HOG BP/W Question

[FishWatcher747]

I fly with the HOG aluminum plate. Local cold water diving I have the SS plate. Aluminum plate weighs 2 pounds, SS 6 pounds.

I don't see the point of moving to BP/W and getting a softplate. I have added 3 pound weight pockets to the top of the plate. How are you going to do that with a softplate?

 

[Susaroo]

Just keep it simple with a standard Hogarthian harness without all of the extra D-rings. You will not like this but for your local diving get a stainless plate and a 30 pound (+) wing and for your destination diving get an Oxy 18 with the Oxy soft travel plate. You can do for now with a single wing, an Oxy 30 and switch plates.

Cave Adventurers - Ultra Lite Travel Plate *Black* - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!

Ultra Lite Travel Plate *Black*

www.caveadventurers.com

They say it will only fit Oxy wings but it will fit any wing generally that has standard slot spacing and hole spacing. Works on my VDH wings like it was made for them, fits my Oxy wings, of course, perfectly.

James

Hi James, Thanks for your advice. I'm going to get a 32# wing with alum for now and then add pieces as I need for other-than-travel diving. I'm going to look at the wing you recommended too. Thanks again!

 

[Susaroo]

I fly with the HOG aluminum plate. Local cold water diving I have the SS plate. Aluminum plate weighs 2 pounds, SS 6 pounds.

I don't see the point of moving to BP/W and getting a softplate. I have added 3 pound weight pockets to the top of the plate. How are you going to do that with a softplate?

You are right! I've decided to start with the aluminum plate and eventually add a steel one. Thanks for pointing out what I was missing!

 

[Nemrod]

I fly with the HOG aluminum plate. Local cold water diving I have the SS plate. Aluminum plate weighs 2 pounds, SS 6 pounds.

I don't see the point of moving to BP/W and getting a softplate. I have added 3 pound weight pockets to the top of the plate. How are you going to do that with a softplate?

You put them on the cam bands using XS pockets or similar. You can put them both on the top band or one of each or both on the bottom, to effect trim.

James

 

[FishWatcher747]

You put them on the cam bands using XS pockets or similar. You can put them both on the top band or one of each or both on the bottom, to effect trim.

Certainly that is the place to start. For most divers that would work to achieve proper horizontal weight distribution. But if you are foot heavy like me putting 3# weight pockets on each side of the top of the plate (on the wing side of the plate) AND weight pockets on the upper cam bands was the answer to achieve proper weight distribution.

 

[VikingDives]

Hi James, Thanks for your advice. I'm going to get a 32# wing with alum for now and then add pieces as I need for other-than-travel diving. I'm going to look at the wing you recommended too. Thanks again!

You could order both. Adding an al wing to the soft plate is only about 94.95. It would be worth running the numbers on TBCS + AL plate vs TBCS + soft plate to see if one will save you some money.

I have a soft plate, AL plate and steel. I prefer steel with a pad to keep the plate from chewing up my wetsuits.

 

[Nemrod]

Certainly that is the place to start. For most divers that would work to achieve proper horizontal weight distribution. But if you are foot heavy like me putting 3# weight pockets on each side of the top of the plate (on the wing side of the plate) AND weight pockets on the upper cam bands was the answer to achieve proper weight distribution.

Thank you, that is a good explanation of how you need to deal with your negative empenage . You must have long, muscular or boney legs, lol! But most of us can get away with the cam bands for weight pockets rather than moving them to the top of the plate. I just got some Scubapro Go-Sport fins (switching from Quattros) which are a little positive and now my empennage seems to want to float upwards so I am having the opposite condition from you, especially with my somewhat negative camera out front.

Thanks for pointing out that most soft plates do not have provision for fixing weights directly too, good point.

James