Being new to solo diving and gear configuration as described here, your informative posts have me making a beeline for the workshop to build my rig and devise a utilisation plan. Ok done, patent application registered. Primary gas, Y yoked single any size mounted normally to bc. Two firsts with all ports filled with whatever I can lay my hands on. Go to beach and hand off my stage to the first person who asks "hows the viz". Put bc on backwards to enable me to identify leaks, entanglements and crack valve when I need to take a breath. As the onlookers gather I mount my trusty pony namely the Mustang ride on mower now kelp and net buster obviously fitted with telescopic exhaust and snorkel, that also acts as my redundant air. Where did I attach that mouthpiece? The coup de grace are the foot diameter 360deg mirrors so I can spot groups of other solo divers and go and say G'day.
ways to carry a pony bottle
- Thread starter RYCO
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AfterDark
Contributor
Here's my yet to be tested rig. I made the bracket from some SS I have and bought the clamps at a marine hardware dealer. The weights on the tank made a handy spot to anchor the bottom of the pony with a piece of SS through one of the clamps that hold the weights on the tank. I'm not concerned with leaks as the reg has a 3 gauge console attached so I have a way to monitor gas pressure in the pony. Also gives me my redundant depth gauge, compass, and thermometer. I know it's probably overkill but I like to have a large safety margin when I can.
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Dashrynn
Contributor
i like how u have the valve turned to the front, this gives me ideas for mounting my tank
marchand
Contributor
took me over an hour to find a half descent pic for this comparison
WOW, what a wonderful example of how not to sling a bottle. With a slung bottle the valve is supposed to be just under and a little behind the armpit and the butt is supposed to be next to your butt. A slung pony when slung properly is more streamlined than a backmounted pony.
Dashrynn
Contributor
AfterDark
Contributor
I do have some concerns on streamlining. Later on in the day I bent the bracket more so that the pony doesn't canter to the right like in my pics, it's parallel with the primary tank now. I don't expect that to solve streamline issues but every little bit helps. I'm not sure I get the whole streamline thing relative to scuba diving. I dive in cold water and require a certain amount of bulky equipment in order to dive safely and comfortably. I guess if I dived warm water I'd have a different perspective. I wear a 7mm wetsuit and tote 30lbs of lead. I have a hard time seeing any streamlining when that's the starting point.
Dashrynn, I'm presently getting over my second rotator cuff surgery so every mm I can get that valve handle closer to my head the better. That's part of the operational testing to find out if I can reach my valve handles. I've got the primary tank riding high on the bc for the same reason. I hope to do a shake down dive in the next few weeks. I expect to do some fine tuning, I may turn the pony so the valve is at say 10 o'clock relative to straight ahead.
Dashrynn, I'm presently getting over my second rotator cuff surgery so every mm I can get that valve handle closer to my head the better. That's part of the operational testing to find out if I can reach my valve handles. I've got the primary tank riding high on the bc for the same reason. I hope to do a shake down dive in the next few weeks. I expect to do some fine tuning, I may turn the pony so the valve is at say 10 o'clock relative to straight ahead.
Until there are verifiable tests, anyone claiming one gear configuration is more streamlined than another is usually just spouting hopeful dogma that your favorite is the best. 
My junior year college engineering courses in fluid mechanics lead me to believe that in general, vest BC's have better streamlining than BI or BP/W, because part of the bladder hides in the shadow of the shoulders. The only way I can see a similar understanding of fluid mechanics leading to believing a slung pony to be more streamlined than my nearly conjoined back-mount pony is the similar hiding in the shadow of the shoulders principle, yet most slung fans would discount my vest theory as ridiculous.
I have a part time job cleaning rich peoples pools on Maui. I know there are some "endless" pools here, and I would love to put a tow rope on a fish scale and drag myself in my different configurations at the same speed to measure which produces the least drag. A true test for me would be similar tests at differing depths and different body positions. As we descend does the bladder get bigger to achieve neutral buoyancy, or does the increasing compression keep the basic size of the bladder the same?
Holding the handles of different scooters gives different body positions; handles or superman on an Apollo gives different body position; the different characteristics of my Balance BC vs my Spectrum BC may cause me to attain different body positions; someone else in a Spectrum probably has a different body position than me in a Spectrum. Is it possible that one diver might have better streamlining in my Spectrum/conjoined pony configuration and another diver might have better streamlining BP/W/slung? :shocked2:
My junior year college engineering courses in fluid mechanics lead me to believe that in general, vest BC's have better streamlining than BI or BP/W, because part of the bladder hides in the shadow of the shoulders. The only way I can see a similar understanding of fluid mechanics leading to believing a slung pony to be more streamlined than my nearly conjoined back-mount pony is the similar hiding in the shadow of the shoulders principle, yet most slung fans would discount my vest theory as ridiculous.
I have a part time job cleaning rich peoples pools on Maui. I know there are some "endless" pools here, and I would love to put a tow rope on a fish scale and drag myself in my different configurations at the same speed to measure which produces the least drag. A true test for me would be similar tests at differing depths and different body positions. As we descend does the bladder get bigger to achieve neutral buoyancy, or does the increasing compression keep the basic size of the bladder the same?
Holding the handles of different scooters gives different body positions; handles or superman on an Apollo gives different body position; the different characteristics of my Balance BC vs my Spectrum BC may cause me to attain different body positions; someone else in a Spectrum probably has a different body position than me in a Spectrum. Is it possible that one diver might have better streamlining in my Spectrum/conjoined pony configuration and another diver might have better streamlining BP/W/slung? :shocked2:
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idocsteve
Guest
There is NO practical use for the word "should".
Would it be "nice" to give information without being condescending? Sure.
Would the advice perhaps be better taken if it was offered in a friendly non insulting way? Absolutely.
Would posters be more apt to ask for advice if they didn't see answers that were negative in tone? Most definitely.
That does not mean the advice "should" be given in any particular fashion.
I made numerous request that Amphibious post his profile page pic in this thread for a better comparison of his streamlining claims. Any other slung pony fan could have similarly posted a slung pic for a comparison. Now you come along and poo poo the pic I searched over an hour for and called half decent???
Post a pic of your own or butt out! :mooner:
marchand
Contributor
Sorry man, but I don't have a waterproof camera...
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