SeaJay
Contributor
Has anyone used an aluminum backplate for salt water diving? Have there been corrosion problems in this setup?
I'm also interested in finding out what people's experiences have been with ABS plastic backplates, like Dive Rite sells.
See, my buddy and I have been doing about 50% freshwater dives and 50% saltwater dives. In an effort to create one BP/Wing setup that we could use in either case (salt or fresh), I'm a bit confused as to where to turn.
A stainless steel backplate would be terrific, and great in salt water. However, I think that I personally would dive with little to no weight at all in freshwater with this rig (six to eight pounds is what I'm diving with anyway) and that means no ditchable weight would be available to me... Fine in a cave or spring experience, but a really bad idea in open fresh water. While I could easily swim that kind of weight up, if I ever needed to float for a long period of time in fresh water (like if I lost the boat or whatever) it'd be hard to stay buoyant.
An aluminum backplate would be better in fresh water, as I could then weight it correctly with ditchable weight. In salt water, I'd have to carry 10-15 lbs of weight, which means that the situation wouldn't really be as ideal as with a stainless backplate. Not a big deal though, since I could easily overcome that problem with more weight. But I'm concerned about the reputation for aluminum in salt water... Do aluminum backplates have corrosion problems in salt water?
The last option... And an interesting one, is the ABS plastic backplate that Dive Rite is making. At over a pound negatively buoyant in freshwater, it's got pretty much the same buoyancy characteristics as an aluminum plate... Yet obviously no corrosion problems. However, I'm a bit concerned about the durability of an ABS plastic backplate. Anyone have any problems with these?
Thanks in advance to all the help I've gotten on this board...
I'm also interested in finding out what people's experiences have been with ABS plastic backplates, like Dive Rite sells.
See, my buddy and I have been doing about 50% freshwater dives and 50% saltwater dives. In an effort to create one BP/Wing setup that we could use in either case (salt or fresh), I'm a bit confused as to where to turn.
A stainless steel backplate would be terrific, and great in salt water. However, I think that I personally would dive with little to no weight at all in freshwater with this rig (six to eight pounds is what I'm diving with anyway) and that means no ditchable weight would be available to me... Fine in a cave or spring experience, but a really bad idea in open fresh water. While I could easily swim that kind of weight up, if I ever needed to float for a long period of time in fresh water (like if I lost the boat or whatever) it'd be hard to stay buoyant.
An aluminum backplate would be better in fresh water, as I could then weight it correctly with ditchable weight. In salt water, I'd have to carry 10-15 lbs of weight, which means that the situation wouldn't really be as ideal as with a stainless backplate. Not a big deal though, since I could easily overcome that problem with more weight. But I'm concerned about the reputation for aluminum in salt water... Do aluminum backplates have corrosion problems in salt water?
The last option... And an interesting one, is the ABS plastic backplate that Dive Rite is making. At over a pound negatively buoyant in freshwater, it's got pretty much the same buoyancy characteristics as an aluminum plate... Yet obviously no corrosion problems. However, I'm a bit concerned about the durability of an ABS plastic backplate. Anyone have any problems with these?
Thanks in advance to all the help I've gotten on this board...