EricJ:
My wife and I both purchased Dacor BC's about three years ago. I purchased the Nautica and she the Extemelle (not sure about model name).
Her power inflator began leaking within the first six months. We simply replaced the power inflator, and it's worked fine ever since.
A while back my power inflator went out as well. It gradually began inflating my BC slower and slower. I considered getting a whole new BC, but opted to simply replace the power inflater. It works fine, and after about 120 dives it seems to be in good working condition.
I wasn't impressed with the power inflators going bad, but everything else on the BC's seem to be working great.
I'd like to hear about the experience others have had with the Dactor Nautica BC's.
I've owned a Nautica BC since about 1999 and it's been my only BC ever since. It was ex-class/rental, although my LDS owner's wife tells me that she used it as her personal BC. Anyway, it was already well used and faded brown by the time I got it, and is much more so now, so factor that into my story. Overall I liked it, it fits great and does what I presume is a decent job of buoyancy compensatin', I've taken it to 100' 45 degree water in Tobermory and into tropical waters around Bimini and it does fine; the only problem I have is that the dang cummerbund, even adjusted as far out as I know how, still insists on coming apart at the most inopportune times, like striding off a boat (grr). Also, I think the power inflator is going out on me as well. Anyway, overall I have to say my Nautica has been decent and usable. I am just ready to replace it because it's getting worn out and just plain ugly to boot.
Dacor seems to be better these days at things like BCs (the monstrous-looking HUB notwithstanding) than their regs, which I resolutely intend to move away from. My impression, aside from any technical details, is that Dacor regs are complicated and somewhat "gimmicky" and marketing driven, but not particularly stellar performers. The parts and service situation vis a vis the Mares takeover is the last three or so nails in the coffin afaic. My old Enduro (my first reg) is an orphan now; my shop won't even look at it anymore, Dacor doesn't support it or supply parts for it anymore. My now-main reg is a Viper Tec, which has a nasty habit of freeflowing for no reason, is uncomfortable, hard to purge when I
want it to, slightly wet, and generally not exactly what I assume is a good breather. I want to replace that one by next summer, no doubt about it. Any reg by Dacor that isn't brand new I'd stay away from, the ones from the last 5 or 10 years just seem to be stylish schlock, or if they are the older, genuinely solid regs from Dacor's glory days then you can't get them serviced anyway so they're pretty much worthless. I can't speak for the newer Dacor-in-name-only regs, but as good as Mares gear is supposed to be I don't trust them to stand behind their product the way that, say, Scubapro or Aqualung will.
I wonder if there's any possibility of someone going into business to make what in automobiles would be called aftermarket or reproduction parts for officially orphaned Dacor regs (or other obsolete regs for that matter...wouldn't it be great to thoroughly rebuild that old White Stag or Healthways moldering away in your garage?). Anyway, since Mares has pretty much gave up its interest in old Dacor gear, the least they could do is license the rights to the spare parts and sell the tooling to some enterprising and conscientious person. Hell, people still make replacement parts for Studebakers, fer chrissakes.
I shall now shut up and go get myself some lunch.
cheers,
Billy S.
