Beuchat Master Lift

[GotAir]

Now that I found scuba diving I'v become an Incurable collector of dive gear! my last purchase of gear was from a pawn shop and one of the items was this Beuchat Master Lift Bc. it looks fairly well bilt and after cleaning some sand out of the diaphams its been holding air for a few days now. I've done a search on SB on this BC but have found no info on where it was made or where it stands as far as quality. any info Pro or Con would help.


Mike

 

[tme623]

Now that I found scuba diving I'v become an Incurable collector of dive gear! my last purchase of gear was from a pawn shop and one of the items was this Beuchat Master Lift Bc. it looks fairly well bilt and after cleaning some sand out of the diaphams its been holding air for a few days now. I've done a search on SB on this BC but have found no info on where it was made or where it stands as far as quality. any info Pro or Con would help.


Mike

My first BC was a Beachat Master Lift. I bought it in 1993, and it was way too big for me! But I went ahead and used it on 75 dives in both cold and warm water. Once I went to a drysuit, it fit a lot better. My problem with the Beachat started about ten dives ago when I went to steel 95 tanks and the single CAM strap just did not seem adequate to hold the tank in a secure position. The larger tanks would swing all over the place. On my last dive in the Beachat the tank was sideways to my body, the octupus hose came over my forehead, and it was all bad. My DIR buddy said she would never let me dive in it again and then let me try her BP/Wing combo on the next dive. I then bought my own BP/Wing and am SO much happier.

I guess, if you are diving smaller tanks and have a large frame it could be a good BC for you. On the plus side, mine is ten years old and still looks brand new. It holds air without any leakage. In PNW cold waters I never felt that it couldn't hold me comfortably at the surface even with the steel tank in swells. The only thing that "broke" on it was a plastic d-ring on the bottom of the vest below the pocket. So the quality of it is okay, it just isn't great for bigger tanks.

Thats my experience with the Beachat.

Tammi

 

[SmokeAire]

I dive with a Beachat Masterlift non-weight intergrated bc. Have been for 3 years. I have never had any problems with it. I like the big side pockets since I have to add/subtract weights depending on the conditions of the dive. When fully inflated it floats with head out of the water and back. Nice when you have a long swim back. Right now I dive with AL80s and have never had tanks slip on me. You can really crank the tanks band. I find the buoyancy very easy to control.
I am going to sell it though because it is too big for me now that I don't have to wear my full 7mm FJ all the time since I moved from upstate NY and it doesn't have enough attachment points for all the geegaws I want to get. But it has served me well. Oh and I like the hard carrying handle.
Enjoy yours.
Chuck