Modifying gear

[Jim Lapenta]

I just got the ultimate mod last night. My wife bought me a p-valve for Anniversary/Valentine's/Birthday! Nothing says love like being able to relieve yourself! Now I have to get up the nerve to punch a hole in my drysuit. I think I'm gonna wait til after my Ice class next weekend. Just in case! And it's a nice one, the valve that is, a Halcyon balanced!

 

[Mayor]

On my old Oceanic Chute 3 I wanted to add another tank strap but just ended up with a strap around the neck of the tank. This way if it slipped I still had a chance to remove the BC underwater and adjust. Watch other divers and see how many look like the tank is going to slip. Two main tank straps are the way to go.

JimLap,
That was funny!

 

[smellzlikefish]

I've often tossed around the idea of making my own backplate out of heavy plastic sheeting and PVC. I've dived with a few guys out here that use what's known as a Hawaiian Backpack. It is a home-made device with two hooks that sling over your shoulders that attach to a plate that holds your tank in place. These guys generally don't use weight belts or wetsuits, so no need for a BC either.

 

[TSandM]

It sounds like you're ready to join DIR. They spend mor time "configurating" than in the water. Very amusing for the rest of us... he he he

This is funny. I've had my gear for three years and about 700 dives, and here's the grand total of what I've done with it: Sent drysuits in for neck seal changes, when the latex ones went flabby. Put on dry glove rings. Put weight pockets on the camband of my singles rig. Put my gauges in DSS mounts, and put spring straps on my fins. This fall, I added a p-valve to the Fusion.

That's it.

Otherwise, I go diving.

Oh, and BTW, I'm as DIR as I know how . . .

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I cut a 1/2" hole in my hood to let air escape, replaced my mask strap with a neoprene one, replaced neck and wrist seals, made my own dry gloves, replaced the rubber fin straps on my Jetfins with bungees (lot easier to use than spring straps), bungeed my compass and computer instead of the typical wrist mount boots and made my own camera lanyard out of cave line and bolt snap. When I dived with an HID canister light I had to modify it several times a year. That got to be too expensive, so I now use an LED light.

 

[Garrobo]

I have to cut the arms off of anything I buy. I bought a Henderson Hyperstretch at a knockout price which fit my body but it was too long so I cut about five inches off of the legs and re-sewed it with nylon thread. I didn't like the heel strap on the ForceFins so I got the bungee type. That was a waste of money so I rigged up an ankle strap from some sugical tubing and brass rivets which works a lot better. I didn't like the way my current regulator exhausted the exhaled air since I never wear a hood and I got a lot of noise so I made some extensions from some plastic tubing to get it away from my ears. I cut the index fingers off my gloves so I can feel things better.

 

[shoredivr]

I made a jon line, put bungee on my DSS mounts for compass and bottom timer, switched to shorter corrugated hoses, made an adaptor for my transpak so I can get rid of the 1 inch crotch strap and go to a 2 inch crotch strap, trimmed my drysuit hood, made bungee loops to facilitate rolling up my SMB and lift bags, made three sets of stage slings.

I also reassemble gear, putting OMS aluminum plates with diverite wings, etc.

 

[Deep-Thief]

Oh, and BTW, I'm as DIR as I know how . . .

I'm sorry!j/k

 

[Coldiver1]

i usually don't have to modify my gear...crotch strap? you must be one of those cold water divers i have heard about

As a matter of fact I'm going up to Tahoe in about an hour. It is snowing up there and the water should be about 36 degrees. I added a crotch strap to my BC before I started this thread. I have been modifiying (or configuring ) gear since my first BC in 1985. I am always trying to get what feels like a solid snug fit from my BC's.
I have even drawn up plans for BC that is hollowed plastic (like the old plastic tank supports that were used in BC's) there would be a main body to it to hold the tank and two ratcheting arms that come down over the shoulder and two ratcheting arms that close around the waist. (Think of a large hand that closes around your torso) Bouyancy would be controlled by a bladder system that is inside this plastic frame.
Warm water to me is Monterey!

 

[Gary D.]

Back in the early days we made or modified just about everything. Tanks were modified fire extinguishers normally mounted to some type of home made backpack including the easy to build Hawaiian Backpack. Watches, depth gauges and lights were modified from standard watches run of the mill pressure gauges and flashlights to work UW. Weights were home cast and belts scrounged from the military surplus. Booties were made from scrap neoprene and there was a wide variety of spear guns out there. Some were a real work of art. Its way to easy now to just go the the store or go on line to get what one needs. That's just a few things we made. So much was not available or affordable at the time. Diving is a much more affordable activity now.

Gary D.