New From VDH (Universal back plate with vintage spirit)

[luis]

Bryan,
I like the way that looks.

My experience is that the top part of that wing will tuck right behind any double hose, between the double hose and the tank valve. That is why the limited size across the top of the wing.

[Bryan]

It's in route to you now. I expect it will arrive before Friday. Everyone feel free to throw out your thoughts on the subject while we are still in the design stage.

[cheeko8080]

My personal preference would be if the wing was designed in such a way that it didn't contact most cans, by either having some sort of dip in the middle or just a lower wider set on the plate. I'm going to be picking up one of the plates. I would definitely be more likely to buy one of the wings over using one of my already owned wings (like my MachV) if it was somehow able to avoid the cans. I imagine a dip would potentially trap air and that is why it's to be avoided....though I'm not sure about that.

Clint

[Bryan]

Clearance between the plate and the cans is already minimal and far less than any other current production BCD bladder including the Mark V. We are working to refine it further before it goes to testing and then into production. Not an easy process!

[macado]

My high school dive buddy (he lives in Nebraska now) happens to be testing the new plate with the Oxycheq wing. I am joining him at Provo (Turks and Caicos) and he is planning on diving that combination. My understanding is that it fit great.

Are you going to join us in Cozumel next fall?

I will be at the Boston Sea Rovers again this year. If you want we can meet.
Send me an email and we can talk off line.

Excellent news about the Oxycheq wing. I can also try it/test it more if I order the plate this week. I hope to join you guys next fall; It would be really nice to meet everyone here. I'm usually in Cozumel about 3-4 times a year as I have friends who live on the island. Do you guys have dates confirmed yet?

I should be at Sea Rovers although I may actually be back in Cozumel that weekend so I'm not 100% sure. I will definitely let you know.

Thanks

[Bryan]

From Jim Louvau
OK, I threw the new plate together with my wings to check the fit.
It's perfect! Tank bands line up perfectly with the "STA" fabric rolls
on the OxyCheq as do the sex bolt holes with the straps on. That's a
30lb Extreme BTW. The DSS is a 26lb Torus and it also lines up
perfectly. Tobin uses little rubber grommets to hold his wings in
place when off-tank instead of providing holes for sex bolts. Both the
upper and lower align with holes on the plate. In short, both wings
fit the plate like it was made for them. Sorry for the low quality
pics. I shot them with the phone just so you could see the results,
not to win any prizes

Merry Christmas guys

[macado]

Thanks Bryan! Very good news. I am going to order one Monday. I can also try it with HOG 32# wing but I assume it will work as well.

[Drado]

Nice to see it plays well with other types of wing. I like that window feature of the DSS wings that allow easy mounting and removal of the wing. Could the VDH wing incorporate a similar feature? It would make shifting from BC diving to traditional BC-free diving faster...

[Bryan]

No matter what is or is not on any given item, someone will want something different. A lot of plates have been cut and aluminum is not cheap so let's just enjoy a great new design that was specifically made to accommodate the double hose diver.

[luis]

Thanks Jim for the pictures and the comments.

I expected the plate would play well with most BC bladders out there, but I need to add a couple of comment.

The plate has holes that will match the use of sex bolts to hold the wing, but I would not use the normal metal sex bolts. The head on those bolt could possibly wear on you wet suit or dry suit. Keep in mind that this plate is flat and specifically design to bring that tank as close to your back as possible.

In contrast, most modern plates have a bend down the center tends to move the tank and regulator away from you. This bend is design to accommodate the hardware of a set of double tank bands; therefore it will accommodate the sex bolts.

Instead of the metal sex bolts I would recommend some of the small plastic ones or even better, just a tie strap (or nothing). The purpose of this attach hardware is just to momentarily hold the wing while you attach the plate to the cylinder. Once clamped to the cylinder the wing is just sandwiched in place. It is not moving or going anywhere.

The tank bands will also keep the wing from moving much until it is attached to the tank.


The DSS wing will fit the plate as shown in the picture, but I would not recommend using a DSS with a double hose (actually I do not recommend it with any center mounted regulator). That wing has the inflator elbow mounted in the center where the regulator is located. That elbow is just going to always be in the way.

Nice to see it plays well with other types of wing. I like that window feature of the DSS wings that allow easy mounting and removal of the wing. Could the VDH wing incorporate a similar feature? It would make shifting from BC diving to traditional BC-free diving faster...

The window on that wing requires the use of the slots closer to the center. This in turn requires the roll control bumpers that come with that wing. It is not a bad design but it is not as stable as moving the straps out and it adds a bit of space (granted not much). Those windows also have to be tight against the straps. This does not allow adjustment of the wing up and down before final clamping to the tank.

The plan is to make the slots big enough to make easy and quick to add or remove the new wing.

To add or remove the wing is very easy and quick if you use the type of tank bands that quickly split at the buckle. The SS tank bands that Bryan is offering can be separated at the buckle and will make removing the wing real easy.

Thanks Bryan! Very good news. I am going to order one Monday. I can also try it with HOG 32# wing but I assume it will work as well.

I am sure that either the HOG 32 Lb or the HOG 23 would fit perfectly. They both have large slots, screw holes at 11 inch center, and the inflator hose is to the side (see note). Out of the two, I would pick the 23 LB, it is a nice looking wing, but if you already have the 32 LB, it will work fine.


Note: actually the only wing that I am aware of with the inflator in the center is the DSS one. All the others (that I know of) have the inflator hose on the left side and they all should work well with this plate and a double hose regulator (or any regulator).


I hope this helps.
Merry Christmas to all.

[sitkadiver]

I don't want to waste anyones time, so forgive me if I'm behind the times.

A: Haven't owned a BC in years, so where's a good place to order the oxycheck wing?

B: Sex bolts? Was that a typo?

C: Does anyone still use spear gun tubing to keep the bladder trimmed?

Thanks in advance.

[Bryan]

I think sex bolts are also called Chicago bolts or something like that. They are real and real useful in a lot of applications.

Please E-mail Patrick at OxyCheq. Be sure and tell him that I sent you and I'll bet he can point you in the right direction. We have been E-mailing back and forth about this project. I would rate OxyCheq an 11 on a 1-10 scale for customer service.

The BC that Luis and I are working on to match the plate may not work for everyone's applications but please keep in mind we have one in development.

[Drado]

Nice to see it plays well with other types of wing. I like that window feature of the DSS wings that allow easy mounting and removal of the wing. Could the VDH wing incorporate a similar feature? It would make shifting from BC diving to traditional BC-free diving faster...

To add or remove the wing is very easy and quick if you use the type of tank bands that quickly split at the buckle. The SS tank bands that Bryan is offering can be separated at the buckle and will make removing the wing real easy.

That's right! The feature of the Highland bands would indeed allow easy mounting and removal I forgot about that

[gj1963]

In preparing to order one, I will order the webbing as well... About how many feet is a good amount that will be needed - Im pretty average size.

[Gilldiver]

The sex bolts would only be to hold the wing and plate together when not on a tank. In my opinion this is not needed and actually would hinder a full rinsing of both the plate and wing. Now, if you wanted to use the plate on a set of doubles you can use the holes but I would never get any type of bolt or fastener that stuck out far. Instead I would use a long carriage bolt with the rounded head on the plate side that goes against your back and 2 nuts each. To tighten up the bands, you will need to do some work the first time, but once you get the nut spacing correct between the plate and bands all the bolt tightening would be at the back. You could then use a 3rd nut to hold the one between the plate and band or just stake it with a punch.