Side mount starting point ?
- Thread starter oldschoolto
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I think the key is having the tanks in trim... I'm adding 4lbs somewhere on me or my kit.. I'm going to have fun playing with this.. And I'll sew the lead shot into the lower tank strap so no one will see it.. This way I'll look cool..
Jim...
Disguised weights on aluminum tanks will get caught by the online scuba police. I hear they even can spot those cast lead pie plate weights hidden in a tank boot.
Keep us posted on the developments. (and risk lynching)
Cameron
Don't get me wrong, I'm not about "not experimenting". I'm about not doing the same mistakes others did.
Caveeagle
Contributor
Haha.. I have been thinking similar 'impure' thoughts. Admittedly, I dive backmount doubles most of the time, but want the option of SM when circumstances benefit from it. I can at least empathize with the OP here.. a little.
My (sidemount) situation is that I have a nice set of HP100s that work great for sm and trim out just fine. But I also have 3 sets of steel 72s that I would also like to use for SM on shorter dives where the HP100s are overkill, or being used by my kids as single tanks..
(stay with me here....)
Using my 5mm wetsuit, and two steel 72s.. I need almost exactly 4lbs of led to be nearly neutral when tanks are down below 1k psi. But the tanks get real floaty in the arse, just like the OP's AL tanks. Since I don't really need the lead on my BC when diving the heavy tanks, and I don't want to have to fool around with weight pouches, I tried just putting two solid 2# on the cam bands. Since I have three sets of 72s, it allows me to have tank stage/bands that are pre-adjusted for both tank types and is pretty easy to deal with.
I have dove these like this twice and did not have any issues. It did seem to solve for the floaty tanks, did not cause any issues with tanks being too heavy, or screwing up trim in the water. I did think about putting lead inside tanks boots, but I am just playing around with this for the time being.
I am not presenting this as a "best practice", or claiming to be another sidemount guru. Just chiming in with what has worked (at least a little), for me.
*I do recognize that my alternative is to put the 4# onto waist or back trim pouches, and use either sliding D-rings or a belly-bungee to keep the tank bottoms down. I may try those options out at some point.
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@oldschoolto I didn't read the last two pages in depth, but you don't want to add trim weights to the bottom of the tanks if you can help it. In sidemount you are inherently foot heavy which is why many people add trim weights to their shoulder straps with steel bottles. Aluminum tanks largely remove that need which is a huge advantage to them. Putting 4lbs below your waist is asking for problems, there is a reason no one recommends weighting the bottom of AL bottles
If your weighting is all on your tanks, it will get very interesting if you have to hand them off or remove for some reason (not a big issue in OW, can be an issue in a cave and will be required during your SM course if you are planning to do one)
Not saying don’t do it but just some food for thought. I have the same issue diving 7 litre 300 bar steels, I am over weight by about 4lbs with them so I have no lead anywhere, I can’t take both off in the water and that’s that.
Not saying don’t do it but just some food for thought. I have the same issue diving 7 litre 300 bar steels, I am over weight by about 4lbs with them so I have no lead anywhere, I can’t take both off in the water and that’s that.
OP
oldschoolto
Contributor
Buoyancy - Wikipedia
First off.... I got a very helpful private massage from a SM instructor on pro's and Con's of the different ways to rig my tanks..
Moving the fulcrum point is what we are talking about.. And passing a tank that is trimmed to be on it's own, Will not affect the divers passing or getting that tank..
jim...
First off.... I got a very helpful private massage from a SM instructor on pro's and Con's of the different ways to rig my tanks..
Moving the fulcrum point is what we are talking about.. And passing a tank that is trimmed to be on it's own, Will not affect the divers passing or getting that tank..
jim...
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Surely that will depend on when in the dive you hand it off?
In sidemount you are not getting one of my tanks, no different than backmount doubles to me. The only thing I will give you is a third of my air if we are in a cave and in open water you get enough air to get to the surface.
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