Disadvantages to double cell wings?

[deepdiverbc]

I am specifically comparing single tank double cell wings like the Halcyon Eclipse and Oxycheq Signature Series to their single cell counter parts the Halcyon Pioneer and Oxycheq single tank wings.

I am not trashing double cells wings just playing devils advocate to get more info on them.

Having never owned a double cell wing I would like to know if any of these are valid disadvantages for the Halcyon and Oxycheq dual cell wings which could then be weighed against the advantage of greater durability offered by dual cells.

1. Noticeably more drag created by water being trapped or circulated between the two cells.

2. Noticeably more drag due to larger size and stiffer materials.

3. Higher maintenance as sand, mud, seaweed etc. would have to be cleaned from between the two cells at the end of a days diving to prevent abrasion and premature wear.

4. If inner air cell is punctured there would be no way to vent the air that gets trapped between the two cells, increasing the risk of an uncontrolled ascent.

 

[docmartin]

no thoughts on this?

 

[detroit diver]

I am specifically comparing single tank double cell wings like the Halcyon Eclipse and Oxycheq Signature Series to their single cell counter parts the Halcyon Pioneer and Oxycheq single tank wings.

I am not trashing double cells wings just playing devils advocate to get more info on them.

Having never owned a double cell wing I would like to know if any of these are valid disadvantages for the Halcyon and Oxycheq dual cell wings which could then be weighed against the advantage of greater durability offered by dual cells.

1. Noticeably more drag created by water being trapped or circulated between the two cells.

2. Noticeably more drag due to larger size and stiffer materials.

3. Higher maintenance as sand, mud, seaweed etc. would have to be cleaned from between the two cells at the end of a days diving to prevent abrasion and premature wear.

4. If inner air cell is punctured there would be no way to vent the air that gets trapped between the two cells, increasing the risk of an uncontrolled ascent.

Your premise is incorrect.

The wings you speak about (dual cell) are not dual cell at all. They consist of an outer protective covering, and an inner bladder. There is only 1 air cell.

The Pioneer series (to use an example) was a single unit. The outer covering was also the air cell.

It is felt that the two piece unit protects the air cell better than the one piece unit.

So, the answers to your questions are:

1. Not an issue.
2. Same size. Stiffness not an issue here.
3. Not an issue.
4. A wing being punctured would not cause a runaway ascent. I stuck inflator valve would do that. A punctured wing will either leak itself, or leak thru the outer protective covering which is not a sealed unit.

Hope that helps.

 

[Big-t-2538]

Having never owned a double cell wing I would like to know if any of these are valid disadvantages for the Halcyon and Oxycheq dual cell wings which could then be weighed against the advantage of greater durability offered by dual cells.

Well, what DD says is largely the case. Many of your concers (trapped air & more drag) are non issues b/c there's no real mechanism to trap air other than in the wing's bladder.

Now, that being said, I consider the outer shell/inner bladder a more maintenance attentive issue b/c you would have to periodically check the bladder to ensure that it isn't rotting away for some reason....and it is probably a little harder to patch the inner bladder b/c you can't just apply a patch to the outer shell (which is how I believe Halcyon suggests you repair the pioneer).

-T

 

[detroit diver]

I don't have an Eclipse in front of me, but the Explorer wings have a zipper that allows you to easily inspect and repair the inner bladder. Does the Eclipse have this zipper? How about the Oxycheq?

 

[Big-t-2538]

In theory the eclipse and oxy both have a 360 degree zipper that runs along the inside of the "doughnut" shaped air-cell. I have yet to see both of them, but that is what I have been able to make out from the pictures I've seen.

 

[docmartin]

i understand that after a dive you should rinse the inside of the bladder. with an eclipse or signature series should you also unzip the outer shell and rinse inside? i assume it is not watertight and salt water would get inside.

 

[detroit diver]

i understand that after a dive you should rinse the inside of the bladder. with an eclipse or signature series should you also unzip the outer shell and rinse inside? i assume it is not watertight and salt water would get inside.

It's probably not a bad idea, but not rinsing the inside of the shell wouldn't cause a failure-only a potential REALLY BAD SMELL!!

 

[Timothy Randall]

Ok,
I did a search (like I should have done originaly and found this thread, asking the same questions that I have.

A couple of dives ago, I got into some really cruddy stuff around a wreck and when back home I decided to 'unzip' my Signature wing and remove the bladder and thoroughly rinse. next dive I had the occasion to wait on the surface for the team to get ready to descend and I found myself inflating, reinflating to maintain on the surface, (mind you I have just enough wing for the job without being a life raft)

after this dive and at home I again unzipped the wing and found a couple of small abrassions, (one was a pinhole) It looks like it might have been caught in the zipper? anyway, I am trying to find out what to (for sure) use to make the repair? Also I think I will not unzip to rinse, better to dunk, shake and drain???

Tim

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

I have the Halcyon 55 wings. I rinse the inside after every dive. I only unzip and rinse inside the shell every so often. I also rinse the outside after every dive.

I have been using the setup for about a year and a half so far without a problem regarding this issue. I have had other issues but not this one.