Report on my Steel LP95

[Mouth Breather old]

Well,

I switched from AL80 to a Faber/SP 95 this weekend. Got a great deal on the tank so I had to try it. ($249 from a LDS!)

Having a little extra air was nice...but my buddy (petite female) still has loads more air when the dive is over (AL80). I was able to drop 10 lbs from #28 to #18 with a 7mm suit and hood. Felt a little light on the safety stop but maybe I just have to get used to it.

My biggest problem is this...my attitude in the water is feet up now! Between 20 and 30 degrees above horizontal. I keep fighting to keep my feet level or slightly below horizontal.

Has anyone else had this problem? I never had it with an AL80. Could the fact that the Steel 95 is shorter, have shifted my center of gravity closer to my head?

 

[raxafarian]

had the same issue.... move the tank down. I have my top band about 1/2 -3/4 " below the sloped part of the tank.

 

[Mouth Breather old]

raxafarian once bubbled...
had the same issue.... move the tank down. I have my top band about 1/2 -3/4 " below the sloped part of the tank.

Yup, was afraid of that. I can barely reach my valve as it is. Would I have to do that with a LP Steel 104 (or is it 108?) since it is longer?

 

[MikeS]

This seems to be a common problem with steel tanks. I have the same problem with my HP120s. I think that long term solution is a backplate and wings that allow more options for mounting weight. But in the meantime what works for me is wrapping ankle weights around the tank valve, and removing an equal amount of weight from the BC integrated weight pouches. Moving weight from the ditchable front pockets to the non-ditchable rear pockets also solved the feet down problem but it made me want to roll to the left, which was even worse. Another thing I noticed was that sometimes to remain perfectly horizontal I first have to tilt head down to allow the air in the bladder to move to the rear.

Mike

 

[Diversauras]

Leave the tank where it is and add ankle wieghts, the extra will also help with the light feeling at the safety stop.

 

[The Chairman]

I never reccomend ankle weights since they add more mass to your ankles and the additional inertia you have to deal with while finning will reduce your bottom time even further. If you feel kinda light at your stop... GOOD! As long as you can control your depth with your breathing you are fine... LESS IS BEST!

Go to a pool and play... play for a long time. Take off your BC a hundred times and slide that tank back and forth until you get the right trim. When you THINK you have the right trim get neutral in 10+ ft of water, fold your hands together (very important), put your feet in the skydiver's attitude and close your eyes. Stay perfectly still for a couple of minutes or so and then open eyes. Are you where you thought you were? Now you can fine tune that trim even more. Salt water will affect this somewhat but not NEARLY as much as a different exposure suit will. So use the one you will diving with to get the best results.

 

[raxafarian]

MikeS once bubbled...
what works for me is wrapping ankle weights around the tank valve, and removing an equal amount of weight from the BC integrated weight pouches. Mike

if you're already "top heavy", how does moving more weight towards your head help??

You need to shift the weight down, not up.

btw... I noticed the same "rolling" feeling when I had weight in my rear belt pouches... moved it all to the front... the "roll" went away.

 

[MikeS]

raxafarian once bubbled...



if you're already "top heavy", how does moving more weight towards your head help??

You need to shift the weight down, not up.

btw... I noticed the same "rolling" feeling when I had weight in my rear belt pouches... moved it all to the front... the "roll" went away.

Sorry it’s Monday morning. I thought you were referring to being feet heavy which in my limited experience is more prevalent with the addition of steel tanks.

Mike

 

[raxafarian]

MikeS once bubbled...


Sorry it’s Monday morning. I thought you were referring to being feet heavy which in my limited experience is more prevalent with the addition of steel tanks.

Mike

no prob... the shorter steel tanks seem to put more weight towards your head unless you get them adjusted perfectly... the longer tanks give you a little more leeway.... spreading the weight over a larger area.

 

[wch]

Does you bc have trim weight pockets in the back? If so pulling some weight from there and putting it lower (on a belt or intergrated pockets) may help also. I got the same deal on 2 SP95's at the first of the year, love em!
Bill