Pony Sling Experience

[beesonj]

I have a new 30cf steel Worthington pony. This will be my first foray into the pony world and would like to start with a sling system. Does anyone have experience with Aqua Explorer Speedy Stage Strap System (link below). Any review from first hand experience would be greatly appreciated. My local dive shop has been of little help on this. Also interested in other well reviewed sling systems. Thanks!

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AQESPS.html

Jon

 

[SDAnderson]

Why a steel pony bottle? You may find that the buoyancy characteristics can be difficult to adjust to.

Rather than a removable stage system, I would recommend something more permanent. Harder to come undone unintentionally, and all that. In no particular order:

Dive Rite GM2051-40KIT
Halcyon Stage Bottle Rigging Kit​

 

[Padipro]

Nope, wouldn't use the steel tank or this type of sling either. First, as reef said, a steel pony tank is negitive and will not trail in your slip stream like an aluminum tank will. It will also cause your balance to be weighted to one side because of the weight of the steel tank.

IMO an aluminum tank is the only way to go and a sling strap is very easy to make with nothing more then a large hose clamp, a couple of bolt snaps and a length of 1/4 inch thick nylon rope.

Check out this link.

Stage bottle rigging

 

[beesonj]

Must be warm weather wet suit divers... AL is great if your in Florida with a 2mm on ;O)

The buoyancy differential from full to empty is roughly the same between the AL and Steel. That's easy enough to balance out. Just looking for a good system, not a debate on Steel Vs. Aluminum.

 

[dlent]

I sling a 19cf pony with a Dive-Rite stage strap. You won't have to worry about the pony coming loose during diving. There are two thumb clips that attach to your BC rings.

 

[NJdiver85]

Don't waste your money on the Dive Rite or Halcyon system. You can duplicate it yourself very easily for approx. $20. I used the following instructions which were excellent . . .

http://dir-diver.com/en/equipment/stagebottle_rigging.html

 

[Padipro]

Must be warm weather wet suit divers... AL is great if your in Florida with a 2mm on ;O)

The buoyancy differential from full to empty is roughly the same between the AL and Steel. That's easy enough to balance out. Just looking for a good system, not a debate on Steel Vs. Aluminum.

Take a look at my avitar and my profile picture and you'll see I'm not a wet suit diver when it comes to things like slinging bottles. You might be diving recreationally now but in the future if you deside to go more technicial, or just to dive doubles you're already excessivly negitive so you don't want to add any unnessary weight, like a steel bottle.

I understand this is a bottle you already have and you would like to use it and not buy more equipment but you also asked for our advice and that is what we're giving you. Take it or don't but the vast majority of divers will tell you that using a steel bottle for a pony or stage is not the best way to go.

With that said I still wouldn't use the rigging system you were talking about when it's so easy to make your own that works just as well.

 

[beesonj]

Point taken, thankyou. Hasn't been used yet and I still have the reciept. Sorry I balked at your original response, your right, given that I already dive with steels, the added -6 could present issues. Ok,looks like an exchange may be in order.

Appreciate your help...

 

[coach_izzy]

Must be warm weather wet suit divers... AL is great if your in Florida with a 2mm on ;O)

The buoyancy differential from full to empty is roughly the same between the AL and Steel. That's easy enough to balance out. Just looking for a good system, not a debate on Steel Vs. Aluminum.

I dive Dry Suit, with a SS backplate and Faber HP 120. I have more than enough ballast when I add my lights, thank you very much. I would not think of adding more steel to my rig. My pony bottle is a 40 CU ALuminum bottle. The tank is neutral and I don't even notice it underwater. If that bottle were steel, it would make it a lot harder to streamline and balance.

The DIR link for rigging a sling is excellent. If you don't have the time, the rigs from Dive Rite and Halcyon are also very good. Good luck

 

[SDAnderson]

Must be warm weather wet suit divers... AL is great if your in Florida with a 2mm on ;O)

Heh. Not hardly. Most of my couple of thousand dives have been done in the Great Lakes where we rejoice when bottom temps hit 50F. Though I'm always happy to be diving somewhere that my 2mm will be sufficient, most of the time I dive dry...

For what it's worth, for some years most of my dives have been below recreational depths, giving me a fairly substantial amount of practice with deco/stage bottle rigging. Certainly more experience than most folks have, including, it seems, you. I currently have nine bottle rigged for stage/deco use and have tried most every new idea that has come along, I thought I'd share some of that experience but instead it appears I pinched a nerve. Must be the instructor in me.

Sorry.