Trim Tips

[lundysd]

I know most everyone out there struggles with trim from time to time, and I thought we could start a discussion of the most helpful trim tips categorized by problem. For example:

Feet Floating
Switch to jet fins for the extra pound of negative buoyancy
Move your steel tank down on your BC

Feet Sinking
?

Now my real motivation I've tried for the life of me to get my feet to stop sinking with jets. I've tried moving an aluminum tank up and down to no avail, and using the trim pockets doesn't change my CG enough. I figure I'm only a pound or two off, but is there any easy way (short of using a steel tank) to correct this? fyi I'm already using a back-inflation BC and have my weighting pretty well down, but this is killin me

 

[rockjock3]

I know most everyone out there struggles with trim from time to time, and I thought we could start a discussion of the most helpful trim tips categorized by problem. For example:

Feet Floating
Switch to jet fins for the extra pound of negative buoyancy
Move your steel tank down on your BC

Feet Sinking
?

Now my real motivation I've tried for the life of me to get my feet to stop sinking with jets. I've tried moving an aluminum tank up and down to no avail, and using the trim pockets doesn't change my CG enough. I figure I'm only a pound or two off, but is there any easy way (short of using a steel tank) to correct this? fyi I'm already using a back-inflation BC and have my weighting pretty well down, but this is killin me

I had the same problem. I carry a few pounds around the middle (not much), but that is pretty much the only place I carry any fat. My legs are all muscle and no fat. I wear the +buoyant jet fins and it didn't help. I arch my back and dive in the skydiving mode. I also dive an Eclipse BP/W setup with an AL BP. I only carry three lbs of additional weight and this is how I distributed it.

I bought a three lb shot weight, an 1 3/8 diameter innertube and some tie wraps.
I cut the innertube into two halves and then closed off one end with a tie wrap. I filled each half with 1 1/2 lbs of shot and sealed off the end of that (tightly packed) with another tie wrap. I now took these two weights and cut them to the length of my BP and tie wrapped the loose end.

Now you should have two weights that have about 6 -8 inches of empty tube at one end (depending on how you pack them). If you need more of a weight shift then you could use a larger diameter tube so that the weighted section will be shorter and the empty end will be longer. If you want to weight towards you head more then you tie wrap them to the side holes with the weighted ends up. If you want the adjust that weight more towards your waist then you flip them over and tie wrap them to your plate that way. They don't get in the way at all, create absolutely no drag and now I don't have to wear an additional belt to carry a 3lb weight.

 

[PfcAJ]

Try putting your amrs out in front, kind of a superman pose and clench your butt cheecks, as odd as it sounds. Keep your head up, back arched ad see how that works for keeping your feet from sinking.

 

[Snowbear]

You can change your center of balance by flexing or extending your legs at the knees if you are horizontal.

With your head "back" ~ looking forward while horizontal ~ and your knees "back, extending your legs will tend to make you tip feet heavier (or head lighter). Bending your knees so they are closer to your butt will tend to make you feet lighter.

You can also affect this center of balance to a lesser extent by your arm position. The biggie of course, is afftected by how much your lungs are inflated. Empty lungs ~ feet lighter, full lungs ~ head lighter.

 

[TSandM]

Depending on how much weight you are carrying, you can move more of it up onto your back by using weight pockets that fit on the cambands holding your tank. It surprised me that just moving two more pounds (out of 28 total) up onto my back stopped my tendency to revert to vertical whenever task-loaded.

 

[m3830431]

What kind of boots are you wearing?

 

[matt_unique]

Sometimes you're just built to have sinking feet. I wear my doubles higher than some with weight pouches at my hips and my feet will still slowly sink. I dive only in a drysuit so I can easily account for this by moving some air to my legs.

--Matt

 

[rockjock3]

Here are the pics of how I moved my 3 lbs onto my BP and didn't add any pouches. or drag.


I have one of these on each side of my BP and I poured half of a 3 lb shot weight into each of them.

 

[SteveAD]

try a pair of kids arm swimmies around your ankles

just kidding

 

[Michael Schlink]

When you say your feet are sinking do you mean your FEET or that you're feet and legs are sinking causing your head to come up?? If it's JUST your feet than toss the rubber jet fins and go with something less negative. One way to work this out would be to make sure that your legs are bent at the knees enough to get you feet directly above your knees. Then if you can hold that position comfortably, start to straighten your legs a little at time, until you start to rotate. Don't move your legs at all when you do start to rotate and see if your feet/fins pull you all the way down. At that point roll forward a little and tuck your feet up tight again and see if you stay in that position. Pushing your CG forward a little may offset the weight of your legs and feet/fins but only so much so as to how it relates to the position of your legs and feet. IE when your legs/feet/fins are extended as in a flutter kick position your CG would need to be moved back and when your legs are tucked in say for a mod flutter or frog the your CG would be more forward
Did this make any sense????