BC's

[Fossilhunter_Anson]

OK I know there are a ton of BC's out there but whats the easiest way to find one for me? In my training so far I've tried a halcyon backplate and a zeagle ranger the zeagle was horible my trim was imposible and i kept roling to one side or the other. My instructer offered up the backplate which was really cool and i really liked yet I had rolling problems with it also and a tendancy to float feet first. so his next recomendation is the sherwood freedom which i will be trying on my next scheduled dive which has been postponed due to rupturing both my eardrums

My Question is if this one does work for me which models are similar to it that may have the same performance/trim as the freedom?

 

[Fossilhunter_Anson]

I should also add the halcyon was cool cuz it had a lifetime warranty but my instructor says that nearly all BC's if properly taken care of will last about 15 years. But he seems to have a preference to sherwood over any others. ANd he also dislikes zeagles. I could see why off the three people having trim? BC problems in the class all three had on zeagles.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

If you like the back plate and wing, you can get yourself trimmed out with the use of trim weights. I use a 4 or 5 pound weight on a cam strap at the base of my tank. The weight block faces my butt. I am not diving with more weight, I just have it placed in different places to keep me level.

What happened to your ears?

 

[Fossilhunter_Anson]

We tried triming out the weight in many ways even had a weight belt on ended up almost perfect but the sholder straps were too loose so the tank could shift just a little and would make me roll, I have a hunched back and rounded shoulders from bad posture and dds so tightening it would only make it imposible to take it off and put it on so the plate and wing was a no go need something adjustable.

oh and the ears popped from rapid ascent bumped the bc inflator and it stuck at 20' and didnt deflate and unplug fast enough so now i'm half def and gotta wait several weeks to complete my course only need two more dives to get my cert and i've done most of the skills already ( when i was trim and bouyant)

 

[scubacoots3]

dive rite

 

[don Francisco]

Sorry about your eardrum, I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

Don't confuse trim issues, which have to do with weight distribution, with the choice of BC. Different BCs may weigh different amounts, but that can be compensated for by weighting adjustments.

If you were tending to roll side to side, it was likely you had too much weight on your back, above your center of bouyancy. Were you perhaps using a steel tank? If so, and not using lots of ballast, try an aluminum tank next time.

You will always tend to assume a natural trim wherein your center of gravity is directly below your center of bouyancy. Think of how the lead keel keeps a sailboat upright, and how overloading upper decks makes a boat unstable. Understanding this principle and adjusting the placement of your movable ballast will help you achieve the desired trim regardless of which BC you use.

 

[divermatt]

Both eardrums? Ouch.

You keep rolling to one side, or to either side???

I think you might have to spend some time in a pool with a tank, and figure out why you're getting spun around. If the tank bottom is hitting your butt when you kick...well, then maybe the issues isn't the BC but your tank location. No BC should spin you around.

 

[Fossilhunter_Anson]

The back plate was 6 pounds stainless steal and then there was an added six pound weight where the tank goes the tank was an al80 i had a 5 mill wet suit so i needed another 8 pounds on my hips to sink. I got good trim for a while but once i tried to turn around i started to roll again had to flip over and try to shift the whole thing on my back to get it straight again.

I think my center of buoyancy is just above my waist I'm close to 6' and 245 pounds.

 

[Fossilhunter_Anson]

dive rite


I actually live just a mile or so from where they are sold and have been looking into them as an option, what setup could you recommend me trying?

 

[scubacoots3]

I would try both the transpac and the bp/w both are great.