advice needed on pony bottle mounting please

[Rooster1]

I recently bought a 30cf pony. now I have discussed with my dive buddy the possible ways of mounting it. I am not sure of it is better to be mounted directly on top of my aluminum super 80 or on the side. If I mounted on top I think there may be to much drag and If I mounted to the side do I have to put a weight on the othere side of the aluminum 80 tank to balance the weight so I don't roll over? Please help never done this set up before.

 

[Dryglove]

I have a 13cu mounted on the side of my Luxfer NB80.It took about 4lbs of lead on the opposite side to balance mine out.I dont think i have ever seen one mounted on top of the tank.Like you said it would probably cause some major drag.I have a small button gauge that screws directly in my first stage.Of course once its on my back i cant see it which brings up my next point.

Considering the size of the tank you have you might want to consider rigging it as a stage bottle.The nice thing about that is that you can leave the tank off.Since the majority of hose failures occur when opening the valve make sure you breath off it before entering the water then turn the valve off.That way the hose stays pressurized.As you descend crack the valve open every so often to keep the system pressurized.One ther advantage is that you can hand off the bottle to anyone that might need it which is something i cant do with my setup.When its needed you turn on the valve and your ready to go with no fear of the tank being empty.

My only problem with using it as a stage it would seem like it would get in the way.Thats just my opinion as i have never used one this way.I love my setup just the way it is.Its on my back and out of the way.I keep the reg necklaced under my chin for quick access.Im sure you will get some more opinions on what to do.Decide which is best for you and go with it.

Here are some sites on pony and stage stuff
http://www.quickdrawbracket.com/
http://www.fifthd.com/divestore/classes/classindex.html
www.halcyon.com
http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff/pages/shartley/projects/gear/

http://www.bentleytech.com/cave/stage/index.html
http://www.northeastdir.com/gearpage1.htm
http://www.aquaexplorers.com/

 

[Spectre]

Originally posted by Rooster1
If I mounted to the side do I have to put a weight on the othere side of the aluminum 80 tank to balance the weight so I don't roll over?

You should be ok with it on your belt, but you could probably put
it on your tank strap. Remember it's not that you need to add the weight to the other side, you need to subtract the weight from the side with the bottle. I actually carry 2 lbs in each of the back pockets of my BC, and my trim was fine by just taking the weight out of the pocket on the side with my new 19 cu ft bottle.

I'm not certain the bouyancy characteristics of your 30 cu ft bottle, but if it's negative 2, and you don't have any weight on your BC strap, you could just take 4 off your belt and put two on the other side of your strap.

-Jeff

 

[divedude]

I use 2 hose clamps with clips. One clips to my chest d-ring and one to my waist d-ring and the reg held to the tank with bungee cord. Reason: If I need to pass it off to another diver it just unclips and I can clip it to the other diver, that way I'm not attached to some out of air paniced diver. 2nd if I don't feel the need for it on a shallow fun dive It's easy to leave.
I know some will disagree with the way I do it.
But to each his own. It's just what works for me and the conditions I dive in.

 

[Rooster1]

Originally posted by divedude
I use 2 hose clamps with clips. One clips to my chest d-ring and one to my waist d-ring and the reg held to the tank with bungee cord. Reason: If I need to pass it off to another diver it just unclips and I can clip it to the other diver, that way I'm not attached to some out of air paniced diver. 2nd if I don't feel the need for it on a shallow fun dive It's easy to leave.
I know some will disagree with the way I do it.
But to each his own. It's just what works for me and the conditions I dive in.

divedude, I have seen it done your way before and it looked uncomfortable to me. Is it uncomfortable and gets in the way and have you ever had it mounted on back to say which one you like better as far as comfort and ease??

 

[DivingGal]

I fasten my pony on my tank (on the side). Adjusting my weight when I use it. I use the setup available from Aqua Explorers. It's easy to install the setup onto the pony, and easy to "install" onto my tank when I want to use it

 

[divedude]

Originally posted by Rooster1

divedude, I have seen it done your way before and it looked uncomfortable to me. Is it uncomfortable and gets in the way and have you ever had it mounted on back to say which one you like better as far as comfort and ease??

Yup I've tryed it on my back but it's not as easy to get at for me.
I keep it in front as I dive alot with newbies and find it the quickest way to pass it off in out of air situations. Luckily I've only had that experience 3 times in 10 years. I jammed the reg in their mouth clipped it on to them and got them to the surface. If they had paniced "Which they didn't" I could let them go and not be attached.

 

[DivingGal]

I then clip the regulator that is on the pony within the "golden triangle" for either me to pass for someone in need, or for them to grab. That way there's no extra searching, I know where my octo is, and the pony regulator is right beside it.

 

[Rooster1]

Thank you all for your helpful info

 

[tchil01]

I have a 19 cu ft mounted with the Pony Tamer from Reef Scuba. It's a bit expensive but I like how secure it hold the tank and how easy it is to assemble. However, it doesn't work real well for rentals or for traveling so I am going to get a 13 cu ft and get a pony bag to use when I travel.

Ty