Questions concerning Backplates.

[cool_hardware52]

Despite what everyone says, it seems all the accessories like pads and adjustment systems from the same manufacturer work best together instead of mixing and matching.

Bingo!

My advice is much like computers, it's a good idea to buy your first BP&W complete. It works, the hard drive match the controller, operating system is preloaded, etc.

Once you have some experience "rolling your own" might make sense, but just like computers may still cost you more than buying a canned solution.

The idea that putting Porsche rims on your Audi results in the "ultimate" ride is tenuous at best.



Tobin

 

[stuartv]

Stuart....

NOWDIVE TV Balanced rig on film - YouTube

Food for thought......dive safe.

Very illustrative! Thanks!

 

[decompression]

Also, to completely derail the OP's post.....here's a fav on using and smb for bouyancy.

bladder failure sidemount SMB practice - YouTube


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[Pavao]

Stuart....

NOWDIVE TV Balanced rig on film - YouTube

Food for thought......dive safe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, the message here is/should be, DIVE A BALANCED RIG

But it doesn't look like it's an honest demonstration to me, seems over exaggerated to make their point.

-She clearly looks overweighted at the beginning "proper" surface weight check, even through the edited video we can see that
-She's also not making a realistic effort to really swim up from the bottom, it's just a clumsy, "oh, I wanna look like I'm struggling to swim up for this video" acting

Again, the intended message I agree 100%, but I think we can pass the message with more credibility when we are not trying to be deceiving.

 

[cwoco]

I have the same wing as stuartv, with the exact same number of dives on it. And I do find that the wing could do with an extra dump valve on the right, or well, a donut shape.

For me, it was perfectly fine when diving on flat-ish reef. The problem would come when doing a wall dive with the reef on my right shoulder. When diving walls, I have a tendency to rotate to look into crevices. This means the bubble ends up rolling the right side of my wing, with my butt up. And if I need to vent due to a upward current (or excited breathing when a manta swings by), it is definitely harder to rotate back to vertical to get the bubble up top than to simply vent from the right side (if the wing had a right side dump), or to roll my left butt up to get the air to the left side before venting (if it were a donut).

Basically, the left only OPV horseshoe means you need to plan ahead a bit more, which is generally fine, but it is hard to anticipate current changes. If I have rotated the air to the right side, and there is an unexpected upward current, I am torn between:
a) finning down (air still stuck in right side, must fin down then rotate and vent, during which time I am floating back up), or
b) rotating and venting (can't fin down then, moving up while venting).
With a donut shape or right dump valve, I can fin down AND dump at the same time.

I dive a 3mm wetsuit with SS plate and no weights, so I'm at least close to the right weight. I'm not saying the wing design is terrible or that I wouldn't dive it - in most situations, it performs perfectly well for me. I'm just saying that in occasional specific situation, having another OPV or donut design would be helpful, albeit not critical. And like stuartv, if I had the opportunity to trade my wing for one with a donut design or a right side OPV, I would do it, but I wouldn't just go out and buy another wing.

 

[stuartv]

For me, it was perfectly fine when diving on flat-ish reef. The problem would come when doing a wall dive with the reef on my right shoulder. When diving walls, I have a tendency to rotate to look into crevices. This means the bubble ends up rolling the right side of my wing, with my butt up.

How about that! Sounds virtually identical to what I said. Are you a fairly new diver, too? That would explain how it's totally both our faults and not indicative of even a very minor flaw in the wing design.

That's one thing I've learned on ScubaBoard. Anyone with less than 100 dives (maybe 2 or 300) that has a problem, the problem is either a lack of skills or doing something stupid. Especially if they are the blind hog that actually found the acorn and are using a BP/W.

[/sarcasm]

On a more productive note, in addition to diving my horseshoe wing and learning that I would prefer the very minor improvement that I believe a donut would provide, I have also learned by experience how easy it is to get a pinch flat - even when you're aware and trying hard to be careful to not get one - and how easy it is to do a field repair on it and not even miss one dive. Thus, any future wings I buy will be a donut AND will provide zipper access to the bladder to allow for field repairs when needed and possible, in order to avoid missing any dives.

 

[ams511]

I have also learned by experience how easy it is to get a pinch flat - even when you're aware and trying hard to be careful to not get one - and how easy it is to do a field repair on it and not even miss one dive. Thus, any future wings I buy will be a donut AND will provide zipper access to the bladder to allow for field repairs when needed and possible, in order to avoid missing any dives.

How did you remove the bladder from the shell? I needed to use a special tool.

 

[stuartv]

How did you remove the bladder from the shell? I needed to use a special tool.

I was lucky. My holes were on the side opposite the OPV, so I only had to pull that part of the bladder out. Unzip the top and pull that side out. No tools required. For the future, I expect to disassemble the inflator elbow and the dump valve at the bottom (at my leisure, at home, before I NEED to), buying any necessary tools, so that I know how to do it and know I have the right tools, and then carry the tools, patches, and Aquaseal with me in my kit. Just in case.

I looked at a How To a while back on disassembling a regular dump valve and it didn't look like rocket science. I am assuming the inflator elbow assembly is also not rocket science. As for the "you're taking your life in your hands" crowd, well, I've taken my life in my hands many times with my own motorcycle maintenance. I'm very comfortable with the concept. In fact, I am the person MOST concerned in the whole world with ensuring my work is done correctly, then tested to verify correctness.

 

[ams511]

You need a bladder flange tool, Dive Gear Express has the best price I have seen. There were instructions online from OMS on how to replace a bladder. Taking apart the OPV and elbow are easy the trick is assembling the flanges properly.

 

[tbone1004]

one solution to this that is not used regularly but if you're prone to pinch flats *which are operator error by and large*, and this certainly an equipment solution to a skills problem, but you can take air tubing and slit it down one edge and put it around the corners of the backplate to prevent it from developing a pinch flat.