BP/W Advice

[Txfirefighter4305]

After lots of reading and shopping, I am thinking about buying a BP/W. I am still unsure about what I need.

Most of my diving will be in South West Missouri and North West Arkansas eventually diving a dry suit during winter and the occasional trips to the islands.

I'm considering a SS BP with a 40 to 60 pound wing even though I will be diving a 5mil wetsuit and single 80AL most of the time. OMS and Zeagle are the top two contenders.

Right now I dive with 16# on a SP Knighthawk and 80AL.

Advice, Recommendations, Threats????

 

[Kern]

Threats????

Ach mon, ya gona die.

Consider a 30 to 40lb wing for singles & something like 45 to 60lb wing for doubles.

 

[nereas]

I use a 50 lb wing for double steel tanks, and a 40 lb wing for single steel tanks, together with my SS BPW.

I cannot imagine needing more than 50 lbs.

However I would rather see you with a too large wing than too small. 30 lbs is likely too small for most applications.

 

[bryanmc57]

Advice, Recommendations, Threats????

The standard answer is..............
Call Tobin at DSS :14:
http://www.deepseasupply.com

 

[cool_hardware52]

After lots of reading and shopping, I am thinking about buying a BP/W. I am still unsure about what I need.

Most of my diving will be in South West Missouri and North West Arkansas eventually diving a dry suit during winter and the occasional trips to the islands.

I'm considering a SS BP with a 40 to 60 pound wing even though I will be diving a 5mil wetsuit and single 80AL most of the time. OMS and Zeagle are the top two contenders.

Right now I dive with 16# on a SP Knighthawk and 80AL.

Advice, Recommendations, Threats????

TFF,

Currently you are using 16 lbs with a buoyant BC and Buoyant tank. You BC is likely about 4 lbs positive and an empty al 80 is about 4 lbs positive.

16 lbs of lead + 2 lbs of regulator is about 18 lbs of total ballast. 18 less the ballast needed to sink your BC (~4) and your tank (~4) leaves about 10 lbs to offset teh buoyancy of your wetsuit.

Any BC needs to be able to do two things; float your rig with a full tank if you ditch it, and be able to compensate for the maximum change in buoyancy of your exposure suit.

Your exposure suit cannot loose more buoyancy than it starts with. That means your current suit can only loose about 10 lbs.

A SS plate and harness will be about 6 lbs negative, a reg is about 2 lbs, and a full al 80 is about -2. That means your rig, with a full al 80 will bw about -10 lbs.

You can use a very small wing, with your current suit and al 80's you could easily use a 17 lbs wing.

17 lbs of lift is more than enough to float a rig that is only 10 lbs negative, and your suit can only loose about 10 lbs.

Very few single tank divers need 40 lbs of lift, and none need 60.

Even with a negative steel tank, like an HP100 for example, your rig will only be about -18 lbs. It is an uncommon drysuit and undies combo that is more than ~24-26 lbs positive, unless you are diving in very cold water.

With a negative steel tank and more buoyant exposure suit a 17 lbs wing will be too small, but a 26 lbs or 30 lbs wing would be appropriate.

Too big a wing is a handicap, and will reduce many of the benefits of using a BP&W.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Tobin

 

[Kern]

Sorry Tx but my 1st post has a typo. It should say 20 to 40lb wing for singles not 30 to 40.

Not sure what nereas is on about but I use a 26lb wing. I mainly dive temperate waters between23C & 14C. Most of my single tank dives are done in a 7/5mm wet suit. I require 5lb of lead to go with my SS BP & 100cf steel Faber. The 26lb wing is overkill for this. During winter I dive dry with a shell suit & 200 weight undies. The 26lb wing is ideal for me as it works for 100% of the single tank dives I do.

 

[ucfdiver]

Not sure what nearass is on about but I use a 26lb wing.

I wouldn't worry a whole lot with what nereas has to say about picking a bp/w, he recently stated that it's unsafe to dive steel doubles with a bp and drysuit. Not saying he's wrong, he just has a completely different line of thinking than the rest of us, and when I asked, he refuses to explain it.

 

[John_B]

I wouldn't worry a whole lot with what nereas has to say about picking a bp/w, he recently stated that it's unsafe to dive steel doubles with a bp and drysuit. Not saying he's wrong, he just has a completely different line of thinking than the rest of us, and when I asked, he refuses to explain it.

Earlier tonight in another thread he said the boltsnap on the primary reg with the long hose was used to "attach the bolt snap to your necklace-bungee" that holds your backup.



I think he just needs a group hug. Unfortunately, I don't do group hugs. Any volunteers?

 

[nereas]

Sorry Tx but my 1st post has a typo. It should say 20 to 40lb wing for singles not 30 to 40.

Not sure what nearass is on about but I use a 26lb wing. I mainly dive temperate waters between23C & 14C. Most of my single tank dives are done in a 7/5mm wet suit. I require 5lb of lead to go with my SS BP & 100cf steel Faber. The 26lb wing is overkill for this. During winter I dive dry with a shell suit & 200 weight undies. The 26lb wing is ideal for me as it works for 100% of the single tank dives I do.

Lake water can get quite cold. I take it you did not know that.

Well, its not rocket science, just inexperience, on your part.

When I dive in Florida, my wing is 18 lbs. But that is not what the O/P was asking.

 

[nereas]

The standard answer is..............
Call Tobin at DSS :14:
http://www.deepseasupply.com

Good advice. My SS BPs are both DSS as well.