rcpilot44
Guest
I dive with a 19 pony tank and I remove 1# of weight from the side I have the tank on. I am thinking of changing to a sling when I get my Bp/wing setup.
How do you stay balanced with a pony bottle?
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DuckyDiver
Contributor
I dive with a 30 cf pony attached to the right side of my primary tank. to offset the weight, I only put a trim weight on the left trim pocket. To counteract any other rotation, i put an extra pound in my left pouch.
I put my 19 CF in the barrel with the regulator and sling and it turns out to be -4 pounds when full. So for status quo you want to count it as 4 pounds on that side. Once balanced this way I don't even know it's there.
The next issue is how do you deal with overall weight from the standpoint of what happens if you need to hand it off or breath it down. For a solo dive without major depths to return from and a high likelihood of not using it I drop the 4 pounds and count the bottle as weight. If your bottle is mounted such that you can't hand it off then it's yours to use as weight. If it's possible to hand it off then I would let it ride as extra weight on a deeper dive.
Pete
The next issue is how do you deal with overall weight from the standpoint of what happens if you need to hand it off or breath it down. For a solo dive without major depths to return from and a high likelihood of not using it I drop the 4 pounds and count the bottle as weight. If your bottle is mounted such that you can't hand it off then it's yours to use as weight. If it's possible to hand it off then I would let it ride as extra weight on a deeper dive.
Pete
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Maybe I should tone down my post a little after thinking about it. I rigged my 9 yr old with a 6 cu-ft pony and with a 63 cuft primary tank, the pony DID throw him off. Then again he is only 70 lbs when wet. I fixed the problem by adding a 2 lb weight to pony bottle harness thus positioning the weight directly opposite the pony and close to the same vertical position as the pony. It did seem to work for him.
As for myself, I make no accomodation for a 13 or a 30 cuft pony/stage bottle.
As for myself, I make no accomodation for a 13 or a 30 cuft pony/stage bottle.
Thanks to all. I can't explain why the pony threw my balance off so much, but it did. I have quite a few warm water dives logged, all with no problem, so I don't think my "technique" would be that far off to explain it.
As I mentioned, this is all part of my preparation, so I'll continue to work on it. I'll try adjusting my weight distribution as suggested here for a start.
Thanks again to all, and appreciate any and all ideas!
As I mentioned, this is all part of my preparation, so I'll continue to work on it. I'll try adjusting my weight distribution as suggested here for a start.
Thanks again to all, and appreciate any and all ideas!
Buoyant1
Contributor
Strange...I thought that when I started using my pony I'd have to mess with my trim, but I never had to.
I'm using a 40cf, and slinging it on my left side. After the about 5 minutes into the first dive with it, I forgot it was there.
I've now taken it along on 4 more dives and the only thing I'm having difficulty with is getting used to using my right hand to read my gauge, and juggling my light to read my gauge. But it's nothing too crazy..
I'm using a 40cf, and slinging it on my left side. After the about 5 minutes into the first dive with it, I forgot it was there.
I've now taken it along on 4 more dives and the only thing I'm having difficulty with is getting used to using my right hand to read my gauge, and juggling my light to read my gauge. But it's nothing too crazy..
I don't know what kind of BC you are using, but I've found I can carry an amazing amount of asymmetric weight without any problems with my doubles setup, which is a backplate and 40 lb wing. I swam around a full Al80 the other day without even noticing any difference (of course, that's only a couple pounds negative). But I've certainly seen divers carrying several stages and deco bottles on one side; I think it's dependent on diving horizontally, so that one can isolate gas in one side of the wing or the other. If you are head-up too much, gas will equalize between the two sides of the air bladder, and you'll be off balance. I think the same thing will happen with a BC, but I don't know for sure.
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