'U' v 'O' shaped wings - does it matter?

[Grajan]

Still wrestling with what wing to get and it comes down to the above issue. Intuitively I feel that a 'U' shaped wing is going to be more problematic to vent than an 'O' or donut shaped wing but I have absolutely no evidence to support this.

Is there anyone out there with direct experience of both wing styles that can provide a more substantial point of view on this?

Thanks a lot

 

[jonnythan]

Just get the O

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Still wrestling with what wing to get and it comes down to the above issue. Intuitively I feel that a 'U' shaped wing is going to be more problematic to vent than an 'O' or donut shaped wing but I have absolutely no evidence to support this.

Is there anyone out there with direct experience of both wing styles that can provide a more substantial point of view on this?

Thanks a lot

In the past I used (and still own) a Zeagle Ranger LTD BC, this is intended and was used for single tank diving. This BC has a horseshoe or "U" shaped wing. When diving with this wing and properly trimmed (horizontal) it was necessary to tip head up a little to shift air from one side of the wing to the other. This was usually necessary when I would position myself on my side to look at somthing. This would happen when I was diving a wall for example and wanted to face the wall to look at somthing, this is akin to laying on my side while diving. I found the necessity to tip up to balance the air in the wing a little annoying but certainly not impossible, I did however need to make numerous consious adjustments during a typical dive.

I now dive a backplate with a DiveRite Venture wing, this wing design is of the doughnut, or "O" shape. When diving with this wing if I get into a position where there is more air on one side of the wing than the other I simply roll back to a good horizontal position, usually the air simply equalizes itlsef. Occasionally the air will not fully migrate from one side of the wing to the other, on these occasions I usually tip myself into a slightly head down position and the air moves from one side of the wing to the other. With the round wing this is necessary far less often than with a horseshoe shaped wing. I should also mention that tipping forward or head down is easier than head up. A simple bend forward at the waist is less disturbing than the movement required to get into a sufficient head up position.

You asked about venting. The above arguments apply to venting as much as they do to trim. If you need to vent air from your wing while you are horizontal in the water you will probably want to use a lower dump rather than the one at your shoulder. Once you vent air from one side of the wing you will need to rebalance the remaining air in the wing as discussed above. Of course, if you have lower dumps on both of the lower corners of the wing you could vent equally from each of them, but this may not be easy. If you always get somewhat vertical and vent from the upper dump then the horseshoe shape will not present a problem as the air will balance itself as you lean forward to return to your horizontal trim.

In my opinion a round shape for a single tank wing is superior.

Mark Vlahos

 

[hermosadive]

The fact that you have enough knowledge to even ask this question leads me to believe you've probably seen the dozen or more discussions on this topic...seems to be a trend on SB. Do a search...then buy the "O".

 

[Grajan]

Hermosadive,
You are quite correct. I have probably read - and reread - every thread on BP wing configurations. They contain a good deal of useful general information but, on this particular topic, there appears to be plenty of opinion but not a whole lot of direct experience. In fact Mark's very helpful comments above are the only ones that I have seen that are identifiable as real comparative experience. Hopefully there will be others.

Thanks anyway

The fact that you have enough knowledge to even ask this question leads me to believe you've probably seen the dozen or more discussions on this topic...seems to be a trend on SB. Do a search...then buy the "O".

 

[jonnythan]

What advantage does the U-shaped bladder have over the O-shaped bladder?

You're asking if more difficult air migration will really be a problem. What would it solve??

 

[Rick Murchison]

plenty of opinion but not a whole lot of direct experience

I own both U and O wings.
I do not dive the U wings with singles.

Rick

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'll take the minority opinion here and say, simply, that it depends on the wing and on how you choose to dive it.

I own several "O" (donut) shaped singles wings, and love the way they perform. A few months back I tested, and wrote an evaluation of, the Deep Sea Supply 30# wing, which is "U" (horseshoe) shaped. To put it succinctly, I was surprised at how well it performed ... having a predisposition toward donut-shaped wings I didn't expect it to perform as well as it did.

Now, I will qualify that ... I have a tendency to use both my rear dump and my inflator dump, depending on circumstances. Many people only seem to want to use one or the other. One of the things that makes the DSS wing such a good performer is the placement of the inflator dump, which makes venting the wing quite easy using the inflator dump without breaking trim.

So, the short answer is that how well a given wing will perform depends on both the wing and the diver ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[JeffG]

What advantage does the U-shaped bladder have over the O-shaped bladder?

You're asking if more difficult air migration will really be a problem. What would it solve??

Consistancy...Single wing behaves the same as a doubles wing. Other than that, I can't think of anything else.

 

[Grajan]

I'm not really thinking that the U might have an advantage - more does it have a significant disadvantage? Basically I'm torn between a Halcyon Pioneer and a DSS #30 rig (coincidentally refered to by Bob). I prefer the DSS plate but I prefer the Halcyon wing (I think). I thought of doing a mix and match but the slot locations don't work well together - and it gets pricier. So I need to make up my mind. IF the wing shape is no big deal I will get the DSS. If it is important I will get the Halcyon.

What advantage does the U-shaped bladder have over the O-shaped bladder?

You're asking if more difficult air migration will really be a problem. What would it solve??