Pony Bottle an Al80

[Wetsuit 4 life]

Here are my first two attempts to rig an Al 80 has my pony bottle, the first one was not so great after I realized that i had ended up chaining myself to the tank and that the plastic zip strips would not stay in place when walking around my apartment.



Second attempt has proved much more reliable, I changed out the plastic zip straps for a metal hose clamp and replaced the handle and most of the chain at the K-Valve with rope
and than ran black and white electrical tape over the hose clamp to cover any sharp edges as well as around the rope to hold the rope together for the handle.



So far after one dive things have worked out, just have to practice the attachment and disconnection with 3 finger gloves on.

If anyone has any advice or tips on how I could make this thing any better it would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

 

[Dr Wu]

If anyone has any advice or tips on how I could make this thing any better it would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

How to make it better?

Steel quick-links and brass snaps aside, what are you planning on doing with this 80 cf. "pony bottle"?

What sort of dives do you feel this drag-magnet is a good idea for?

 

[redacted]

I sling a much smaller pony but I do have a similar rig to sling a 63 or an 80 if I want to do a long dive (poor man's doubles). My lower knot that holds the SS clamp is only about 13 inches below the upper knot that produces the loop that goes over the valve and captures the upper snap. And the length of my lower loop loop is about 3 inches which keeps the tank comfortably close. And I slipped a 12 inch piece of clear plastic tubing over the lines between the knots to work as a handle. Also, I use 2 inch wide pieces of inner tube under and over the SS clamp to protect me and the tank. I also use 1/2 inch wide pieces to contain the hose. Play around and see what works best before you cut off the excess.

 

[Elvistheking]

Am I missing something here is everyone just re-inventing a stage rigging kit?

 

[aquaregia]

I use motorcycle innertube instead of shock cord to hold the reg. I tried with 1/8" shock cord but it ran away from my gloves.
I have fuel hose around the line to stiffen it. I'd question the durability of a tape-wrap.
I also use a camband as the tail attachment so I can use it on borrowed tanks.

 

[Wetsuit 4 life]

Thanks for the tips awap & aquaregia

I'll have to look into getting some inner tube for the hose clamp, not to worried about damaging the tank (it needs a new paint job) more to protect the drysuit. Same with replacing the bungee cords with something that i can grip.

Dr. Wu,
The drag-magnet (has it shall be called from now on) is really for extended time on drift dives and mainly as a backup for deep wreck diving. I do agree that it is a lot more tank then I would need but it's a lot cheaper then going and getting a 30cf tank same with spending the money on buying proper rigging for the tank

Cheers

 

[aquaregia]

I'll have to look into getting some inner tube for the hose clamp, not to worried about damaging the tank (it needs a new paint job) more to protect the drysuit.

A steel hose clamp against a bare aluminium tank could theoretically cause galvanic action, corroding the tank. I'm not sure if this is a consideration in the real world (I'm still new to diving), but I'd look into it as any damage caused would exceed cosmetic.

Dr. Wu,
The drag-magnet (has it shall be called from now on) is really for extended time on drift dives and mainly as a backup for deep wreck diving. I do agree that it is a lot more tank then I would need but it's a lot cheaper then going and getting a 30cf tank same with spending the money on buying proper rigging for the tank

Dr Wu doesn't like pony tanks. I suspect he'd make the same comment on an AL30.

I sling an AL80 because my primary dive buddies are all much smaller than me (50%-75% of my weight) and I have almost free access to AL80s. I have noticed a ~10% decrease in my SAC when I sling, but I'm not sure if that's due to drag or me not really caring about my consumption.

 

[jar546]

I am working on a system with double steel HP130's and side mounted steel HP130's on each side as individual ponies, each tank with it's own 1st and 2nd stage regulator. This way I have quadruple redundancy and a spare air in my BC just in case. I also require the dive boat operators to hang a 130 at 20' below the boat with a regulator and a spare mask.

I mostly dive on shallow 24' reefs for this setup.

 

[Dsix36]

Look here:
stage rigging

 

[ScubaToneDog]

Look here:
stage rigging

This is just as cheap as your set up, Less complicated and very durable.

It can be used on any size tank and quickly rigged in the field in a few minutes.

Dont be freaked out by it being DIR. Its actually DIY and KISS :banana: