Dive-Rite BP

[nyresq]

do the polished plates have any advantage over the mat finished ones? are they more corrosion resistant because of less pores in the surface or something? I have two mat finished plates and was wondering if it would be worth the effort to hit them on the buffing wheel if it will make them hold up better?
any first hand experience???

 

[simbrooks]

I dont know if this was why caveseeker was asking about the stock in the LDS, but i had heard that Dive-Rite's old plates were less finished and could cut thru webbing over time, whereas they are now smoother - or at least that was what i thought he was getting at.

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

I could even bring my GF over if she isnt in class or busy with something else! She is skeptical about this and not going with a jacket BC - like we were shown in our OW, and most people seem to think is great - she doesnt read this board, but does listen/get involved at times when i recount things.

Simon,
I'd be happy to answer any of B's questions and concerns next weekend in Jupiter.

 

[simbrooks]

I am definately going to try to take her to see Wendy's set-up, as it is pretty much just a few miles from where she lives, as for next weekend in Jupiter, that was when i was going to talk to you about this all (apart from the email i just sent!) - not sure you can convince two people in one day though!! Still looking forward to that series of dives, although i dont look forward to the Cressi Aqua..... jacket BC's nor Sherwood Brut regs - some day soon i will buy myself out of this hole and put myself in another monetary one!

 

[OneBrightGator]

Sorry Simon, I had to go to class, you know what that's like. As far as your weighting issues are concerned a SS plate will not make you overweighted, you'll realistically be lucky to drop 6#.

Your reasoning in determining lift is skewed. First, the only ditchable weight you need is to compensate for the gas you use during a dive, the rest of your weight offsets inherent buoyancy (yourself, your exposure suit) you don't lose that (aside from wetsuit compression) so realistically with an alum 80 you need relatively little ditchable weight. Your wing should be able to float you fully geared up at your heaviest point, the beginning of your dive, your non-ditchable weight balances your inherent buoyancy, you only need lift to offset your ditchable weight. 30 lbs. of lift is adequate for almost any single tank setup. In other words, you do not need a Trek or Rec (the 51 lbs of lift wing) for single tanks.

Stick with Dive Rite, you'll be much happier with it.

Ben

 

[SmokeAire]

I just ordered a DR Transpack with the Trek wing. Hopefully it will be in today as I am going down to the Keys tomorrow morning for two days of diving and I want to give it a good work out. If I do get to dive with it I'll write up my impressions when I get back.
I have been diving with a jacket style bc for 3 years so this should be interesting. Even though I presently dive with single AL80s I decided to go with the Trek wing so I can dive with doubles in the future. The ability to customize the Transpac for each dive, add weight pockets or not, additional D rings or not and other add ons as I see fit was a major draw.

Chuck

 

[fgray1]

IF you e-mail GDI he does all the testing and helps with the design of the equiptment for Zeagle and there factory is located here in Zephyrhills.
He also likes Dive Rite Equiptment and can tell you all the ins and out of both set ups.

Fred

 

[simbrooks]

Ben: i didnt mean that i thought i would be overweighted, just over-trimmed a little too much - nose heavy with all but 2# on my waist in freshwater (total of 8#). In saltwater i was thinking it would be to my benefit to have about 40% on my back and 60% on my belt, but 75% back 25% belt sounds a little too much. I have heard that cavers dont really bother carrying ditchable weight - most of it is in the form of the BP or tanks (main plus stages) - in that case extra weight wouldnt be advisable, but if you get in trouble, you could always ditch the spare tanks if you wanted to lose weight. I guess the reason i was thinking about ditchable weight comes from the OW training, whilst not advisable (last resort) at depth i would have thought even having some potential to remove would be better than having none. The other point as above is about where that weight (ditch or non) is distributed. As for the Zeagle/Dive-Rite(+Apeks) thing, i know i can get a good deal with either LDS, i am more "affiliated" with one and that is why i was still contemplating the Zeagle BP/Wings combos.

