sam1
Contributor
Salt water is about 2.56% (=64 pounds per cubic foot/62.4 pounds per cubic foot) denser than fresh water. With you weighing 230 pounds, plus 25 pounds of lead, plus, say, 40 pounds of tank, plus 5 pounds for other stuff to give us a round 300 pounds, you would need nearly 8 pounds additional lead for salt with the same gear and exposure protection. If everything is the same except for the exposure protection, we need to adjust for that. Rule of thumb (for amount of lead needed):
3MM, one piece wetsuit, shortie or jump suit
5% of your body weight
7MM, cold water wetsuit, hood and boots
10% of your body weight plus 3 to 5 pounds
So to go from 7mm to 3mm (assuming you were wearing a hood and boots) we need to subtract 5% of your body weight plus 3 to 5 pounds, i.e., 15 to 17 pounds.
So, add 8 pounds for salt, subtract 15 to 17 pounds for the change in exposure protection equals minus 7-9 pounds. So, if you are using 24-26 pounds now, your ballpark for salt and 3mm is around 15-19 pounds of lead.
3MM, one piece wetsuit, shortie or jump suit
5% of your body weight
7MM, cold water wetsuit, hood and boots
10% of your body weight plus 3 to 5 pounds
So to go from 7mm to 3mm (assuming you were wearing a hood and boots) we need to subtract 5% of your body weight plus 3 to 5 pounds, i.e., 15 to 17 pounds.
So, add 8 pounds for salt, subtract 15 to 17 pounds for the change in exposure protection equals minus 7-9 pounds. So, if you are using 24-26 pounds now, your ballpark for salt and 3mm is around 15-19 pounds of lead.
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