Replacement internal bladder

[herman]

It does have the plastic backpack, i'll check on straps. Will any wing attach to it? I'm not gonna really buy until I do all my checkout dives with the rentals that are included anyway and are most likely the jacket style. And damn, I have alot of catching up to do! Is there like an acronyms overview on the board? I've figured them out, just was confused for the first minute or so.

Pretty much no wing will attach to it but many of us (vintage diving- which is what fishpie was refering to and a lot of the acronyms were) do not use wings on a lot of dives. The yellow hosed rig is mine and the green hosed one is a buddy during a vintage dive in Freeport Bahama this year. Note the harnesses and BP's with no wings, the old horse collar BC is mine but it never got used, it just went along for the ride. No wings in the second shot, doing a safety stop after a 90 ft dive.

 

[jpmaniac87]

So ya'll use no weights or inflation BCs?

 

[herman]

Weights are worn only when needed and more importantly in the correct amount. The vast majority of divers are no where near correctly weighted, personally with no wet suit in warm fresh water I use no weights, I need 4 lbs in warm salt water. If you are properly weighted and you have little or no wetsuit on, there is no need of a bladder....now this is NOT something your instuctor is going to discuss and will likely tell you I am full of BS...the photo above says otherwise as do the dozen or so vintage divers who were there..at least 4 or 5 of which are members of this board. There is a point where it becomes more convient to use a BC, when diving a thick wet suit or twin steel tanks for example but often times there is no need for one. I was hanging off the line hovering at our safety stop with a camera in my hands- 5mm wet suit, 10 lbs of weight and no bladder. This is the way diving was done until the early 70's when the BC came into vogue. Before that, diving required more skill and relied less on equipment, some of us are trying to keep the old ways alive.

 

[jpmaniac87]

For the time being, you think i could use a rubber seal and some "aquaseal" i believe it's called? It looks like alot of people have used this stuff successfully

 

[scubafanatic]

I liked the wrap around design, I have fooled around with my friend's Oceanic wraparound in a pool dive. What is a good wraparound BC that's not gonna bankrupt me? (I'm a college student...)

...I hate to break it to ya, but this might not be the sport for a financially-challenged college student...if things are so 'tight' for ya that you've gotta try to resurrect a prehistoric/rotten BC...well, you really want to become a scuba-lawn-dart and risk doing a face-plant at the bottom of the sea ? You've likely spent too much $ already on a college education, don't get yourself killed and waste all the good $ !

 

[herman]

For the time being, you think i could use a rubber seal and some "aquaseal" i believe it's called? It looks like alot of people have used this stuff successfully

It really depends on where the hole is and why it's there. A small hole that was punched because of a fishhook or something similar sure, but a major hole or a hole because of rotten material (very likely with a BC that age) is a totally different matter. Without having my hands on it, I would not recommend it. Plus what would be a PITA failure to an experienced diver can be a serious matter for an inexperienced diver. Good used BCs can be had for less than $100 and good new one for less than $250. If you are staying in diving your going to have to spend the money sooner or later. This is the BC I dive and have been for the last 7 years or so, it would be a lot better investment than putting a lot of cash into an iffy at best BC. Zeagle Scout BCD reviews and discounts, Zeagle

 

[pollywogg]

Jpmaniac, from broke-ass college student to broke-ass college student: If you're as broke as I am, and you're serious about getting into SCUBA, I suggest getting certified first. Also, you can usually find really good deals here on Scubaboard, in your local area on Craig's List, or even on Ebay. One caveat regarding ebay, make sure you know your gear inside and out, and know what questions to ask before buying used online, sight unseen.
I made my gear purchases over the course of 6 months for the most part. If you really want to dive, you'll find the money. I scrimped and saved to get the great gear that I have. While there is nothing wrong with trying to save a little money, trying to dive cheap could cost you your life. I know this may sound a little melodramatic, but you can save money on a BC, on a wetsuit, booties, etc. What I definitely would not cheap out on would be a reg set. At the end of the day, a BC is not strictly necessary, but gas to breathe is.
I know that this post is centered on the 20 y/o Dacor relic, which I would strip and toss, then look around for a GOOD , cheap BC. But I do mention the other gear just to reinforce the idea that as well trained diver, you should be able to be self-sufficient, and any iffy gear does not help one to be self sufficient.

 

[h2odragon1]

When Dacor was in their last days on their own, they sold all of their tools and dies to make repair kits. When Mares bought them there was no wharehouse of repair kits and no way to make new kits. Mares got scr***d!
They decided then to keep the name, but manufacture future Dacor products to be compatable with Mares kits. They do not support any Dacor products prior to their purchase. Mares had an offer a few years ago that would let you trade in Dacor products for credit on Mares equiptment, but that ended years ago.
If you replace this BC with something from e-bay, you could end up with the same problem.
Go to your LDS, at the end of the season, and ask about any BC's they wil be swaping out on rotation. These BC's will be serviced, and you will be getting a deal and helping your LDS!

 

[jpmaniac87]

Preciate the input guys. As far as the expensive hobby thing goes, I'm a senior and will be out of school in a year and wanna get started while i have some time off to go. Not to mention, I have the money, but don't wanna spend too much since tuition is quite expensive, however I am willing to, I just like to know if there are budget friendly aspects. Also, i am waiting until after the class to buy gear. I realize what I'm getting into. I'm big into Jeeps (as you can tell by my screenname) and the funny thing is, I find myself checking this board and playing with what little gear i do have everyday... basically, i see myself getting big into this sport like i am workin on jeeps. Thanks for the help! And I really can't wait to get started (3 more days! haha)