Zeagle BC / Wing?

[NW Dive Dawg]

So I dive a couple of Zeagle BC's (Ranger / Cold Water) and (Stiletto / Warm Water / Travel)......and as depicted in the pic below they both are totally modular and each of the components can easily be replaced or sized appropriately as needed. The Ranger has the 44lb lift wing and the Stiletto has the 35lb lift wing. The question is whether or not the lift components are considered "wings". I get that I can call anything whatever I want........ I was just curious.

 

[Nick_Radov]

No, they would be labeled as back inflate BCs but not wings. A wing has 11" mounting holes for use with standard backplates. At least that's the generally accepted definition for open circuit back mount dive gear (side mount or rebreather wings can be a little different).

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Thanks Nick. I totally understand that the entire system as an assembled complete unit is most definitely a Back Inflate BC.....but the question was more geared towards what would you call that single modular part that's circled in green in the pic below. The other trippy thing about these Zeagles is that they actually do have the 11in on center mounting holes as circled in yellow which as stated by Zeagle makes them compatible for doubles....... Would anyone ever mount a backplate on one of these Zeagles......or why would they......who knows.

 

[Scuba-74]

A bladder? Unless a bladder is just the internal part of that piece. I have a Stiletto, and dive it in both cold and warm water.

I also have an Escape, which is the only Zeagle BC I've ever seen with removable weight pockets, rather than the ripcord. Other than that it looks just like a Stiletto.

 

[Scared Silly]

From my perspective Zeagle's bladders (what they call them) can be classified as a wing because they are modular. That is wing can be mounted on backplate as well as a jacket.

Nearly 20 years ago when I first made my switch from a Ranger to a backplate I used a Zeagle "bolt kit" (p/n 519-BKBA) for mounting the Ranger bladder on to their backplate. It worked well enough. I latter sold my Ranger and moved to a more traditional wing and mounting.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

A bladder? Unless a bladder is just the internal part of that piece. I have a Stiletto, and dive it in both cold and warm water.

I also have an Escape, which is the only Zeagle BC I've ever seen with removable weight pockets, rather than the ripcord. Other than that it looks just like a Stiletto.

Thanks for the response. Makes sense. FYI..... I think another Zeagle BC that does not use the ripcord system is the Covert.

From my perspective Zeagle's bladders (what they call them) can be classified as a wing because they are modular. That is wing can be mounted on backplate as well as a jacket.

Nearly 20 years ago when I first made my switch from a Ranger to a backplate I used a Zeagle "bolt kit" (p/n 519-BKBA) for mounting the Ranger bladder on to their backplate. It worked well enough. I latter sold my Ranger and moved to a more traditional wing and mounting.

Great response. Thanks! I never knew that Zeagle had that backplate option. After seeing the video, it really looks like the modular Zeagle bladder is basically the same thing as a horseshoe wing.... and once it's attached to the backplate the whole thing becomes a BP/W.

 

[Zef]

No, they would be labeled as back inflate BCs but not wings. A wing has 11" mounting holes for use with standard backplates. At least that's the generally accepted definition for open circuit back mount dive gear (side mount or rebreather wings can be a little different).

I am not sure how to say you are wrong, other than saying you are wrong.

11" mounting holes were not the original standard...in fact, orginally there really were no standards for the mounting holes, so to say this is the or one of the "defining" characteristic of what a "wing" is, is just plain wrong and does not play at all into the "generally accepted definition for open circuit back mount dive gear".

I would argue that the general definition of a wing with regards to diving is a backmounted air cell that is often, but not always, removable from the supporting structure the diver uses to attach the air cell and their gas cylinder to themselves.

I beleive Dive Rite created the 11-inch stadard for their plates, wings, and STAs...pretty sure they originated the STA as well. Other companies eventually followed Dive Rite's lead and adopted the 11-inch standard making it an industry norm....but there is nothing genre defining about this, and you will often find plates with lower slots that are elongated to ensure cross-compatibility with wings that are not grommeted 11-inches on center....Dive Rite plates being one of them.

-Z