Project Argonaut, totally new, vintage style DH regulator

[Couv]

Hi Eric,

FWIW I dive my FP & Oxycheq MK V wing without the use of the rails. I have a DAM with a Phoenix nozzle. There is sufficient room for the wing to fit either in front of or behind the can. The only accommodation I made was to rotate the can's band clamp so that the connecting hardware is at the 3 o'clock position.....I am very pleased with this setup.

Re the weight saving: Considering the thickness required to have the proper strength, how much difference in weight is there between a SS FP and an Al FP?

Cheers,

Couv

I always thought my plate was pretty slick using it with a double hose but I didn't get a lot of takers in the vintage crowd, especially over at VDH.
There were a few here who got one for using with a Pheonix. I had to set those up with a special tall rail to allow for the additional stick out of the reg. I never heard back from any of them so I have no idea if they worked or not.
I guess the Freedom Plate wasn't "Vintage" enough for the rest of the crowd, but then I always wondered, if they were so pure then what about the Pheonix?
So now there is a brand new modern day double hose regulator (which I think is great! BTW), so does that mean that the Freedom Plate is OK now too since it's modern but retro in design?
Looking at the pictures It should work just as good (or better) than one of the plastic packs.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Hi Eric,

FWIW I dive my FP & Oxycheq MK V wing without the use of the rails. I have a DAM with a Phoenix nozzle. There is sufficient room for the wing to fit either in front of or behind the can. The only accommodation I made was to rotate the can's band clamp so that the connecting hardware is at the 3 o'clock position.....I am very pleased with this setup.

Re the weight saving: Considering the thickness required to have the proper strength, how much difference in weight is there between a SS FP and an Al FP?

Cheers,

Couv

I'd say probably 2 or more Lbs.

I really don't like aluminum though. It's strength to weight ratio is pretty poor and it is prone to cracking at stress points over time.
If I decide to make a super lightweight contoured plate it's going to be a moulded design out of carbon fiber with small stainless plates epoxied into place at the stress points like where webbing goes through. I think I could get it down to around a pound. It would be super strong and light weight. It would be the strongest hard plate available for warm water diving.

Combined with the brand new Argonaut I think it would be about the most cutting edge combo out there.
I could even mould the design around the reg can. That can be easily done when designing the plug and casting the part.

 

[dmoore19]

Got the invoice today should be here in time to get a couple of pool sessions in before my Cayman trip.

Exciting stuff.

 

[rhwestfall]

If weight is a "problem", what about skeletonizing one????

 

[Luis H]

The first batch of Argonauts Kraken has either been delivered to their owners or as far as I know they have been shipped.

This are just random pictures that others have posted on other boards.

 

[Nemrod]

My Kraken serial number DD-06 reporting for duty:

N

 

[Akimbo]

I never would have guessed that orange would look so good. IMHO, 10x better than yellow. Congrats to everyone involved. Crowd-funding makes it even better.

 

[herman]

I got a set of the hoses for evaluation and to install on my prototype reg. My first reaction was negative, those things almost glow but once they are installed on the reg and you have some time to get over the shock they quickly grow on you. I still like the yellow/black combo but the red does look good and it sure gets others attention at a dive site.

 

[Nemrod]

I do not know who mentioned wanting red hoses first, but I do know that I told Bryan, joking, that I wanted red hoses to match the Kraken label and to match my Atomic fins and snorkel and my Aeris Accels (and Atomic Blades). I remember him giving me a look too, . Under the pavilion at the SCUBA Club while pointing at the red on my Atomic Frameless. The hoses are not orange, they are a bright red IMO. About the same color that Atomic calls red, but not exactly, but very close. Thanks VDH!

Since the label was the red color the Argonaut uses the red hoses at least as an option (which they are optional) to set it apart as an identifying feature, an attention getter, to make it apparent the regulator was the new Argonaut. It seems many people went for the red hoses, including me. Of course, the regulator looks super cool in stealth black and there is no reason somebody could not buy an extra hose set or just buy the black hoses instead of the red. I am sure VDH can help with all that.

I cannot wait to shoot some divers with the red hoses and watch the red pop in my strobes!

N

 

[Pao]

Will the offset of the Halcyon STA provide enough clearance for the reg?


Thanks!