The answer is "depends".
It depends upon the type of diving you do...
And the type of diving you plan to do...
Deep...
cold....
long...
less than 130 feet
less than 60 feet
less than 30 feet
Your mechanical skills...
Your willingness to do a lot more setup and breakdown
And...sigh...your risk analysis
Repost with these questions answered and the replies may change....
If you are having trouble getting back on the boat with that heavy crap...and thats all....make yourself a 10 to 15 foot line of at lest 3/4 inch diameter with a big snap hook on the end...tie one end to a cleat on the boat...throw in the snap hook and snap your gear on before getting back in the boat...get some help in pulling it out and leave a generous tip....it will be a lot cheaper than a rebreather...
I've been there...diving in Walkers Cay...going down to the boat on crutches, having to roll into the boat, having the boat boy put my fins on, and getting lots of help getting out..lack of gravity in the water was a blessing....nice tips generate a lot of great help.
Oh yeah, my 2 hour full ccr dive rig weighs less than 30 pounds....a real pleasure in long walks to the shoreline or climbing in the boat.
http://www.atlimp.com/classicconvertible.pdf
There are others available also.....first step...evaluate what you want to do......
Good luck
Tom