Zeagle Stiletto weight release question?

[jd950]

I am slowly compliling information on BCs for a future purchase, and hope to try several first, but have a question.

It appears that the weight system on the Zeagle would make it difficult to hand your weights up to the boat crew. I envision dropping a lot of weights or even those little weight bags, as opposed to the more substantial systems in some BCs or a weight belt.

Can some of you who use this system comment on this?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Crawl79]

If you have the yellow weight bags its no problem. And probably would be the same as any other BC. The weights are stored in pouches on both sides with red zippers. Open the zipper and hand the pouches.

 

[BKP]

I've never handed my weights up...

That being said, there are neat little yellow weight pouches available for the front ditchable weight pockets on the Zeagles. They serve two purposes: keeping the smaller weights from possibly slipping through a poorly re-laced zipcord quick release system, and also to possibly hand your weights up to the boat DMs/mates.

http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?product_id=zeagleweightpouches

 

[jd950]

BKP:

At a location I will go to frequently the procedure is this: Grab ahold of a line running along the side of the boat about 18" above water line and while hanging onto the line, hand up your weight belt, then hand up your BCD, then hand up your fins, then move to the small ladder and climb up over the side and into the boat, trying not to get smacked by the hull or the ladder.

The more stuff you hand up the longer you are hanging on the side as the boat pitches and rolls and the more likely it is something will get dropped.

 

[under water]

BKP:

At a location I will go to frequently the procedure is this: Grab ahold of a line running along the side of the boat about 18" above water line and while hanging onto the line, hand up your weight belt, then hand up your BCD, then hand up your fins, then move to the small ladder and climb up over the side and into the boat, trying not to get smacked by the hull or the ladder.

The more stuff you hand up the longer you are hanging on the side as the boat pitches and rolls and the more likely it is something will get dropped.

This doesn't seem safe at all. In fact it seems dangerous. How do you hand up your BC without the tank and your regs, etc.
That leaves you in the water with nothing (no safety gear), next to a boat that might smack you. Why not hand up the fins then climb up the ladder?? That's what I have done on every boat dive I have been on.
I guess I don't understand why this ritual is necessary, but willing to learn.

 

[BKP]

BKP:

At a location I will go to frequently the procedure is this: Grab ahold of a line running along the side of the boat about 18" above water line and while hanging onto the line, hand up your weight belt, then hand up your BCD, then hand up your fins, then move to the small ladder and climb up over the side and into the boat, trying not to get smacked by the hull or the ladder.

The more stuff you hand up the longer you are hanging on the side as the boat pitches and rolls and the more likely it is something will get dropped.

Sounds like a procedure for a smaller boat, if you're hanging off a tagline while handing up equipment.

In the Keys, you typically have that pitching you're referring to, and it's about all you can do to just hand up your fins, and hang on to the ladder (so it doesn't knock you senseless). However, if you have the opportunity to hand up all your equipment, including your BC and tank, I imagine it would make re-boarding much easier. However, it's often the case that the dive op will not only want you keeping your BC and tank, but also your regulator in your mouth, and mask in place, in the event you drop back into the water before getting fully on board.

 

[jd950]

Yep, small boat, sometimes with 4'-5' swells. After the weights, then BCD (with cylinder) then fins go up, you leave on the mask (and snorkel if so inclined) so if you lose the line or fall off the ladder you can swim back to the boat. That's why weights go up before BCD, don't want to be in the water with just weights. Boat crew doesn't want to lift a BC with tank AND weights out of the water, so either weight belt or integrated weights need to go up on their own.

Getting on with gear just makes it too likely you will fall on someone or something, and its tough to remove gear on the boat. Last week we put on at least our fins, and often all gear except the mask before we even hit open water, so we weren't trying to gear-up while rockin and rollin.

Man, I hate sitting on the edge waiting for my turn to roll off of that darn boat. The day following my last dive, someone got so seasick she vomited while descending the line and had to call the dive. I don't know whether she spit the reg out first or filled it. Everyone had to surface, get back on the boat, go back to the marina to drop her off and then go back out.

So, that's why I was wondering about the ease of removing weights and handing them up.

 

[DiveMaven]

Any weight integrated BC is going to have the same problem. You're either going to hand up the "yellow thingies" from a Zeagle or the $25/each weight pockets from another brand.

Although I've never dove from a boat where I've had to hand up my weights and BC prior to reboarding, if that happens down the road, I'll likely borrow a weight belt to make things easier for everyone.

 

[under water]

It appears that the weight system on the Zeagle would make it difficult to hand your weights up to the boat crew. I envision dropping a lot of weights or even those little weight bags, as opposed to the more substantial systems in some BCs or a weight belt.

Can some of you who use this system comment on this?

Thanks for the help.

Sorry didn't answer your question the first time. I do have a Zeagle Stiletto/ Escape BC and it's a bit on the small side for me which means the weight pockets (and regular pockets) tend to be a bit far back and somewhat difficult to get to. Certainly not something I can look down and see easily. Taking weights out is doable by feel, but there is a big risk on the swell situation your decribe that one of those weights will go sandbound. I think in the situation you describe, a weight belt is ideal, even with the stiletto. It's easy to mix and match.

 

[herman]

Any weight integrated BC is going to have the same problem. You're either going to hand up the "yellow thingies" from a Zeagle or the $25/each weight pockets from another brand.

.

And you can still dive if you drop one of the yellow bags as long as you have extra weights on board. I have not had any problems with loose weights falling out of a Zeagle without the yellow bags althought I would think 1lbs might. The weight pockets for a lot of BCs are quite expensive and sometimes hard to find. At least with the Zeagles it's not a requirement to use them and any mesh bag would do if they were no longer available or you needed to replace one quickly.