Rigging an SMB (Chatterton Method)

[Zack-Bloom]

After reading about my Advanced Wreck class experience with John Chatterton I received a DM from someone asking how we learned to rig our SMBs. Rather than just reply there I thought it would be nice to share my response with everyone.

We learned to use a quick link to connect both a bolt snap and a length of bungee to the end of the SMB:

Here you can see what that looks like when the bungee isn't holding the SMB:

The obvious advantage of this setup is the bungee is a much more reliable way of holding closed the SMB than the velcro which often comes with them (we cut it off). The bungee is sized to be snug with two loops around the SMB, as that seems to be the right balance for keeping it closed. The bolt snap factors in as we start rigging our spool:

The spool has a metal ring tied onto the end of the line (you can buy them from Piranha Dive Mfg). The line is secured by passing it through one of the holes on the spool, and securing it to a double ender, which is used to clip off the spool if necessary:

Things get interesting when it's time to inflate your SMB. All you do is clip the SMB bolt snap to the big metal ring:

So simple even a diver can do it! You can now remove the double ender (hang onto it as a way of securing the spool when you get to your first deco stop depth), and inflate! When you're ready, allow the spool to start spinning and the SMB is off!

We also learned a novel way of doing that inflation during the course, but I'll leave that for another post.

 

[Protondecay123]

After reading about my Advanced Wreck class experience with John Chatterton I received a DM from someone asking how we learned to rig our SMBs. Rather than just reply there I thought it would be nice to share my response with everyone.

We learned to use a quick link to connect both a bolt snap and a length of bungee to the end of the SMB:

View attachment 565749
Here you can see what that looks like when the bungee isn't holding the SMB:

View attachment 565750

The obvious advantage of this setup is the bungee is a much more reliable way of holding closed the SMB than the velcro which often comes with them (we cut it off). The bungee is sized to be snug with two loops around the SMB, as that seems to be the right balance for keeping it closed. The bolt snap factors in as we start rigging our spool:

View attachment 565751

The spool has a metal ring tied onto the end of the line (you can buy them from Piranha Dive Mfg). The line is secured by passing it through one of the holes on the spool, and securing it to a double ender, which is used to clip off the spool if necessary:

View attachment 565752

Things get interesting when it's time to inflate your SMB. All you do is clip the SMB bolt snap to the big metal ring:

View attachment 565753

So simple even a diver can do it! You can now remove the double ender (hang onto it as a way of securing the spool when you get to your first deco stop depth), and inflate! When you're ready, allow the spool to start spinning and the SMB is off!

We also learned a novel way of doing that inflation during the course, but I'll leave that for another post.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. It’s very similar to how I like to run my rig. I stow my spool attached to the dsmb though, just to reduce the number of steps required under water and amount of hardware.

 

[Dusty123]

For something as important and marking your location and possible help getting to surface if you have a bc failure....do you really want to rely on the gate in the boltsnap to secure it? I have a loop in my line that I use to make a girth hitch on a ring on my smb so it cant come undone.. I only use the bolt snap to clip it off for storage or to send up a line with a dive flag float to signal im heading up.

 

[tbone1004]

For something as important and marking your location and possible help getting to surface if you have a bc failure....do you really want to rely on the gate in the boltsnap to secure it? I have a loop in my line that I use to make a girth hitch on a ring on my smb so it cant come undone.. I only use the bolt snap to clip it off for storage or to send up a line with a dive flag float to signal im heading up.

I tend to agree with that. I use the ISE method with quick links. Makes me have some more warm fuzzies. That said, the way @Zack-Bloom would IMO be better if you quick linked straight to that 1" o-ring or just tied directly into the quick link. May have to try that. Means the spool is semi-permanently attached to the SMB, but I'm ok with that

 

[Zack-Bloom]

do you really want to rely on the gate in the boltsnap to secure it?

I, of course, respect your choices, but I personally do, yes. I learned it from someone who has been doing Florida wreck diving for many decades (where you launch an SMB after every dive). A metal-ring-to-bolt-snap connection is a very different thing than cave-line-to-bolt-snap directly.

For something as important and marking your location and possible help getting to surface if you have a bc failure

I don't personally use an SMB as a backup source of lift, and on a technical dive where I plan on using one I always have a backup.

 

[Dusty123]

Well there is definitely value in simplicity. I imagine deep air this would really be a good thing. What I do was hard the first few times I tried it at depth. I was using air diluent, but when I started diving helium it was pretty simple. So Im not ripping on what you learned just pointing out there is a flip side to the convenience.

 

[RayfromTX]

I just made a video of a method of avoiding the spool becoming unsecured and trailing behind the diver.
Rigging Your DSMB- A New Take On An Old Problem

 

[Dusty123]

i think i need to watch that 10 more times to understand what happened

 

[lermontov]

keep it simple - youve got 4 pieces of hardware when 1 is enough- although I do alway keep mine in my pocket

 

[STIDVC]

After reading about my Advanced Wreck class experience with John Chatterton I received a DM from someone asking how we learned to rig our SMBs. Rather than just reply there I thought it would be nice to share my response with everyone.

We learned to use a quick link to connect both a bolt snap and a length of bungee to the end of the SMB:

View attachment 565749
Here you can see what that looks like when the bungee isn't holding the SMB:

View attachment 565750

The obvious advantage of this setup is the bungee is a much more reliable way of holding closed the SMB than the velcro which often comes with them (we cut it off). The bungee is sized to be snug with two loops around the SMB, as that seems to be the right balance for keeping it closed. The bolt snap factors in as we start rigging our spool:

View attachment 565751

The spool has a metal ring tied onto the end of the line (you can buy them from Piranha Dive Mfg). The line is secured by passing it through one of the holes on the spool, and securing it to a double ender, which is used to clip off the spool if necessary:

View attachment 565752

Things get interesting when it's time to inflate your SMB. All you do is clip the SMB bolt snap to the big metal ring:

View attachment 565753

So simple even a diver can do it! You can now remove the double ender (hang onto it as a way of securing the spool when you get to your first deco stop depth), and inflate! When you're ready, allow the spool to start spinning and the SMB is off!

We also learned a novel way of doing that inflation during the course, but I'll leave that for another post.

why have i not thought of this, you genius of a man/woman/helicopter you