Considering BP/wings setup...

[thethumper]

Spectre
I have a TPII now & I have the older model of Wrek wings. I've had them for about 6 years. They actually were rated @ 65# lift.

 

[thethumper]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

The problem with double steel tanks and a wetsuit is that you do not have redundant buoyancy.... should your wing fail you would not be able to swim the 108s up.

To get around this you could go with OMS redundant bladdered wings but this introduces another set of failure modes.... and work arounds to mitigate the problems they cause.

A lift bag is not a suitable alternative buoyancy device for the kind of dives that double tanks imply.... imo.

If you are diving a wetsuit then your tanks should be Double AL80s and your BP should be AL as well.... you need some ditchable weight!

So redundant Wrek wings would be inappropriate or no?
I'm referint to the duel bladder duel inflator Wrek wing

 

[Spectre]

thethumper once bubbled...

So redundant Wrek wings would be inappropriate or no?
I'm referint to the duel bladder duel inflator Wrek wing

That'd be the same as the OMS redundant wing...

 

[AquaTec]

pug a question for you.

not to pound an issue into the ground, but i am still learning your philosophy.

in another thread you mentioned that the unbanded wings where so that you could move the air to one side to offset an unbalanced load [deco bottles]

i never imagiined that your wings where not double bladder, so then i must ask this question.

if your single baldder fails, and you use your drysuit as an alternate boyance device what do you do about this unbalanced load.

next question. are you saying that wet suit divers should only use dbl al 80's? and that your al backplate constitutes ditchable weights

 

[thethumper]

Spectre once bubbled...


That'd be the same as the OMS redundant wing...

Yea....that was said already wasn't it.

I would rather not goto the Dry suit yet. Dang....I just paif off my layaway for the Henderson :loopy:

So in a 5mil set up on a single 108 w/Al BP & Wrek wings (if appropriate) would you have a w/b or trim weight, or pockets?

 

[Spectre]

AquaTec once bubbled...
next question. are you saying that wet suit divers should only use dbl al 80's? and that your al backplate constitutes ditchable weights

The aluminum backplate takes weight from your backplate and requires you to put it somewhere else. A ditchable weightbelt is a good place to put that weight.

 

[thethumper]

Would the ABS be a choice here? (Ditchability that is)

 

[Uncle Pug]

AquaTec once bubbled...
if your single baldder fails, and you use your drysuit as an alternate boyance device what do you do about this unbalanced load.

next question. are you saying that wet suit divers should only use dbl al 80's? and that your al backplate constitutes ditchable weights

Actually I was overstating the case of imbalance... I do not do dives that require stages. The AL40 deco bottles we use present no real imbalance problem. If my wing were to fail and I needed to use the suit for buoyancy there would be no problem. If I were diving steel stages this would not be the case... but then I wouldn't be diving steel stages

As for the next question... no the AL plate is not ditchable weight... my suggestion was to reduce the negative buoyancy of the rig as much as possible so that some ditchable weight might be carried. I am only speaking from what I have heard and what makes sense to me in this regard... I only dive cold water, drysuit and steel tanks.

 

[Spectre]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...
I am only speaking from what I have heard and what makes sense to me in this regard... I only dive cold water, drysuit and steel tanks.

Ok... I'll offer up my current 'problem' to aid Uncle Pug with an example. I currently dive a 2 piece 7mm suit. I have a 9 lb FredT plate. 10# on my belt, and an aluminum 80. I might be able to get away with a little bit less on my belt as my wetsuit is getting more and more broken in.

I'll be getting my steel 120s next week. That, in theory, should drop my weight 6 lbs. That leaves me with 4# on my belt. I should probably go to a lighter backplate.

When I dive in my 3mm suit with my 7mm jacket, I use 6# on my belt. With the steel 120, I'll be neutral with no belt [at best, I do it so infrequently that I never bothered a bouyancy check]...

When I dive with my 3mm suit [once again extremely infrequently at this point], I dive with no belt. the 120s will cause me to be extremely overweighted. Even if I go with a neutral plate, I still only get up to 3lbs ditchable... thus "don't dive wet steel".

 

[leadweight]

FWIW, it seems like the majority around here is saying go Aluminum. In the Diverite brand the AL backplate is a real bargain, like $45 bare (list price) and probably under $100 with a DIR harness. It also sounds like Thumper's 65# Wreck wings would be usable, at least as a starting point. So, what I see here is an easy incremental purchase followed by some diving & experimentation.