Vintage test dives

[ClevelandDiver]

I finally got to take some of my newly overhauled double hose regs out for a decent test dive. The players: Nemrod Snark III, DA Aquamaster, Voit Trieste.

About a month ago I dove all three in pool during an open swim my LDS was running at a highschool pool (thanks to Steve at Buckeyedive.com).

One week ago I threw the Voit Trieste on my H valve and used it during a drysuit dive. My Wing was hooked to another reg, and the Trieste LP port was hooked to the drysuit. The dive went OK, but the breathing effort was way too high.

Now, with water temperature pushing 50 degrees above the thermocline, I was ready to shed the drysuit and get some real vintage dives in the quarry.

Dive 1 - Nemrod Snark III: The Snark was the best performer in the pool session, so I was eager to see how it would do at depth. Walking down to the water's edge in a wetsuit with no BC and a double hose reg got me some interesting looks from the students (maybe it was just the mask on my forehead). Old Snarky did not let me down, breathing without a hitch and crushing the performance of the Trieste from the previous week.

Dive 2 - DA Aquamaster: While it performed OK in the pool, it still seemed like it needed some tweaking to reach it's full potential. I am happy to say it beat the Snark in the open water test. The breathing effort was an improvement over the Snark, and I was already happy with performance of the Snark.

Dive 3 - DA Aquamaster: I was so happy with the Aquamaster, that I was reclutant to give the troublesome Trieste a try. Still working great, but 48 degrees is colder than I remembered it being! I swapped my 6lb weight belt for my 8lb belt and cruised around 20 - 25ft for most of the dive.

Dive 4 - Voit Trieste: After a disappointing pool session and subsequent open water dive with my drysuit, I was determined to reduce the breathing effort on this reg. After a few tweaks/modifications and a promising bench test, I was ready to try again. Despite my reservations and concerns, the reg performed as well as the Aquamaster!!! It is back on top as my favorite double hose again.

It turned out to a great day of testing and I had just as much fun talking to some of the other divers about vintage gear, some of whom had dove this stuff back when it was new. I left my other Aquamaster and my Healthways home, so I am eager to get back and finish testing.

 

[Turtleguy9]

Aloha Cleveland Diver
Way to go. Sounds like you did a good job getting the best performace out of the regs.
Its always fun to play with the new toys.
Aloha Turtleguy9

 

[Nemrod]

What did you do to make the Trieste breath better?

I have been so spoiled by my three Royal Aqua Masters I may never be able to go back to a single hose.

Sounds like your having a blast with those things. N

 

[justleesa]

I enjoy diving with the Trieste too...nice little reg

 

[ClevelandDiver]

What did you do to make the Trieste breath better?

I have been so spoiled by my three Royal Aqua Masters I may never be able to go back to a single hose.

Sounds like your having a blast with those things. N

When I took it apart I found that the demand lever was actually pirated from a single hose second stage and bent/curved at the top to hit the diaphram of the double hose.

The way it was bent did not give it a lot of movement at the fulcrum point until you really depressed the diaphram. If I took a huge breath it would open up ok, but a regular breath caused some serious strain trying to overcome the LP spring pressure.

To remedy the situation, I took the demand lever from the second stage of an old healthways reg (which was an exact match to the pirated lever in the voit) and bent it at a more severe angle, instead of a curve. I also switch to a slightly softer spring.

The result was the LP seat lifted faster and easier, but still held with an IP of around 110-120.

If I can find the correct lever off a parts reg, I will definitely swap it out. But right now it works fine and I buy my regs for diving, not show.

 

[spiro]

Gentlemen
It's the 21st century. What possible reason could you be using a twin hose for, either single or 2 stage?

They have huge problems. For example, you can service them yourselves. Bad for your friendly dive store technician.

They don't come in attractive trendy colours.

The gas supply from them is not refreshingly cold. In fact the damn things refuse to freeze.

The exhaust is behind your head. How do you know you're not breathing?

They last forever. Bad for the economy. In fact my Dad's is a 1961 Draeger 2nd stage with Royal Mistral hoses ( better than the Drager hoses)

Poor gas delivery. My Ol' fella's one is only rated for moderate work at 300'. God help him. He's in the Isle of Pines, Cuba this week with a 45 year old reg, though it blends in nicely with the cars there.

Save yourselves. Get a single hose with at least 3 LP ports so you don't risk drowning by, God help us, having to orally inflate a BC.

 

[Nemrod]

Spiro, you keep that up and we may have to let you in to the Secret Society of Frogmen!

Moderate work at 300 feet by a fit Navy diver, you would think it would probably do for us yahoos at 130 feet?

N

 

[duckbill]

Spiro, really good points. So why don't I feel guilty yet?!

 

[simonbeans]

But worst yet with that antique, regulator are those steel (oh no) 71.2 cu ft tanks that have passed hydro after hydro for 40 or 50 years held to your back by the complicated harness which needed two quick pulls to completely release from your feeble old torso. I couldn't wait until someone invented the sand and crud absorbing velcro or the plastic snap clips that seem to break just before your $1500 trip to Aruba. Brass tips or brass D rings just never survived. It is a wonder that us 60-year old divers ever dove way back when the vehicles used carborators and manual chokes and instead of EFI.

 

[ClevelandDiver]

I just got back from my test drive of my 1975 Nova. It's hi-tec, it has an electric choke. I laid about 100 feet of BF Goodrich Radial T/A down while "testing" the throttle.

On a vintage diving note, I finally liberated the"King Neptune" Loyd Bridges mask from my local dive shop yesterday and took it for a test dive today. It took me the better part of a year to get the LDS owner to actually sell it to me. Got it for $20.

Six inch oval, no nose pocket, black rubber work of art. I absolutely loved it!! Apply a little pressure against the bottom of the mask and exhale through your nose to equalize. And it looks great on my forehead!!!

FYI - if I can get the LDS owner to work with me, I may have several lp72s available for sale at the Portage Quarry vintage dive event this summer. I am currently storing 20 or so in my basement for him.