a doubles question

[gbray]

I have a set of double 72's. I dove with a friend last weekend who had double LP80's. Mine seem fine because they are the only Doubles I have ever used. He does not like his 80's. They are very short and his feet float in his drysuit. I know someone who is selling a set of double LP 112's. They seem much larger than my friends 80's. I am a little hestitant to buy these because of my friends experience with the 80's.

I am 5'7" and 180lbs in reasonable (not great) shape and I dive dry. Does anyone out there dive these? Are they more user friendly than lp 80's? Is $600.00 a good price for them?
How do they compare to HP100's? Ihave heard good things about 100's. Can anyone guide me in the right direction here?

Thanks

 

[Superlyte27]

The LP112's will hold about 157cu' of air each tank at 3600psi. The HP100's will not. I wouldn't worry about your buddies problem. I'm guessing there could be several issues. One, his bands are in the wrong spot. His bolts in the wrong spot in the backplate or harness, or he's just bad at diving a drysuit. There could be a number of things. I've seen lots of women alot smaller than you dive 104's without issue. If the doubles are hydro'd and inspected 600.00 would be the absolute tops i'd pay if you fell in love with them. I see them for under 500 frequently.

 

[Doc Harry]

Almost all trim problems with steel doubles can be fixed simply by spending more time in the water with the doubles in question. I'd look at how much gas you would need and how much weight you can walk with, and make your decision based on that.

The second issue is fill pressure. If you get HP, can you get fills to 3,600 psi? If not, + LPs might be the way to go.

 

[elan]

We have 4 sets of doubles LP72s, AL80s, HP100s and LP85s. The set I love the most out of all is LP72s. I'm 6ft and I need longer tanks. With your height HP100s will be very food for you. LP112 are huge.
My friend who is a bit taller than you had the set and sold them. They were a back killer. He acquired a set of LP85s and happy.

BTW I have never heard of LP80 before. who makes them ? are you sure they are not HP80?

 

[elan]

Almost all trim problems with steel doubles can be fixed simply by spending more time in the water with the doubles in question.

That "almost all " is very small. None of my doubles could be trimmed w/o doing proper weight distribution You have to have the valves in proper position and if they are head heavy they are head heavy, no matter how much time you spend in the water they will not lose weight on the head . If the frame is on the short side you have more options too play with. For taller people and thicker undergarment the choices are more limited.

 

[Cave Diver]

My buddy and I both used LP112's for cave diving and loved the way they trimmed out. I'm 6' and he's about 5'8". They weren't too bad for me, but he found them a bit heavy for long walks.

 

[UCFKnightDiver]

That "almost all " is very small. None of my doubles could be trimmed w/o doing proper weight distribution You have to have the valves in proper position and if they are head heavy they are head heavy, no matter how much time you spend in the water they will not lose weight on the head . If the frame is on the short side you have more options too play with. For taller people and thicker undergarment the choices are more limited.

Body attitude and positioning can make a big difference.

 

[Diver0001]

That "almost all " is very small. None of my doubles could be trimmed w/o doing proper weight distribution .

You're both right. The more time you spend diving the easier it gets to stay in trim with them. But there is no harm at all in putting trim weights on them if your trim is off. In fact, that's what you *should* be doing.

In the long run, my advice would be to spend time every 20 or so dives re-trimming them. In my experience, the chances are very good that you'll eventually need no trim weights in a drysuit. Evidently that's doc's observation too.

I have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 400 dives in a twinset I bought (twin 12 litres - what's that? twin 104's?). At first I couldn't lay flat in them without a trimweight attached near the bottom of the tanks. Now if I put a weight there it would make my feet sink. Nothing has changed in that time except me.

The point being, look at trimming in them as a process, not something you do once. The same applies to any configuratoin, btw. Not just doubles.

R..

 

[Superlyte27]

If you get them, and decide you don't like them, I'll trade you my 95's. There's a bit of a weight difference and length difference. I've been looking for bigger tanks anyway. Hydro was a few months ago.


Pete

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I have a set of double 72's. I dove with a friend last weekend who had double LP80's. Mine seem fine because they are the only Doubles I have ever used. He does not like his 80's. They are very short and his feet float in his drysuit. I know someone who is selling a set of double LP 112's. They seem much larger than my friends 80's. I am a little hestitant to buy these because of my friends experience with the 80's.

I am 5'7" and 180lbs in reasonable (not great) shape and I dive dry. Does anyone out there dive these? Are they more user friendly than lp 80's? Is $600.00 a good price for them?
How do they compare to HP100's? Ihave heard good things about 100's. Can anyone guide me in the right direction here?

Thanks

I'd rather dive LP80's because they are easier to lug around and easier on the back. I own steel HP100's, grew up diving AL50's and steel 72's, and often use steel 104's for cave diving.

Most divers try to solve skills problems with equipment solutions. Contrary to popular belief, scuba diving isn't easy. Breathing underwater is easy. Feeling comfortable underwater is easy. But, developing skills underwater takes the same sort of concentration, practice, focus, thought, training and coaching as surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, football, lacrosse, soccer, archery, golf and a host of other sports.

The right instructor can make all the difference in your performance just like the right golf pro. While I often have issues with organizations like GUE once divers can think on their own, for the beginning technical diver, GUE training offers one of the most rewarding experiences for those wishing to understand the keys to exceptional trim, buoyancy and propulsion skills.

I have yet to find a diver who cannot learn to maintain correct form and technique without having to resort to equipment solutions. Proof of this is that cave diving instructors come in both sexes and all shapes and sizes. Yet, they can dive any set of tanks, wet or dry, with a high degree of skill. This comes from training, practice, and experience.

If Lance Armstrong were a diving instructor, he would probably say, "It's not about the tanks." Learning to dive well; learning to dive doubles well can be frustrating at first. It takes work. Some divers get it right away. Some divers struggle for months. But, once you correct trim, buoyancy and propulsion through skill development, that will be 80% of the foundation you will need to begin to go anywhere and look good doing it.