vintage rig almost complete!

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mpittman

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bentonville , AR
hi all , some of you may have had some input on my old aqualung mistral post. ive since had the mistral checked over by my LDS (no parts replaced!) is there a source of parts out here for stuff inside the can? ive found access to the hoses , duckbill valve cages and one way valves , but nothing else ...
as of today ive managed to pick up an old pair of scubapro jetfins , aqualung rocketfins , couple of nemrod j valves , an aqualung backpack (with all the webbing clamps and rings in perfect shape) , and an old custom 7 mil 2 piece suit that has to be at least 25 years old (other than one dime sized tear it is in perfect shape) its the old style that has nylon covering the neoprene on the inside , but the outside is covered in nothing just textured neoprene (has the little dimples all over it) it has twist locks for the croth strap , way cool looking to me. the name badge has worn off the side , no idea who made it (it was yellow and round , and LOOKS like it could have said aqualung at some point). still working on getting either a j-valve , or a k-valve with a hp fitting on it and just running an spg direct on the bottle. any other advice , suggestions on the rig?
 
mpittman:
hi all , some of you may have had some input on my old aqualung mistral post. ive since had the mistral checked over by my LDS (no parts replaced!) is there a source of parts out here for stuff inside the can? ive found access to the hoses , duckbill valve cages and one way valves , but nothing else ...
as of today ive managed to pick up an old pair of scubapro jetfins , aqualung rocketfins , couple of nemrod j valves , an aqualung backpack (with all the webbing clamps and rings in perfect shape) , and an old custom 7 mil 2 piece suit that has to be at least 25 years old (other than one dime sized tear it is in perfect shape) its the old style that has nylon covering the neoprene on the inside , but the outside is covered in nothing just textured neoprene (has the little dimples all over it) it has twist locks for the croth strap , way cool looking to me. the name badge has worn off the side , no idea who made it (it was yellow and round , and LOOKS like it could have said aqualung at some point). still working on getting either a j-valve , or a k-valve with a hp fitting on it and just running an spg direct on the bottle. any other advice , suggestions on the rig?
Aloha MPITMAN
Yes, parts are usually available, for your regulator, but my suggestion would be get it serviced by one of two places.
Vintage Scuba Supply http://www.vintagescubasupply.com/
or Vintage Aqua-Lung parts and Service http://www.rebsparts.com/diving/ I have worked on some of mine, and had others rebuilt. If you are unsure about doing the work yourself, get this first one done for you.
As for the valve for your tank, look for an older Dacor K valve, as they have the high pressure port. There are usually one or two for sale on E-bay.
The rest of your gear sounds great. post us a picture sometime. Aloha Turtleguy
 
Turtleguy:
Aloha MPITMAN
Yes, parts are usually available, for your regulator, but my suggestion would be get it serviced by one of two places.
Vintage Scuba Supply http://www.vintagescubasupply.com/
or Vintage Aqua-Lung parts and Service http://www.rebsparts.com/diving/ I have worked on some of mine, and had others rebuilt. If you are unsure about doing the work yourself, get this first one done for you.
As for the valve for your tank, look for an older Dacor K valve, as they have the high pressure port. There are usually one or two for sale on E-bay.
The rest of your gear sounds great. post us a picture sometime. Aloha Turtleguy

aloha? im assuming your on one of the islands? my mom is in maui as we speak (hehe) me and carol hopefully next year. thanks for all your good advice on everything , ill be sure to put up some pictures (hopefully get some tomorrow) btw will a reg still breathe okay without a duckbill? or will water pressure seep past the one way in the mouthpiece? ill prolly wind up servicing this one myself (ill hand it to them if i get in over my head) im pretty handy with repairing stuff , i mostly just let shops do service for the sake of my warranty (ala my titans) , ill check around for those dacor k - valves , thanks again.
 
