Shoulder Weighting the Meg

tibby · 9th January 2008, 17:43

Quote: (Originally Posted by wedivebc)

They don't make it difficult to open the latches on the head?

Hey Dave, I like the BP sidemount bungies. That's what I did too and they work well. What do you use for a buttplate? I used the ISC under-CL D-rings mounted on a cordura beaver tail. They are useless as chest D-rings anyway.
Also, it looks like you have four weight pockets (not just 2 on top) so you can hold all your lead as well. I take back my comment I made about that.
Tibby

Dive!Dive! · 9th January 2008, 20:50

Heres another solution I posted earlier. I've been diving this for a few months now and love it. It does make the whole rig heavy though....
Steve

************************************************** *****
I suspect many of you, like me, need a reasonable amount of weight when diving with a drysuit. On OC this was easy to sort out with v weights, but since having my Meg I've been looking for another solution. Up until now I've been using a mixture of soft weight in the back of the CL + a weight inside the V of the plate.
I recently got some of Peter from V4Tec's weights and one of his STA, but instead of using the weights atached to the STA as intended (would be a pain on the Meg as I'm using jubilee clips rather than cambands), I've drilled my plate and attached them direct to that. I'm pleased with the results so thought I'd share a few pics. The advantage of this is that it is 30 secs to remove the weights or change for different size if moving from salt to fresh water.
If you want to do this, I found a 13mm (1/2 inch) hole with a 16mm countersink works a treat.
Top marks to Peter at V4Tec for service as well.
Cheers
Steve
Attached Images

tibby · 9th January 2008, 21:12

Quote: (Originally Posted by Dive!Dive!)

Heres another solution I posted earlier. I've been diving this for a few months now and love it. It does make the whole rig heavy though....
Steve

************************************************** *****
I suspect many of you, like me, need a reasonable amount of weight when diving with a drysuit. On OC this was easy to sort out with v weights, but since having my Meg I've been looking for another solution. Up until now I've been using a mixture of soft weight in the back of the CL + a weight inside the V of the plate.
I recently got some of Peter from V4Tec's weights and one of his STA, but instead of using the weights atached to the STA as intended (would be a pain on the Meg as I'm using jubilee clips rather than cambands), I've drilled my plate and attached them direct to that. I'm pleased with the results so thought I'd share a few pics. The advantage of this is that it is 30 secs to remove the weights or change for different size if moving from salt to fresh water.
If you want to do this, I found a 13mm (1/2 inch) hole with a 16mm countersink works a treat.
Top marks to Peter at V4Tec for service as well.
Cheers
Steve
Attached Images

Nice, easy and simple just like it should be. The only reason I didn't go this route was due to travel considerations. It'd be a shame to pay for flying lead weight around. Perfect solution for local diving though.
Tibby

Dive!Dive! · 9th January 2008, 21:18

Quote: (Originally Posted by tibby)

Nice, easy and simple just like it should be. The only reason I didn't go this route was due to travel considerations. It'd be a shame to pay for flying lead weight around. Perfect solution for local diving though.
Tibby

Yes - absolutely - only good for travel by car ! I go minimalist and have an aluminium plate for travel - so far only warmwater destinations, so no need for weight......but I'll probably go the pockets route if I need to.
Cheers
Steve

Lancer4545 · 10th January 2008, 06:25

Quote: (Originally Posted by robinfante)

I took an old weight belt and cut it into something like 35cm/14" pieces, which were then sewn into an "X". I use a hose clamp to attach it to the bottom-now-top of the tank, and stick whatever size weights I choose underneath. Voila! Cheap, compact, effective, flexible, lightweight, shoulderheight and secure. Credit to John Priestley, he came up with the idea.

In the pic you can see me walking on water in Scapa, with said weight attachments.

Hey, That's one of the coolest pics I have seen for some time.......I bet it either took ages to get the timing right or it was a fluke!!!

