Value of old Scubapro BC?

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cranck

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Does anybody have an idea when Scubapro quit making this BC? I have one just like it I bought back in '88 which is now developed a couple of leaks. I found this one on EBay with a starting bid of $49. Any opinions on how much it may be worth? It's the only vest I've ever dove with and I love it, but not sure about the current value. It's probably quite old.
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Does anybody have an idea when Scubapro quit making this BC? I have one just like it I bought back in '88 which is now developed a couple of leaks. I found this one on EBay with a starting bid of $49. Any opinions on how much it may be worth? It's the only vest I've ever dove with and I love it, but not sure about the current value. It's probably quite old.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/images/pxnavyblue/attach/jpg.gif
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It could be a great deal, or it could be useless, depending on the condition of the fabric. Sometimes the fabric deteriorates on the inside, causing non-repairable leaks (not a defect with this particular model or brand, it could happen to anything).

$50 is a good deal if you have the option of a refund if it's non-repairable.

Terry
 
It's one of the last versions of Scubapro's original stab jacket before they switched to the Finseal and generally moved away from the original single bladder design using double taped seams and very tough fabric.

They were super tough and while I have never heard of the fabric degrading on the inside - the fabric is basically a nylon layer calendered to a layer of butyl rubber - they do have a known issue with developing seam leaks after a decade or two of heavy use.

In terms of utility, if it looks looks like it is in good condition with no fraying seam tape it is probably in good conditiion and has several more years of use left in it. The value is harder to set. To some people it is just an older BC with less flash and style than current offerings, while to those who have used it, it is an excellent, stable BC that in many ways was a peak in BC design before all the flashy but generally useless add ons by the marketing pukes degraded the basic design.

I will probably stick with a BP/wing until I die (I started diving with a Scubapro Bouyancy control pack, one of the original wings, dove it until I wore it out and then used a Scubapro stab jacket until wings were available again) but if I went back to a BC, I'd look for one exactly like the one you are considering.

I have on occassion repaired them by using neoprene cement applied to the inside of the seams with a long piece of stiff plastic tubing to work through the inflator and OPV holes in the BC. It is a lot of work but it produces an effective but still neat looking repair.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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