DIY wing tutorial - very picture heavy.

[raftingtigger]

A big BRAVO ! for a DIY design and product !

Your efforts remind me of the beginning of the use of PFV in recreational diving . We developed a number of modifications of the original PFV and trotted down to a Zodiac boat distributor in south Orange county who made PFV from Zodiac boat material -- horribly stiff but served the purpose until better commercial units were introduced a few years later.

I question you choice of a California residence "Woodland?" As a true blue Kalifornian I always have lived where the word "Beach" is a suffix

Keep up the good work and great posts - I certainly enjoy them.

Sam Miller,111

Thanks, The material I am using feels like 1000D Cordura and really I can't tell by feel or look the difference from the commercially made wing.

As for "Woodland" there is a lot more to California than just beaches - mountains, rivers, lakes, etc - and I enjoy all of it. :-D

 

[Sam Miller III]

Thank you for the material heads up...I probably know more about he back side of the moon that I do about material--My wife ? She is a material junkie -- enjoys the thrill of producing-- Knitting , sewing, weaving etc (She has a 4 foot loom in her office)--to each his own...

As a raft rigger I assume you have ran the Colorado beginning at Lee's Ferry?

Yes I agree Kalifornia is a big wonderful state and we have enjoyed it border to border -west to east and south to north- so much to see and do..but we are aquatic orientated family and have almost always lived on or very near the beach as have all of out 5 children.

For all living outside California it is a miserable place to live - Sharks are big and vicious, there is no visibility, always high surf and huge swells, the weather is always cold and damp..remain where you are currently living and diving

SDM

 

[raftingtigger]

As a raft rigger I assume you have ran the Colorado beginning at Lee's Ferry?

For all living outside California it is a miserable place to live - Sharks are big and vicious, there is no visibility, always high surf and huge swells, the weather is always cold and damp..remain where you are currently living and diving

SDM

Yes to the Grand Canyon. Rowed my own boat all 280 miles by myself in 1990. And Boogie Boarded the biggest/meanest rapid (Crystal).

Sam Miller you forgot to mention the high taxes and liberal politics.

 

[JamesBon92007]

T

For all living outside California it is a miserable place to live - Sharks are big and vicious, there is no visibility, always high surf and huge swells, the weather is always cold and damp..remain where you are currently living and diving
SDM

I would like to add: killer earthquakes, no water one day then flash floods the next, power failures when you really need it, un-breathable air, drive-by shootings, way too much traffic, and a government that charges you outrageous fees to go to your parks and beaches.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Yes to the Grand Canyon. Rowed my own boat all 280 miles by myself in 1990. And Boogie Boarded the biggest/meanest rapid (Crystal)....
.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you departed Lee's Ferry then you owe me one ...John D. Lee who in the 1800s explored the Colorado for a suitable crossing established the site that now bears his name ..
John was a relative of mine..

Do you recall Bob Beer? some time in the mid 1950s he was the first person to swim the Colorado...he hung out at the shop I also hung out . Knew him but not well. I suspect he is long gone but revered by river rats.

SDM

 

[Couv]

Wow, Tigger.

 

[JamesBon92007]

@raftingtigger : What do you think about using PVC Coated Polyster? In my mind it would be very easy to join the seams using PVC glue and then sewing.

 

[raftingtigger]

@raftingtigger : What do you think about using PVC Coated Polyster? In my mind it would be very easy to join the seams using PVC glue and then sewing.

I think it would work fantastic. I made my last one with that material, but heat sealed, sewed, and then aquasealed over the seam. Next one is going to be using the same material and PVC glue like you are asking. Make sure your material is heavy enough. IIRC mine is 500 denier.

Yes, I have too many now - but the next one is mentoring another diver on their project.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I was looking at some fabric that is 600 x 300 denier. I'm not sure what that means but is the 300 a bad indication?

I just bought a Zeagle back wing and I like it almost as much as my thrown-together one made with the Voit vest. This plus the fact that the Voit started leaking and falling apart inspired me to start from scratch. I'm thinking I can make my own a have it be more suitable to my needs. I think the Zeagle is fine but it still weighs more than my homemade back wing and takes up more room in my carry-on. Meanwhile, I managed to sew the Voit back together and stop the leaks but it seems like it would actually be easier to just start from scratch.

I have a very old ScubaPro back wing so I can see which things are likely to go wrong

 

[raftingtigger]

Sounds good. I'll try to find the specs on what I PVC coated fabric I used. It was perfect.