Is 23# enough lift?
- Thread starter Altamira
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
CT Sean
Contributor
for your specific situation - that's entirely dependent on WHERE you carry your lead. On a belt or on the BC - being the Ride has no weight integration, I was assuming it'd be in a belt (which is a better place for it anyway given how naturally buoyant you seem to be). If it;s on a belt, you don't need a big wing.
OP
Thank you. I was going to put some weight integrated components on the wing, but may rethink that option. I have gotten used to, and like, the integrated weights on my current jacket bc, but I did use a weight belt back in the distant past when bcs were not yet on the market.
ams511
Contributor
An aluminium 80 cylinder is roughly 2 lbs negative when full. This is the amount he should use for the calculation not 5 lbs of air.
---------- Post added September 28th, 2013 at 07:51 AM ----------
You do not need to carry all the weight on your belt. Also check out rubber weight belts, they are much better than the nylon belts. Also a DUI weight harness may be a thought.
OP
I do like the looks of the DUI weight harness as it appears to shift the support point from waist to shoulders. However, despite the posts above, it is obvious that I do not really understand what difference it makes whether the weight is around my waist, as with the DUI weight harness, or in the same relative position on the wing harness itself with regards to wing lift requirements. If I am wearing my normal dive configuration as far as wetsuit, personal gear, tank, regs, computer, safety gear, etc., I do not understand why the lift requirements would be different if I had the weights integrated on the harness rather than wrapped around my waist. To me, it is not intuitive that the total lift requirement for the wing would be different because it still has to support my total negative buoyancy when I have the entire rig on whether at 100fsw or on the surface.
ams511
Contributor
If you are attached to the BC it does not matter if the weight is on the belt or on the rig. Sometimes it is beneficial to take the rig off in the water in order to board the boat, If the rig cannot float on its own then it causes a problem to retrieve it. So you have the requirement that you want the rig to float on its own. You don't need to move all your weight to the belt a 4-6 lbs would do.
OP
That makes sense to me. So if I have 16# of integrated weight, an AL80 (@ 4.4 negative at start of dive) and a 3# regulator/computer, the 23-24# wing should be able to support that weight if I want to don the rig in the water at the start of the dive, and doff in the water at the end of the dive. It looks like all should be well unless I start to dive in cold water or use a steel tank. I apologize if I appear to be dense on this weight/lift issue--I'm really not! Just a noob as far as bc lift requirements are concerned.
ams511
Contributor
It should but I would try it first. The reason I say that is because advertised lift is not always real lift. It could be a pound or two lower if the tank restricts the wing. Also I am unsure if the harness adds or subtracts to the buoyancy. Usually a soft pack would add.
A couple of things: Most AL80s are about 2 lbs negative at the start of the dive. If you doff in the water at the end of the dive your rig should be about 5 lbs lighter because you consumed the air. If you switch to a steel tank then you will remove some of the integrated weight. You have plenty so that should not be a problem. It is beneficial to have some weight on a belt if you ever need to remove the rig underwater. The weight will help keep you from floating up.
In the past it was not really an issue as most jacket BCs had more lift than most people needed. Even now some BCs still have an incredible amount of lift. With BP/Ws you need to think about lift.
A couple of things: Most AL80s are about 2 lbs negative at the start of the dive. If you doff in the water at the end of the dive your rig should be about 5 lbs lighter because you consumed the air. If you switch to a steel tank then you will remove some of the integrated weight. You have plenty so that should not be a problem. It is beneficial to have some weight on a belt if you ever need to remove the rig underwater. The weight will help keep you from floating up.
In the past it was not really an issue as most jacket BCs had more lift than most people needed. Even now some BCs still have an incredible amount of lift. With BP/Ws you need to think about lift.
My travel wings have lifts of 18 to 28 lbs and I'm 240 and carry 25# of lead when diving warm water (prefer to be overweighted for filming). Those wings work fine for me. Your mileage may vary.
Similar threads