Lance

jo_c · 10th January 2008, 09:08

Quote: (Originally Posted by tibby)

Hey Dave, I like the BP sidemount bungies. That's what I did too and they work well. What do you use for a buttplate? I used the ISC under-CL D-rings mounted on a cordura beaver tail. They are useless as chest D-rings anyway.
Also, it looks like you have four weight pockets (not just 2 on top) so you can hold all your lead as well. I take back my comment I made about that.
Tibby

Hi
I think you're talking about the pics of my backplate. Yes, I have 2 pockets at the top of the BP for trim, and then 2 pockets in the middle of the BP for extra weights.
The pockets don't really interfere with opening the latches as long as they are not stuffed full of weight. Even then you can still open & close the latches.

I use one of these for the buttplate mounting.. just stick it on the crotch strap at the back.
https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1277
I used to use 2 of the undercounterlung d-rings on top of each other to achieve the same thing, but the ones I had kept slipping. This is better.

tibby · 10th January 2008, 13:57

Quote: (Originally Posted by jo_c)

Hi
I think you're talking about the pics of my backplate. Yes, I have 2 pockets at the top of the BP for trim, and then 2 pockets in the middle of the BP for extra weights.
The pockets don't really interfere with opening the latches as long as they are not stuffed full of weight. Even then you can still open & close the latches.

I use one of these for the buttplate mounting.. just stick it on the crotch strap at the back.
https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1277
I used to use 2 of the undercounterlung d-rings on top of each other to achieve the same thing, but the ones I had kept slipping. This is better.

Jo c,
I'm sorry for the confusion, gotta' get my head out of my butt before I read posts

.
That's right, I forgot about the DSS double d-ring. When I made the first version of the buttplate I found out it's hard to reach back if the rings are too close to each other. Then, I fixed that in version 2 where the d-rings are more on the hips then on the butt. Do you ever have problems reaching back to clip in?
Of course the easy way to do this is to buy an Armadillo CCR setup from Golem Gear for only $75 or so and not mess around with DIY stuff but where's the fun in that?
Cheers,
Tibby

jo_c · 10th January 2008, 14:48

Quote: (Originally Posted by tibby)

Jo c,
I'm sorry for the confusion, gotta' get my head out of my butt before I read posts

.
That's right, I forgot about the DSS double d-ring. When I made the first version of the buttplate I found out it's hard to reach back if the rings are too close to each other. Then, I fixed that in version 2 where the d-rings are more on the hips then on the butt. Do you ever have problems reaching back to clip in?
Of course the easy way to do this is to buy an Armadillo CCR setup from Golem Gear for only $75 or so and not mess around with DIY stuff but where's the fun in that?
Cheers,
Tibby

Can't say I've ever had a problem reaching them. I also clip spools/dsmbs there when I need to.

GarryL · 11th January 2008, 10:38

Quote: (Originally Posted by Dive!Dive!)

Heres another solution I posted earlier. I've been diving this for a few months now and love it. It does make the whole rig heavy though....
Steve

************************************************** *****
I suspect many of you, like me, need a reasonable amount of weight when diving with a drysuit. On OC this was easy to sort out with v weights, but since having my Meg I've been looking for another solution. Up until now I've been using a mixture of soft weight in the back of the CL + a weight inside the V of the plate.
I recently got some of Peter from V4Tec's weights and one of his STA, but instead of using the weights atached to the STA as intended (would be a pain on the Meg as I'm using jubilee clips rather than cambands), I've drilled my plate and attached them direct to that. I'm pleased with the results so thought I'd share a few pics. The advantage of this is that it is 30 secs to remove the weights or change for different size if moving from salt to fresh water.
If you want to do this, I found a 13mm (1/2 inch) hole with a 16mm countersink works a treat.
Top marks to Peter at V4Tec for service as well.
Cheers
Steve
Attached Images

Steve, many thanks for this info too. My first plan was to cast some weights for attachment to the back of the backplate as I mostly dive in the UK and wouldn't need to remove weights more than a couple of times per year. Do your pictures show standard V weights? Is the attachment drilled right through the lead (doesn't appear so?) If not, what length bolt protrudes from lead? How much weight is attached - looks around 4 kilos? Any other detail? This also looks like a good solution and thanks for sharing. Cheers. Garry

