Ladies....snap bolt Q...

[tkdgodess]

How much of operating a snapbolt and valves would you say is skill & muscle memory vs. hand strength/grip/finger size-hand span? Dry gloves vs. wet gloves?

How much do you try before you call it or do you change gear to make it easier? I admit to wearing wet gloves and have mild tendonitis in my left hand due to overuse, and I will my hands to doooo it.... bigger bolts, dry gloves, more practice or physiologically very challenging to overcome? Drygloves are being installed, and I didn't want to buy new snapbolts until I try with new gloves, valves are being services because I can barely turn them on land...I have small hands, long fingers and my palms are in proportion, even when I was heavily weight training my grip on heavy dumbells was limited by my hands (ie doing squats with db over 40 pounds in each hand)

 

[tstormdiver]

I typically don't have much trouble operating snap bolts. I tend to use larger ones because I dive a lot of cold water & use either dry gloves or thick wet gloves. The only problem I've had (mostly with my deco bottle or reels at my left hip) is the snap bolt will get turned to the inside & becomes difficult to operate. Usually after a few tries, moments & choice words:shocked2:, I get it, but it is a PITA when it gets turned that way. Makes it difficult to get my wrist to turn the right way.

 

[BabyDuck]

yes, i have some hand strength issues, though not with bolt snaps or valves. mine are lifting tanks to bolt snap them to my d-rings (if i'm picking up just a deco bottle & i'm backmounting, i drop my chest d-ring onto the bottle rather than lifting, but i can't do that putting on the sidemount bottles) and re-stuffing the sidemount long hose after a reg switch. i'd like to take a sidemount course with a female instructor to see if she might have slightly different techniques to teach, or if i just need to gut it out or let my buddy keep restuffing my hose.

 

[butrflyleslie]

I have always had a lot of issues with bolt snaps. My hands are weak and I have scranny little fingers. BUT...Bob Sherwood showed me the proper way to tie on a boltsnap and the proper way to hold and clip it. I can't even begin to explain it over email but it completely changed things for me.
For example, the bolt snap on my long hose..I was trying to just hold the boltsnap in my hand. He showed me that if I tied it on correctly I could hold the hose in my palm and use my index finger to swivel the snap and bolt it off. Not sure if that makes much sense in wording but you my just need to rethink how you're clipping things off. Also practice has helped a lot.

 

[udtfire]

butrfly is rite it is more tech than strength and the large bolts work better and dont forget the silcon spray and clean them well

 

[TSandM]

I have pretty severe osteoarthritis in my hands, but boltsnaps aren't a problem. As already stated, the way you tie them and how you hold them is way more important than strength. Small changes in technique REALLY affect how easy things are.

That said, I do use a large snap on the SPG for my cold water rig, simply because my hands are often so number that I can't feel things very well, and using a large one makes life easier. Took a bunch of grief about it recently from somebody who borrowed my regulator.