Mounting a 19 Pony on a Scubapro S-tek?

[mahjong]

Hi.

I've read most of the posts here on pony bottles, as well as those on pony bottles versus sling--and many of these posts I have read over many many times.

Perhaps I will learn from my mistake and eventually sling my 19 cu ft pony bottle, but I wish to start out by back mounting it. I have no steady dive buddy--I dive where I can when I can and my buddy is nearly always someone I have never met before. And when I do dive with friends, it's spearfishing in Taiwan--and this is solo diving--we go our separate ways underwater.

Perhaps it's age, but after many years I'd like to try carrying redundant air. I plan to install an Air 2 (something I have avoided until now)--so that I WILL have 2 second stages coming off my main tank. And I plan to clip the redundant-air second stage where my main backup second stage used to be (on the right-side chest). I will have the redundant-air SPG clipped on the lower right--and my main set of gauges on the lower left. I will leave the air on the pony bottle open--I use only Scubapro regulators and I have never had a problem with leaks--and my second stage will not free-flow once the mouthpiece is stuffed inside a keeper.

I have checked out MANY pony mount Web sites--most of the major ones (Tamer, X-Bracket, Explorer, etc.) and some not-so-major ones. Here's the problem: I dive either a Scubapro S-tek or Scubapro SS BP--in both setups, I use two Scubapro supercinch tank bands. These tank bands have the cinch buckle on the right side. You can't move the buckle to the center or left side because the excess strap needs space to tie down on the left. With the newest SS supercinch especially, there is barely enough room on the left side for the excess strap to tie down (I even have trouble installing trim weight pockets for this reason). In any case, for this reason as well, I am having trouble finding a pony mounting bracket that will enable me to install my pony on the right side, where the buckle mechanism is--because the buckle mechanism is in the way.

Has anyone using Scubapro supercinch bands encountered this problem and resolved it by finding a pony mount bracket that works (rather than by opting to sling)?

Many thanks for your help.

Mahjong

 

[RICHinNC]

I use the ponease bottle mount. Try
www.sea-lutions.com/ponease and see what you think


As far as the bcd goes....Sorry...I dive a DR TransPlate.
rich

 

[teknitroxdiver]

If you're planning on slinging it eventually, just go ahead and do it. There's no need to pay a large sum for a bracket when you can do something better and simpler by slinging it.

 

[mahjong]

Thanks Rich. I have (and had) checked out the Ponease website--perhaps you had recommended it before. The Ponease certainly looks simple enough--and as long as the BC bands lock securely enough between the two plates so the mount/pony bottle doesn't slip or slide then it seems like a nice setup.

Can I trouble you for a measure of the width (inches) of the bottom (or widest) plate? This is main issue for me, because I can't move the cinch buckle out too far from the right edge and still be able to secure the excess strap on the left side.

Thanks again.

 

[redacted]

Thanks Rich. I have (and had) checked out the Ponease website--perhaps you had recommended it before. The Ponease certainly looks simple enough--and as long as the BC bands lock securely enough between the two plates so the mount/pony bottle doesn't slip or slide then it seems like a nice setup.

Can I trouble you for a measure of the width (inches) of the bottom (or widest) plate? This is main issue for me, because I can't move the cinch buckle out too far from the right edge and still be able to secure the excess strap on the left side.

Thanks again.

I can only eliminate the Ultimate Pony Bracket. I used it OK with a single tank strap. but with the BP and 2 straps it was a major PITA so I went with a sling rig. I'm not sure I fully understand your problem with the strap buckles, but If you remove those straps and reinstall upside down, that will move the buckles to the other side of the tank.

 

[mahjong]

Wow. I think you just might have resolved my problem. I hadn't thought about reinstalling the buckles upside down--perhaps for two reasons: IQ limitation and I'm a fanatic about everything being "right." But actually there is nothing wrong (or even upside down, it seems) with flipping these buckles around. Many thanks!!