modified it from the original design ... get the picture?
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Post by diysubscooter on Aug 11, 2010 20:02:33 GMT -8
Yes, I don't think I'll ever get around to building one. I'm just very curious and hoping someone else knows more than I do so I can learn more.
The companies that I'm aware of making these things in the 1950s/60s are:
Cos.Mo.S Spa ('Cosmos') in Italy. More often thought of as military supplier. Made the craft that Healthways marketed.
Aerojet. Made several designs including some paddle ones.
Loral. A French company. Single and two seaters. Know of designations like PR 77 Pheaton and T-14 Pegasus from military sources but no idea what they looked like. They definitely sold civilian craft.
I'm sure that there were others but I don't know of them.
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Post by diysubscooter on Aug 27, 2010 8:23:53 GMT -8
the scooter in the first pic, the one with the two ladies in, is a Havas Mk-1 I think, although the prop config looks a tiny bit different so must be a sub-version. Scubapro used to sell them. I think that the windshields can be seen in the background but not picked out by the photo editor who colored the scooter and overlaid the models without scuba gear.
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Post by nikeajax on Sept 1, 2010 21:33:26 GMT -8
Have you seen the movie, "The Mermaids of Tiberon"? www.imdb.com/title/tt0056233/There are some gratuitous shot of a Healthways sub, as well as other Healthways gear, super boss. Make sure you see the original version, as it was later recut as a softcore porn, and was just plain bad, and I love bad movies too. Nearly all of Diane Webber's swim scenes were taken out; she wears this mermaid tail that's pretty darned cool, YUMMY! Oh, and it was written and directed by Mr. Sea Hunt himself, John Lamb, so the photography is exceptional! Jaybird
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Post by duckbill on Sept 1, 2010 23:34:48 GMT -8
Have you seen the movie, "The Mermaids of Tiberon"? Is that anything like "Mermaid of the Golden Galleon"? (I've seen neither) Speaking of mermaids, where have they all gone? I see some have gone to work at movie studios every once in a while, but I never see them in the ocean any more. What's up with that?
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Post by nikeajax on Sept 2, 2010 7:19:06 GMT -8
I think they're on strike; as with unicorns, they're a little PO'ed at be represented as being wimpy. I don't think they'll come back as there was a huge ruckus with their lawyer and the judge during mitigation; it was pretty ugly, lots of name calling and stuff. I hear they have a pretty tight union... Jaybird
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Post by Broxton Carol on Sept 2, 2010 10:22:07 GMT -8
I still remember the two seater wet sub, a prop from the james bond movie, at the Carl Gage dive center, just as you entered largo florida. Was right there in the middle of the shop! Must have been 1972. It was real. Saw it and others like it in the thunderball movie.
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Post by SeaRat on Sept 2, 2010 19:45:43 GMT -8
I have a couple of old books which have photos. I'll try to look those up and scan the photos.
John
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