sausage

[munkispank]

hey- does anybody have an idea on how to make a home made safety sausage- is it possible?- looks like a simple enough tast to me, it's just a rolled up sleeve with airbladder attatched to a rope right?-
what do you think?

[blackice]

This is one piece of equipment that I would think twice about making myself, as it's a life saving device (at times) and I would worry that it may not work.

But with that said it could easily be made I would guess, just make sure you test it.

Good luck,
=-)

[Gilligan]

I good sausage is around $20. to $30. so why make one? Your life could depend on it. The cheaper plastic ones don't last as the seams in them start to come apart after they are in your BCD pocket for some time. The nylon type material one with the valve on the end last quite a long time if you take care of it as in taking it out of your BCD pocket and hanging it out to dry after each use. I never dive without one in my BCD pocket. I also use one on my dive kayak anchor line about 10 to 15 feet up from the anchor as a marker.
You can add a length of line to it so as to inflate it at your 3 minute 15 foot safety stop then send it up to mark your position in advance of surfacing, especially if their is a lot of boat traffic in the area. An advantage to inflating it at 10 to 15 feet is that it will make it firmer when it hits the surface.
I highly suggest you never dive without one as you never know where you can wind up out there on the ocean. It is near impossible to spot a person in choppy windy seas without one.

[blackice]

I would have to agree with Gilligan,
this can be a matter of life and death, for a small amout of money you should buy one.

But don't let this stop you trying the DIY option, but make sure you bring a backup sausage on you dives, this way you can experiement with you wizzy new sausage with GPS homing beacon while you have the standard back up sausage incase your DIY isn't quite ready for the open ocean just yet.
=-)

[munkispank]

Thanks for the advice,

I had heard from people that the cheaper ones come apart, which is why I wanted to try to make one. The "reliable" ones I have seen are in the $50 price range.
Maybe I will buy one anyway and attempt the suggestion above by making one and taking one.
thanks for the input:)

[ScoobyDave]

Any specific recommendations as to what you feel is a good one?