Round Holes/Slotted Holes for B.P. Bolting

[jim T.]

Hi, My DSS backplate and Oxycheq Sig. 45 wing came yesterday, right on time for my birthday thanks to Jakub at golemgear.com His service and helpfulness are top notch and once again I recommend him to poetential b.p./wing buyers.

I bolted everythinig together with STA, etc. but have a couple of newbie questions I didnt find via a search...

I currently have the doughnut wing mounted so that the topmost grommett is showing. The STA bolt is going through the second grommett hole down to mount to the b.p.

The bottom STA bolt is going through the second from the bottom slotted hole. Should both bolts be going through circular holes ONLY or is one circular hole and one slotted hole ok? It seems right...I imagine that one can pick and choose any arrangement for adjusting for individual fit and trim?

My other questions is that having the wing mounted as I've indicated above, the wing protrudes above the plate about 8 to 10"s. Is this right? Should the wing normally protrude more below the plate than above? Does it matter?
One issue I'm having is that the Oxy inflator just reaches my mouth and I'd have to turn my head a bit to use it without holding onto the inflator or hose-so I'm thinking I'd need to replace it with a slightly longer hose? I'll be mounting an Atomic SS1 safe second to the hose (a hose) for now. Mounting the wing lower on the plate seems to make this issue worse so advice would be appreciated.

Thanks. I've looked at several very helpful links board members have given here in the past showing webbing threading and plate fit but not this particular issue...

Finally, speaking of links, if anyone has pics of how the stainless buckle Oxycheq brand tank band buckles are threaded and closed that would be great!

None of this is ultimately urgent as I have a kind offer of a mentoring lesson and dive but that wont be for a couple of weeks or more and I'd like to admire myself in the mirror in the meantime!

I've emailed Jakub and he's great and I'm sure he'll get back to me when he can but my rig is sitting here staring at me so thought I'd ask until he has a chance to respond.

I'm 5;11 and 3/4" and have the medium backplate. It seems like the right size and is what is indicated on Tobin's DSS site. Is it usual/preferred to have the bottom of the plate end just above one's butt in the lower waist area rather than sit across one's butt like some Mt. Hiking Backpacks do?

Looking at the baue.org link pics and the dir link pics it seems like touching the top of the plate over one's shoulder and having the plate end above one's butt is correct.

Thanks for any and all responses as always.
I'm wanting to get it set up correctly and prance around the house in it until I can go diving!

Jim

 

[kidspot]

10" sounds like a lot above the plate... but then again I don't have an oxy wing... My wing (pioneer) extends perhaps 4-6" above. The slots just make it easier to line up... so no problem "mixing" slots and holes... The various holes are for fine tuning your trim...

As to the bands - if they are the common cambands check out this link http://www.kidspot.org/personal/scuba/camband/camband.html

the hose length (if it's a rubber hose like Diverite and Halcyon uses) will stretch...however the idea is to keep it as short as possible so you don't have it dangling in front of you. I have to turn my head to inflate mine as well... but then again how often do you inflate oraly? edit: missed the air2 comment... Generally wings are not designed with air2 usage in mind, so the hose may be short for what you are thinking... however you'll most likely have your hand on it anyway as you'd be using it for an emergency situation, and primarily on ascent.. which means dumping air ... unless you dump exculsively through the lower dump valve, which is what many of us do as we are ascending horizontally.

Also it sounds like the plate is in about the right place on your back.

hope that helps.

Aloha, Tim

 

[cool_hardware52]

Hi, My DSS backplate and Oxycheq Sig. 45 wing came yesterday, right on time for my birthday thanks to Jakub at golemgear.com His service and helpfulness are top notch and once again I recommend him to poetential b.p./wing buyers.

I bolted everythinig together with STA, etc. but have a couple of newbie questions I didnt find via a search...

I currently have the doughnut wing mounted so that the topmost grommett is showing. The STA bolt is going through the second grommett hole down to mount to the b.p.

The bottom STA bolt is going through the second from the bottom slotted hole. Should both bolts be going through circular holes ONLY or is one circular hole and one slotted hole ok? It seems right...I imagine that one can pick and choose any arrangement for adjusting for individual fit and trim?

DSS plates have two 3/8" round holes near the top of the plate, and two 3/8" wide slots near the bottom. The top hole and the top slot are 11" center to center, same for the lower hole, and lower slot. This is the center distance on bolted manifolded doubles. On doubles it's not uncommon for the bolts to be slightly out of place, or slightly bent. That's the reason for the slot. With a STA the bolts will be right at 11" centers. It's perfectly fine to use either of the top holes, and the corresponding slot.

These pairs of holes are much more useful for adjusting trim in doubles that in a single tank. With a single just slide the tank up or down, that's not so easy with banded doubles.

I like to pick a tank position that provides the best valve access, and work on my trim from there, i.e. shifting the wing up or down, moving other weights around etc.

My other questions is that having the wing mounted as I've indicated above, the wing protrudes above the plate about 8 to 10"s. Is this right? Should the wing normally protrude more below the plate than above? Does it matter?
One issue I'm having is that the Oxy inflator just reaches my mouth and I'd have to turn my head a bit to use it without holding onto the inflator or hose-so I'm thinking I'd need to replace it with a slightly longer hose? I'll be mounting an Atomic SS1 safe second to the hose (a hose) for now. Mounting the wing lower on the plate seems to make this issue worse so advice would be appreciated.