Aloha Mpitman, yes I am on OAHU, just another day in Paradise.
The reg will probably breathe ok without the ducksbill, but water will definately build up in the exhaust hose, and there is the possibility, that the non return will leak back into the mouthpeice.I am sure you will get a glub glub, from forcing the exhalation through the hose.. Ducksbills are cheap now, so get one, if you pay by Pay Pal, they usually get it to you in a couple days. If you want me to look for a Dacor valve, just PM me.
 
ive test dove the above rig in stages , i used my standard weight integrated rig and used only the rocket fins and the old wetsuit today... geez how much weight does it take to get to sink in one of those dang two piece rubber jobs??? i normally dive 8 lbs with no suit 12 lbs with my 3 mil one piece.....i threw every hunk of lead i could find into my bc today trying to sink..... 24 lbs later i was barely able to sink and as soon as i took a lungful of air to clear my ears with... id ascend....... not to mention i couldnt get below the thermocline due to the buoyancy issues and i roasted alive in that thing even in the water......i think its time to hang that particular suit untill the weather demands it. oh and i felt like i couldnt move a single joint in my arms or legs while i was in it , had a hard time reaching down to my console without looking like a dog chasing his own tail haha . guess im spoiled with them super stretchy modern suits.
ill try the backpack and reg without the suit with my buddy tomorrow.
 
Aloha Mpittman, well if you don't first succeed, I guess its try again.
Best of luck.
 
Turtleguy:
Aloha Mpittman, well if you don't first succeed, I guess its try again.
Best of luck.
i tried out the backpack and reg today with my regular 3 mil suit. wow i cant beleive the difference!!! i started with 8 lbs on my belt , couldnt get neutral , dropped to 4 couldnt get neutral ,. finally i just ditched the belt altogether and viola! i became neutral with the vintage rig... it really was an exilerating feeling to not the wrapped in a bc and weighed down with lead. no dangling hoses , no bubbles in my way , one kick , two kicks , three kicks and im sailing at mach 3 underwater! what freedom! ya know im really starting to question my sanity finding more joy diving a 10 dollar backpack older than i am vs a 500 dollar gizmo ridden scubapro bc. even IF i decide to breathe modern regs sometimes , i am seriously considering just using a backpack alone ,and if trim and surface floating becomes an issue , i do have the wing that came with that backpack and may just relace it back on.thaks for all your help turtle , im sold!
 
Aloha Mpittman, glad to see you have a success. I was amazed at the speed I generated myself. The only ones more surprised than me, were those Eagle Rays.
I just like the plain old fashioned fun of it. I may have to use the modern gear to teach and lead dive tours, but for fun, its vintage gear.
Aloha Turtleguy
 
Turtleguy:
Aloha Mpittman, glad to see you have a success. I was amazed at the speed I generated myself. The only ones more surprised than me, were those Eagle Rays.
I just like the plain old fashioned fun of it. I may have to use the modern gear to teach and lead dive tours, but for fun, its vintage gear.
Aloha Turtleguy

You guys want to really have fun with underwater swimming, put your hands out in front of you, hook your thumbs together, and kick with the dolphin kick. You will be amazed at the difference, especially if you have been diving a BC for years. Use your hands as planes to move you up and down, and side to side. You will not only feel more fish-like, but may also surprise some of the finned creatures around you.

There is a reason Cousteau never dove a BC. He and his original crew were first "free" divers, who existed off the fish that they speared in occupied France. With today's equipment, it is hard to get that feeling.

The fastest underwater swimmers are fin swimmers. They compete using a pair of goggles, a small tank held in front of them, a single hose regulator, and monofins. Using the dolphin kick, they really swim fast. I just dug through some of my old records, and the World Records from Beijing, China where the championships were held on May 6th, 1987 were as follows:

CMAS News Flash D'INFORMATION

PARIS, LE 10 JUIN 1987
PARIS, JUNE 10, 1987

NOUVEAUX RECORDS DU MONDE DE NAGE AVEC PALME
battus a Guangzhau (Republique Populaire de Chine) le 6 Mai lors d'un tournoi amical:

CHINE / JAPAN

50 m apnea Dames/Women 17"86 WANG JUN CHINA
50 m apnea Dames/Women 17"81 ZHENG SHIYU CHINA
100 m imm. Dames/Women 39"90 ZHENG SHIYU CHINA

Nos felicitations aux deux nageuses Chinoises de
Congratulations to the two Chinese swimmers of

ASSOCIATION DES ACTIVITES SUBAQUATIQUES DE CHINE
9, rue Tryugan - Beijing
CHINE / CHINA

World Underwater Federation

For those who got hung up on the French/English translation, that was swimming with scuba 100 meters in 39.90 seconds, underwater with scuba. Take a look at the US Olympic trials this week, and see what their times are for 100 meters. Hint: They won't break 40 seconds in the men's races.

So put your hands out in front of you, use a dolphin kick, and see what you can do horizontally (don't do this with scuba toward the surface, and you can embolize).

SeaRat
Former Fin Swimming Director
Underwater Society of America
 
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