Mach V, Good, Bad or Ugly?

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Nemrod

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What is the scoop on this thing, is it good, bad or ugly? If it is a Mach V was there a I, II, III and IV? How does it do on the surfacde for divers who surface swim on their back? Does it really have 30 pounds of lift? Does it balance well enough?

N
 
Nemrod:
How does it do on the surfacde for divers who surface swim on their back?



I almost fell asleep on my back floating back north to my hotel @ LBTS. The current was backwards (NS) out past the pier but eddied back (SN) near the beach so it was like going downhill both ways.
 
I have one. It is good, not bad, not ugly. :) Not sure about the status of the Mach I thru IV. Haven't measured the actual water weight displaced when rigged up. Probably won't. Haven't got to dive it yet so I'll have to get back to you on that. It looks very nice and trim and very durable.

Would prolly look marvelous when combined with a twin hose rig... :D
 
The wing is super well made and I used it with my Transplate on a variety of dives include some drift dives (read - required a bit a surface time waiting for a boat pick up).

Underwater the wing is streamlined and worked great. A perfect warm water wing. You do need to use a STA as there are no clearance holes for cam bands. As I always use a STA this was not an issue for me.

Top side, the Mach V is OK, not as stable as my Dive Rite Venture (also 30lbs) but that said I did not have any problems with it. The Venture is a bit wider and it tapers a bit at the top so that is why it most likely feels a bit more stable.

Both the Venture and the Oxycheq are great products (better than the Apeks wing I recently sold and the Halcyon 36 I still use for cold water), with the Oxycheg being extremely rugged.

I picked up the Oxycheg from ScubaToys at geat price, so I'm quite set for wings and backplates for now - at least until I need a doubles wing. LOL
 
My Mach V treats me fine on the surface. Maybe not quite as stable as my OMS (which was considerably wider), but absolutely no problem.
As for actual lift,see Stephen Ash's (6) and Floater's (7) posts which follow. I like the profile because of ease of hose routing and how nicely it fits with my LP 98's (short tanks). Also very easy to locate my rear dump. Very streamlined.
 
Ya... that was a good thread that turned ugly. Here is the post on the Mach V... http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=2152915&postcount=19

I've been using wings for 6 or 7 years... I've owned or have tried ALMOST all of them it seems. The Mach V is in a class by itself and IMHO there is no other wing like it. It's great above, on and in the water. It is well balanced and trims easily. Venting is quick and effortless and it is the most streamlined, slick 30# double layer single that I've seen.

Never tried it with one of your kind of rigs, Nemrod, but it works very nicely with all of my stuff.
 
As for actual lift,see Stephen Ash's post in thread below.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=154483&page=2

I suggest people also read the discussion about the how the lift was measured, and that the rig can affect how fully the wing can inflate by a few lbs.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=2156801&postcount=38

Since the Mach V has a very narrow center panel some of its air bag may be restricted by the plate and tank (I guess this is true for all wings, but especially those with narrow center panels). The free lift is 32#, but when Stephen Ash tested it he got 30# out of it on a Halcyon plate and 27# on a the flatter(?) DSS plate with extra weight plates attached. Without the STA (if the design is changed), with a bigger tank, with an even flatter plate... you might lose a few more lbs of lift. However, there's also a 40# version of the Mach V wing for those who need the extra lift.
 
I just got back from diving the Mach V Extreme in three very differnt situations. We were on a cruise that stopped in Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel and got to dive at all three locations. This was my first dives with this wing and it was fantastic.

Grand Cayman was a shore dive at Turtle Reef - no current, nice easy dives to check out the wing. It performed flawlessly - kept me level and trim and all the valves were right where you would expect them to be. One of the things I noticed and loved, was that there was plenty of lift at the bottom, something I need since I am very leg/foot heavy.

Costa Maya was a dive from a small boat in moderate seas. Backroll entry, get the team together on the surface and descend. The wing keep me vey comfortable on the surface and had just the right amount of lift to keep my head up, but not to push me forward at all. We did several swim throughs and the wing is so compact that there was never any contact - it allowed me to get through some tight spots I would not have tried with my larger wing.

Cozumel was a boat dive - giant stride entry and quick descent. This was a wild ride - current was ripping - but the wing kept me balanced in whatever position I wanted to be in. This was the first time I did half my dive in a sitting upright position :D . We had to spend quite a bit of time on the surface after these dives as we moved a lot further than the boat expect us too - and I could easily lean back on my plate and wing and float until the boat arrived.

On all the dives I had my camera and the wing allowed me to position myself however I wanted to be - several times I was upside down taking pictures of critters in holes and had no problems with stability. The minimal drag was also very noticable when I needed to swim into the current to get back for a picture.

When all is said and done - this wing is outstanding. I can honestly say this was my best gear purchase - EVER!!!

Thank You Patrick!!!
 
I just got one of the Mach V's in to use with my new plate, the Freedom II.
I had to design a STA for this new plate just to be able to fit the Mach V to it but it was well worth it.
I test dove this new set up at the Breakwater in Monterey last weekend and it was by far the most streamlined rig I've ever dove. The Mach V is so narrow that I was able to use freediving fins (this was part of my testing criteria) and I was able to achieve very high speeds with minimal effort. This proves to me that drag is very minimal.
I found the wing to be fine on the surface sitting vertically or laying on my back. These two functions are not critical to me anyway because I'm more interested in how a wing performs underwater, but I had absolutely no problem with stability in any position above or below the surface.

The Mach V is also very well made. All the stiching and seams are very nice. If you unzip the outer shell and feel the thickness of the liner you will see that it is made of very thick material. I like the fact that the inner bladder is easy to get to with the 360 degree zipper for cleaning, rinsing, and repairs if necessary.

I also like the slightly longer inflator hose and the angled mouthpiece. Patrick also has a nice touch to his wings with the fabric flap over the top of the inflator with the velcro straps. This allows easy and simple attachment to the shoulder strap of the harness and a nice place to route the LP hose through.

I will post a pick of this new rig as soon as I can. I think everyone will be impressed.

Eric

http://www.pacificcoastmarine.net
 
Well, I, Nemrod, have placed an order for one to use with my Hammerhead plate. It took me a while to order a new wing to replace my old SeaTec because it has served so well for many years and I do a lot of shore dives and it swims well on my back and the bright colors were easily seen by BOATS coming from behind me. I also don't like all the graphics and print on new equipments but I guess it will be OK.

"Would prolly look marvelous when combined with a twin hose rig... "

LOL, well, yes and what initially attracted me to it was the narrow upper loop and the offcenter inflator hose assembly--which will less likely interfere with the double hose regulators I MUCH prefer. I also ordered the light weight STA to use instead of my two piece Hammerhead STA.

Well, it looked streamlined, simple, Zen, durable and reliable, all requirments of my equipment purchases. I guess then, for this season, when I use a wing, it will be a Mach V.

Thanks for info, please continue disscussing, pictures etc, similar wings.

Side note, I was giving double hose introduction to my dive buddy for an upcoming trip in the pool yesterday for several hours. I did not get the brand name but he brought along his "new" equipments because he is a new diver to practice all that also. I used his BC, it was one of those with the integrated weights with straps and D rings all over and it felt like I was wearing a potato sack underwater--compared to my HH BP, old time plates and harness rigs, it was a slug. How do people use that stuff, there was a scuba class in the pool at the same time and they all had the same rig, wow, they are horrid.

N
 
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