bronk
Registered
I have a Zone II BCD which has served me well for many dives with a variety of taks ranging form al80 to HP130. Now is the time to start tech training. This means more air...
One of the features I considered when originally buying the Zone II was ability to handle doubles. At that time it was dim future consideration. Now I am actually using the capability. A search of the board showed several postes of users intending to use this BCD with doubles, but no "as tested" that I can find.
So here is how it is going so far.
I added Dive Rite backplate as one is required for use with double tanks with the BCD. The backplate fits in the pocket very nicely however it does not have a second set of tank band mounting holes to match the BCD grommets. So this meant a short trip to the basement shop to drill and debur the extra holes.
Facing the substantial costs of going the tech route, I used a couple of AL80 tanks that I had on hand. While HP100 or 120s are in the future, these will do for now.
The LDS (Underwater Connection) assembled the tanks, bands and manifold.
Looking at the overall configuration and where the BCD straps come off vs the slots for the backplate, I decided to move the bands down on the tanks about an inch .
First dive (in a pool) was initially good. However I was completely unable to reach the valves. It was a mixture of equipment configuration, age (I am 50 and not a contortionist) and a 7mm wetsuit. So after sweating on the bottom of the pool, I came up and moved the assembly to the upper holes. This made reaching the knobs feasible (with considerable effort). The whole thing did leave my wife rather amused as I squirmed and struggled. Later, reading some of the other threads on valve drills provided many useful tips (but I must still look like a turtle in a straightjacket for the moment when reaching for my left valve).
After that dive I also removed the backpad and cummerbund assembly (the BCD has a nice waist strap as well). I also shortened the shoulder straps nearly all the way (~3" web remaining).
2nd dive was in a local quarry for the annual UC treasure hunt. Overall, I am so far pleased. removign the padding makes the valves easier to reach (still not at the point of automatic,and easy, but doable). Overall stabiliity and trim is GREAT. I am looking forward to some dives on Lake Michigan coming up prior to the Adv Nitrox / deco class next month.
Another item is weighting. With a 7mm suit and an Al80 I normally use 23 lbs, with the same suit and doubles I am currently 12-14 lbs. More testing needed. But with full tanks I can sink with 4lbs of lead (so add 10 lbs for the weight of the air).
While I want to move to a BP-Wings configuration, the total cost is still not doable with everything else I need to buy. So at this point, I think this combination works and seems to be viable. I hope to post more after some more dives.
One of the features I considered when originally buying the Zone II was ability to handle doubles. At that time it was dim future consideration. Now I am actually using the capability. A search of the board showed several postes of users intending to use this BCD with doubles, but no "as tested" that I can find.
So here is how it is going so far.
I added Dive Rite backplate as one is required for use with double tanks with the BCD. The backplate fits in the pocket very nicely however it does not have a second set of tank band mounting holes to match the BCD grommets. So this meant a short trip to the basement shop to drill and debur the extra holes.
Facing the substantial costs of going the tech route, I used a couple of AL80 tanks that I had on hand. While HP100 or 120s are in the future, these will do for now.
The LDS (Underwater Connection) assembled the tanks, bands and manifold.
Looking at the overall configuration and where the BCD straps come off vs the slots for the backplate, I decided to move the bands down on the tanks about an inch .
First dive (in a pool) was initially good. However I was completely unable to reach the valves. It was a mixture of equipment configuration, age (I am 50 and not a contortionist) and a 7mm wetsuit. So after sweating on the bottom of the pool, I came up and moved the assembly to the upper holes. This made reaching the knobs feasible (with considerable effort). The whole thing did leave my wife rather amused as I squirmed and struggled. Later, reading some of the other threads on valve drills provided many useful tips (but I must still look like a turtle in a straightjacket for the moment when reaching for my left valve).
After that dive I also removed the backpad and cummerbund assembly (the BCD has a nice waist strap as well). I also shortened the shoulder straps nearly all the way (~3" web remaining).
2nd dive was in a local quarry for the annual UC treasure hunt. Overall, I am so far pleased. removign the padding makes the valves easier to reach (still not at the point of automatic,and easy, but doable). Overall stabiliity and trim is GREAT. I am looking forward to some dives on Lake Michigan coming up prior to the Adv Nitrox / deco class next month.
Another item is weighting. With a 7mm suit and an Al80 I normally use 23 lbs, with the same suit and doubles I am currently 12-14 lbs. More testing needed. But with full tanks I can sink with 4lbs of lead (so add 10 lbs for the weight of the air).
While I want to move to a BP-Wings configuration, the total cost is still not doable with everything else I need to buy. So at this point, I think this combination works and seems to be viable. I hope to post more after some more dives.
