Update on killed poodle DIY backplate BC

[aquacat8]

I made some modifications, I angled out the tank holder part so the tank hopefully will clear my butt and not pinch the wing. This also allowed me to create a space I can feed two 2 pound weights into behind the tank, and a post at the bottom turned out to be easier to clip an SMB to than a D ring.
Included is a photo of my old harness for comparison. It’s a lot bulkier and had lots of inaccessibile D rings. On the new one I used carabiners with the clip part against my body to prevent accidental clipping as large hip D rings, (and one with the clip exposed in front where I can see it.)
It will get a trial at Ginny at the Fool’s Megadive

 

[aquacat8]

Oh yeah and I swapped the rubber Freediving belt for web belt so I could secure everything with Tri glides. Carrabiners are trapped in Tri glides so they stand out.

 

[iamrushman]

nice work...have you water tested it yet?

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

Looks fun, i hope it will be nice to dive.

 

[Akimbo]

It looks like the backplate might support a second cam band. If so, I definitely recommend it. See Cam Buckle Assembly Instructions, Post #8 and Post #11.

 

[aquacat8]

nice work...have you water tested it yet?

Not since the modifications...soon!

 

[JamesBon92007]

I made some modifications, I angled out the tank holder part so the tank hopefully will clear my butt and not pinch the wing. This also allowed me to create a space I can feed two 2 pound weights into behind the tank, and a post at the bottom turned out to be easier to clip an SMB to than a D ring.
Included is a photo of my old harness for comparison. It’s a lot bulkier and had lots of inaccessibile D rings. On the new one I used carabiners with the clip part against my body to prevent accidental clipping as large hip D rings, (and one with the clip exposed in front where I can see it.)
It will get a trial at Ginny at the Fool’s Megadive

That looks like a very good placement for a weight on your back I think the picture is upside-down so I had to think about it. I have a back-pad that I'm going to put five pounds in that Velcros to about the same position on mine.

Very nice, well designed little, lightweight back wing! Did you try the SMB with the tank attached? Getting to it seems a bit tricky from where I'm sitting.

 

[aquacat8]

It looks like the backplate might support a second cam band. If so, I definitely recommend it. See Cam Buckle Assembly Instructions, Post #8 and Post #11.

You are right! I was hesitating to do this but after your recommendation I just strip the 2 nice bands of the S-Tek and put them on the new harness.

 

[aquacat8]

That looks like a very good placement for a weight on your back I think the picture is upside-down so I had to think about it. I have a back-pad that I'm going to put five pounds in that Velcros to about the same position on mine.

Very nice, well designed little, lightweight back wing! Did you try the SMB with the tank attached? Getting to it seems a bit tricky from where I'm sitting.

Thanks... we will see in the water. I haven’t tried the SMB in the water yet, but if it’s hard to reach I can always add a D ring where the crotch strap attaches.
Your weighted pad sounds good. I was thinking of something like that earlier. Do you know Jackson Kayak’s “hot seat”? It was basically a dry bag full of foam beads and you would sit on it and smush around then suck the air out of it and it would lock in place into a cushion that perfectly fit. I was trying to think if there was a way to do this in the water and negative or neautrally buoyant, maybe with lead shot and water in it, but I couldn’t figure it out. If it had water in it it wouldn’t lock into place, and I wouldn’t want to inhale the lead water!!

 

[aquacat8]

A soft weight backpad that was quilted or honeycombed or had vertical tubes holding the shot, and made of mesh so it would not hold air, would keep the lead from all collecting at the bottom.