Chuck: I look forward to hearing what you think about the transpac w/trek. One day i will probably get into doubles, havent the money nor training to do anything really with them at the mo! Also i know i will need more lift in the future to offset the extra weight required for drysuiting up north - but that is in a while!

Fred: I didnt realise Rick (GDI) was that involved in it all, i just thought he knew the guy and had loads of gear from the range of diving he does. I will word up an email to him in the near future, i have a few weeks before i even get out to try one of these babies out - so more than enough time to get the background research done!! I feel bad as i still havent given him a definitive answer on his offer of instruction yet - nor the other two places i am considering (both LDS's that i am choosing over buying these items from) - what to build a good rapport up with at least one of these LDS's thru trips/instruction/sales whilst i am still around here - although the Dive-Rite/Apeks one i havent had much dealing with yet gave me a great deal without much haggling.

Decisions, decisions.... thanks for all the advice so far though, will keep pondering and trying to put something together.

 

[OneBrightGator]

Ben: i didnt mean that i thought i would be overweighted, just over-trimmed a little too much - nose heavy with all but 2# on my waist in freshwater (total of 8#). In saltwater i was thinking it would be to my benefit to have about 40% on my back and 60% on my belt, but 75% back 25% belt sounds a little too much. I have heard that cavers dont really bother carrying ditchable weight - most of it is in the form of the BP or tanks (main plus stages) - in that case extra weight wouldnt be advisable, but if you get in trouble, you could always ditch the spare tanks if you wanted to lose weight. I guess the reason i was thinking about ditchable weight comes from the OW training, whilst not advisable (last resort) at depth i would have thought even having some potential to remove would be better than having none. The other point as above is about where that weight (ditch or non) is distributed. As for the Zeagle/Dive-Rite(+Apeks) thing, i know i can get a good deal with either LDS, i am more "affiliated" with one and that is why i was still contemplating the Zeagle BP/Wings combos.

Not exactly, BP/wings do a good job of float you heads up on the surface, when you're swimming horizontally underwater the main sources of buoyancy (your lungs and a lot of your wetsuit) are directly under part of your weight (the backplate). Ditchable weight is always a good thing, but you don't need a large portion of your weight ditchable, in fact, it's unadvisable because you would severely underweighted should your ditchable weight ditch when you don't want it to. I don't know what you mean by "Dive-Rite(+Apeks)" but pretty much all backplates are made equal, but the new DR Venture wing is a superior design compared to Zeagle wings (unless they have a new design I haven't seen).

Remember, the amount of lift you need is directly related to the amount of ditchable weight you carry, not your exposure suit or location.

Ben

 

[simbrooks]

Ben, the Dive-Rite(+Apeks) thing was about the LDS - they deal in those two brands, Dive-Rite BP/Wings options and Apeks regs (as well as others i am not considering), the other LDS i deal with is Zeagle (and a few other brands i am not considering).

The reason i was thinking i would need more lift with a drysuit is due to the extra size (volume=buoyancy) of it and needing more weight, therefore i would need more lift to offset that first part of the dive when i am negative (w/o air in wing).

I am popping in to the Zeagle dealer tonight to try to price up and look at the gear again that they have. The reason i dont mind the Zeagle's are that i have heard they are not far different than the Apeks, just a different faceplate/shape, performance-wise. They also cut me a different kind of good deal than the other place and i was hoping to compare prices of the full combos from each LDS. The Zeagle LDS i also go on trips with (part of why i get a good deal - rental costs are used against purchasing gear) when we dont go by ourselves.

I understand that i wouldnt want much ditchable, but say i get a puncture (somehow) in the wing, if i can ditch a few more pounds (3-4# between AL and SS) - particularly at the beginning of the dive, wouldnt that also be helpful, rather than having an SS BP in freshwater taking most of my weight and making it non-ditchable?? I will continue to ponder on all the thoughts given here.

Simon