My guess is the hose is about the right lenght. If it seems too short you likely have the wing too low. Probably not intended for use with a AIR2 or any of it's cousins though.......

Thanks. I've looked at several very helpful links board members have given here in the past showing webbing threading and plate fit but not this particular issue...

Finally, speaking of links, if anyone has pics of how the stainless buckle Oxycheq brand tank band buckles are threaded and closed that would be great!

Most cam buckles thread the same way, check the sites that show how to thread a plastic buckle and see if that doesn't work

None of this is ultimately urgent as I have a kind offer of a mentoring lesson and dive but that wont be for a couple of weeks or more and I'd like to admire myself in the mirror in the meantime!

I've emailed Jakub and he's great and I'm sure he'll get back to me when he can but my rig is sitting here staring at me so thought I'd ask until he has a chance to respond.

I'm 5;11 and 3/4" and have the medium backplate. It seems like the right size and is what is indicated on Tobin's DSS site. Is it usual/preferred to have the bottom of the plate end just above one's butt in the lower waist area rather than sit across one's butt like some Mt. Hiking Backpacks do?

Above your butt, you need to be able to arch your back.

Looking at the baue.org link pics and the dir link pics it seems like touching the top of the plate over one's shoulder and having the plate end above one's butt is correct.

Thanks for any and all responses as always.
I'm wanting to get it set up correctly and prance around the house in it until I can go diving!

Jim

Now you have me worried eyebrow

 

[*Floater*]

My other questions is that having the wing mounted as I've indicated above, the wing protrudes above the plate about 8 to 10"s. Is this right?

My LCD30 wing protrudes 4.5" above my medium DSS plate when inflated (and 6" below). 8-10" seems excessive. Maybe you you should use the lower holes - but as long as it feel right in the water...

 

[jim T.]

Hi everyone. Thank you! I just now got called to play a gig. (Musician) so I'll have to reply in kind later tonight after I check out your suggestions and info. (I've got one hand on the door knob one on the keyboard eyebrow

Thank you Tobin. I really like your plate. I may go with your doubles wing eventually.

Gotta run. Get back to you all later. I'll try some adjustments when I get back home, late tonight. I figured out the cam band buckles. I'd never re-threaded my plastic rented ones so I got directionally challenged. Probably if I had had a tank available to take up the band slack I'd've figured it out faster! :11doh:


Thanks!!!

Jim T.

P.S. Prancing: Well a guy's gotta do something while waiting to go diving.

 

[Robert Phillips]

P.S. Prancing: Well a guy's gotta do something while waiting to go diving.

Typically we spend that time in Scubaboard. Sitting!

 

[mahjong]

One more: My DR Jr. Wing protrudes 4" above my backplate at the top--a Halcyon will be more--but 8" to 10" sounds like a lot. Halcyon, for example, does have a lot of wing above the BP--but I believe they have a theory that aligns with that of the logic of a ship: having substanial water/volume displacement on top adds stablility (but this is my own guess-work). mahjong

 

[SeanQ]

I have the Oxycheq buckles as well. Take a close look at the side - a guide should be engraved there.

 

[jim T.]

Hi,
Thanks for everyone's help yesterday. Sean !Q, thanks for the tip on the Oxy cam buckles. Mine don't seem to have a diagram but as you've probably already read above, I got it figured out at about the 5th try. Wasn't as intuitive as I thought it would be! :11doh:


I'm sure Jakub will be able to clarify too, once he gets my email. I'll call him later today also. He may be diving this weekend.

If anyone here happens to have an Oxy Sig. 45 singles wing on a DSS plate and would be willing to post pics from front and especially behind, that would most likely be the "lightbulb" moment for me.

It looks certain that I'll have to go with an 18" inflator hose instead of the 14" the Oxy comes with in order to reach me mouth. I realize that the deep wreck/cave folks use short hoses for good reasons and use an octopus but for now, I'm using the Atomic SS1 safe second and if I have to help my buddy I can't be turning my head, hanging onto him/her and venting all at the same time. Four inches longer will still be relatively short compared with some of the insane 22" lengths on some rental b.c.s I've used. I'll keep the original hose and inflator in case I dive more D.I.R./Gue, etc. in the future. The 14" hose is too short for the safe second reg. in both the lower and higher positions.

Tobin, thank you again for providing such fantastic and immediate feedback via this board. Like many others, your participation was the major deciding factor in my buying your innovatively featured plate. Looks like the medium is indeed just the right size for me after looking again at the links I mentioned in my lst post above.

EDIT: I THINK maybe I've got it now? Please see next post below:

 

[jim T.]

mahjong and floater,

I don't want to beat a dead horse but have a "final" adjustment, I think. Please tell me if you think I'm now, close?

I've got things adjusted so that I have 6 and a half inches protrusion above the b.p. and 4 and a half inches below the b.p.
Sound about right? I can't see how to change anything else at this point. Seems logical to have more on top than bottom for rough surface conditions ala the Halcyon mentioned above?

It LOOKS about right. I rent tanks, so I'll have to get down to the LDS to judge things with a tank but would appreciate one final opinion from you guys about the latest adjustment. ( My in town LDS doesn't use/rent or sell b.p. wings... I've looked at photos of divers underwater (some of Snowbears for example in her gallery) and visually mine now looks pretty similar...

At least if I get very close to normal, I can try some pool work, at least surface swimming with my rig -maybe this weekend

Thank you!!! Jim