Home made effort (Ray in disguise)

Dave1w

When I first started thinking and reading about rebreathers ages ago, I had it in my mind that I was going to make one. Having no serious tools, and moving around in foreign places where the shops are bit c&ap put this on the back burner, so I ended up buying a Ray, then loads of bits and finally a Sport Kiss. Funnily enough, permission for the Sport Kiss came in the form of "stop messing around and get a proper one" from the missus....

Anyway, with minimum fuss, I figured out that it isn't that difficult to make a simpe loop from loads of drager bits ( I have on and off ebay addiction), so scratching around I bought a couple (on the fourth now) MSR bags, and lots of P-ports, as well as a couple of other bits and put them all together.

Basically, it is a Ray really, but with a wing, and the ability to mount a couple of tanks. The Ray was always a bit small for me with it's bouyancy integrated, so this would hopefully be a little better.



Basically ingredients as follow:

Buddy Sea King
MSR Dromerdary Bags
Lot's of P-Ports
Apeks OPV
Ray Scrubber
Ray Hoses and mouthpiece

and er, thats about all, no fancy engineer, nothing you can't do with a pair of scissors, a hacksaw and a needle and thread.



It's mounted onto a wing and backplate, and there is a length of 160mm OD pipe where I can mount a pair of cylinders with the metalsub brackets, and it also fits the scrubber down inside. I have used this idea on my Ray to hold a couple of tanks and it works OK.



I'm not sure where I want to go with it from here. Because I have the SK, it is unlikely that I will make a CCR out of it. My thoughts are, right now, I can just plug in a Ray or Dolphin doseage and use it as an SCR to prove the loop works, or I can sort it out as an O2 Rebreather. I have a little idea with some ray bits that would make a nice little scrubber to lay across the front with a P-port either end.

Also, I have limited options of somewhere to try it out. Beijing is not a dive friendly place at all. All open water I have seen, you wouldn't want to touch. Perhaps the pool, we'll see.

Anyway, thought I would record it in case I put it away and never get it out again.

Dave

marekm

Hi Dave,

I have a very similar photo (PVC tube with some hoses sticking out of it) from 6 months ago when my homebuild effort was little more than an idea. However, I'm guessing your one of those tinkering types who can't help make or modify rebreathers, whether they already have a commercial unit or not. So chances are you'll finish it eventually, before starting on yet another homebuild...

Cheers.
-Marek