Question about side mounted bail- outs

[techintime]

Tammy, I'm also a new CCR diver and read this thread to get some ideas on sidemounting the OC bailout bottles.

If I read your original question correctly it sounds like your plan is to customize the rigging on your personally owned AL-80 BO bottles. Is that not going to limit you to only using those particular bottles at least in terms of having things just right. Wouldn't it be better to use standard-rigged BO bottles and customize the rig on the harness/buttplate/bungees to make the trim/positioning right. All of my OC technical diving and my CCR diving so far has been with standard rigged AL-80s. That way the diver can use any standard rigged bottle, trade bottles within the team, rent/borrow bottles when traveling if the need arrives, etc.

Am I missing something here?

Maybe your particular rigging of the bottles will be only marginally different, but have you given this approach a thought? It looked like some of the other posters here are going that route.

 

[Garth]

Depends on what standard rigging means. My standard rigging didn't change much from OC to CCR so I would agree with that but in the same token there are things I don't like about what I'm doing.

I'd like to start a thread on photos of your bailout rig. I'll go home and start that. We can all laugh about what we do and share what works. I'm sure there are things that people could gain from that visually that discussion lacks.

Garth

Tammy, I'm also a new CCR diver and read this thread to get some ideas on sidemounting the OC bailout bottles.

If I read your original question correctly it sounds like your plan is to customize the rigging on your personally owned AL-80 BO bottles. Is that not going to limit you to only using those particular bottles at least in terms of having things just right. Wouldn't it be better to use standard-rigged BO bottles and customize the rig on the harness/buttplate/bungees to make the trim/positioning right. All of my OC technical diving and my CCR diving so far has been with standard rigged AL-80s. That way the diver can use any standard rigged bottle, trade bottles within the team, rent/borrow bottles when traveling if the need arrives, etc.

Am I missing something here?

Maybe your particular rigging of the bottles will be only marginally different, but have you given this approach a thought? It looked like some of the other posters here are going that route.

 

[tstormdiver]

Well,... I am pretty much at a standstill right now. The weather here in KY has been quite nasty for the past 2 1/2 months. I have gotten to try the AL 80's out & it has done something really weird. I am normally quite nose heavy, but the sidemounted cylinders are putting me feet down. The first time I had to move the cam strap way down on the cylinders, as the valves kept going up behind my shoulder, instead of under my arms. Now,... I have not had much time to really work with it or correct it yet. Hoping the weather will get nicer in the next month or 2.

Techintime- the bottles aren't really custom rigged. Cam band with a clip in the rear & nothing on top. Just using the bungee over the valve handle to hold it up top. I was clipping the rear clip to a double D-ring on the butt side of the crotch strap, but have recently gotten a sidemount butt plate & going to start working with that.

 

[Dive-aholic]

What rebreather are you diving Tammy? I have found that because of the gas in the loop I'm having to put more weight near my shoulders/upper back to counteract that and keep me horizontal. Has nothing to do with the bailout bottles. Unless your AL80s are bottom floaty, in which case that will push your feet down slightly.

 

[rongoodman]

What rebreather are you diving Tammy?

I'm pretty sure she has a Prism 2.

 

[tstormdiver]

What rebreather are you diving Tammy? I have found that because of the gas in the loop I'm having to put more weight near my shoulders/upper back to counteract that and keep me horizontal. Has nothing to do with the bailout bottles. Unless your AL80s are bottom floaty, in which case that will push your feet down slightly.

Yes, it is a Prism2. I dive minimal volume in the loop, but of course that changes a little as gas is added & removed. There's a couple adjustments I can still make. I currently have the weights in pockets (4) on a bracket in the rear (2 top & bottom on both sides). I can move some of the weights back to the OTS counterlungs (have weight pockets in them), as they sit high on my shoulders,... just not as comfortable, not terrible, but not as comfortable,... With sidemounted 40's, I am a tad nose heavy. The AL80 cylinders are generic Luxfers, so likely bottom light when low & negative when full.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Sounds like you need the weights higher up on your shoulders. You can always place them on the webbing rather than in the counterlung pockets.

 

[tstormdiver]

I may give it a try. Thank you!

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Sounds like something is going on with how you are rigging/side-mounting the tanks. I dive the Prism 2 and have put a bunch of people in the water on Demo Dives and not one has needed weight up top. It sounds like maybe your top bungee (looping around valve) maybe too small which is sucking valve up and behind shoulder. Also, Bottom cam strap should not be so low on the tank and should not be clipped that far inside (butt side of crotch strap). Try a Tech Plate and raise cam strap higher on the tank. Look at distance from armpit to rail on plate/d-ring on waist and you'll see it is not that far, If you use air from tank and it becomes floaty move to flexible d-ring on waist.

 

[tstormdiver]

Sounds like something is going on with how you are rigging/side-mounting the tanks. I dive the Prism 2 and have put a bunch of people in the water on Demo Dives and not one has needed weight up top. It sounds like maybe your top bungee (looping around valve) maybe too small which is sucking valve up and behind shoulder. Also, Bottom cam strap should not be so low on the tank and should not be clipped that far inside (butt side of crotch strap). Try a Tech Plate and raise cam strap higher on the tank. Look at distance from armpit to rail on plate/d-ring on waist and you'll see it is not that far, If you use air from tank and it becomes floaty move to flexible d-ring on waist.

At first until I moved the cam strap way down, it was riding behind my shoulder. I might try a slightly longer bungee. I just got a side mount butt plate. have not had it in the water yet. May make the difference, since I now have a rail, instead of a side d-ring.