Beginner Buying (Very) Old Never Wet Poseidon BCD?

[piotrbania]

Hey,

Just got my OW certification a few months back and I'm hooked but I can't bear to keep paying steep rental fees, so I'm trying to put together a decent kit.

My budget for a BCD is in the $300-$400 range and I've been looking at a range of new (e.g., Cressi Start Pro) and used options (e.g., well worn Zeagle Ranger). Long story short, I found a local family with a set of never-wet Poseidon BeSea W50's (BPW w/ weights) manufactured in 2008 for around $250 each. Given that these are so old and, frankly, I don't know what I'm looking for, I reached out to Poseidon and asked whether they would advise against buying one of them. The rep had me a) check the color of the bladder and confirmed they have parts available and b) are having me make sure it holds max air overnight. If it does, they said go for it (and get it checked out by a tech in person).

My inclination is to trust them, but we're talking 15 years old! I just wanted to run it by the folks here before pulling the trigger. Unsure whether this is a good deal or I should look elsewhere!

Thanks in advance for any feedback or advice!

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Some people have had their wings for decades. So if it was sitting in storage, it might likely be just fine. You just have the butt dump that where the o-ring has dried out and same with the inflator. But if these take standard parts like you can get from DGX, then go for it.

Harnesses are super easy and cheap to make. If you need help, I'd be happy to walk you through it over zoom/skype/teams/whatever.

 

[Angelo Farina]

My wife's BCD is a Cressi "single bag" (no bladder) jacket purchased in 1989.
It looks almost new.
That is 34 years old!
Only part which failed was the internal gasket of the injector,:which was not sealing properly, resulting in a slowly-inflating bag.
I replaced it for 10 euros...
I love vintage equipment.
So, test if this Poseidon BCD operates correctly, and then get it...
And post here some photos!

 

[piotrbania]

@Angelo Farina @wetb4igetinthewater
Thanks for your input. Sounds like it's probably fine! I asked Poseidon about o-rings and they said they don't have service kits for the inflator... any quick way to tell whether it's compatible with one's available on DGX?

Hoping this is worth the hassle. I've read that BPW is (generally) better than jacket-style, but a new Cressi Start Pro would buy me out of all these concerns

 

[broncobowsher]

There will be zero warranty support through Poseidon. Even through it is new, it is old. Really old.
I've actually had really bad luck with brand new old stuff made of plastic. Looks fine, crumbles in use. How it was stored matters as well.

I wouldn't use it. It has aged as is. Old plastic stuff that has been in use all this time, fine. It has been exercised. That stuff lasts.

For what you are looking to spend you can do the backplate and wing, get all new stuff, and better stuff. I am sure the seller is more than happy to sell you $50 worth of BC for $250.