Dive!Dive! · 11th January 2008, 12:13

Garry
The weights are from V4Tec in Germany (have a look on their website). They are sold as part of a weighted single tank adapter kit. The threaded nuts are cast inside the lead, with the countersunk bolts going through the back plate. In the picture, each bar is about 2kgs , but they are 3+kgs as they come from V4Tec (heavier available as well) - so you simply cut them to length/weight with a hacksaw. I got a couple of sets to allow fresh vs salt water weighting. No doubt you could cast your own if you had the patience to make a mould.
Steve

9th January 2008, 17:43	#31 (permalink)
tibby untitled Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2007 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 336	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Quote: (Originally Posted by wedivebc) They don't make it difficult to open the latches on the head? Hey Dave, I like the BP sidemount bungies. That's what I did too and they work well. What do you use for a buttplate? I used the ISC under-CL D-rings mounted on a cordura beaver tail. They are useless as chest D-rings anyway. Also, it looks like you have four weight pockets (not just 2 on top) so you can hold all your lead as well. I take back my comment I made about that. Tibby __________________ Does the voice of reason change when you add helium to the mix?...hmm
(Offline)

9th January 2008, 20:50	#32 (permalink)
Dive!Dive! New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 93	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Heres another solution I posted earlier. I've been diving this for a few months now and love it. It does make the whole rig heavy though.... Steve ************************************************ *** I suspect many of you, like me, need a reasonable amount of weight when diving with a drysuit. On OC this was easy to sort out with v weights, but since having my Meg I've been looking for another solution. Up until now I've been using a mixture of soft weight in the back of the CL + a weight inside the V of the plate. I recently got some of Peter from V4Tec's weights and one of his STA, but instead of using the weights atached to the STA as intended (would be a pain on the Meg as I'm using jubilee clips rather than cambands), I've drilled my plate and attached them direct to that. I'm pleased with the results so thought I'd share a few pics. The advantage of this is that it is 30 secs to remove the weights or change for different size if moving from salt to fresh water. If you want to do this, I found a 13mm (1/2 inch) hole with a 16mm countersink works a treat. Top marks to Peter at V4Tec for service as well. Cheers Steve Attached Images
(Online)

9th January 2008, 21:12	#33 (permalink)
tibby untitled Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2007 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 336	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Quote: (Originally Posted by Dive!Dive!) Heres another solution I posted earlier. I've been diving this for a few months now and love it. It does make the whole rig heavy though.... Steve ************************************************ *** I suspect many of you, like me, need a reasonable amount of weight when diving with a drysuit. On OC this was easy to sort out with v weights, but since having my Meg I've been looking for another solution. Up until now I've been using a mixture of soft weight in the back of the CL + a weight inside the V of the plate. I recently got some of Peter from V4Tec's weights and one of his STA, but instead of using the weights atached to the STA as intended (would be a pain on the Meg as I'm using jubilee clips rather than cambands), I've drilled my plate and attached them direct to that. I'm pleased with the results so thought I'd share a few pics. The advantage of this is that it is 30 secs to remove the weights or change for different size if moving from salt to fresh water. If you want to do this, I found a 13mm (1/2 inch) hole with a 16mm countersink works a treat. Top marks to Peter at V4Tec for service as well. Cheers Steve Attached Images Nice, easy and simple just like it should be. The only reason I didn't go this route was due to travel considerations. It'd be a shame to pay for flying lead weight around. Perfect solution for local diving though. Tibby __________________ Does the voice of reason change when you add helium to the mix?...hmm
(Offline)

9th January 2008, 21:18	#34 (permalink)
Dive!Dive! New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 93	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Quote: (Originally Posted by tibby) Nice, easy and simple just like it should be. The only reason I didn't go this route was due to travel considerations. It'd be a shame to pay for flying lead weight around. Perfect solution for local diving though. Tibby Yes - absolutely - only good for travel by car ! I go minimalist and have an aluminium plate for travel - so far only warmwater destinations, so no need for weight......but I'll probably go the pockets route if I need to. Cheers Steve
(Online)

10th January 2008, 06:25	#35 (permalink)
Lancer4545 Closed Circuit Divers Aus Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cairns QLD Australia Posts: 574	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Quote: (Originally Posted by robinfante) I took an old weight belt and cut it into something like 35cm/14" pieces, which were then sewn into an "X". I use a hose clamp to attach it to the bottom-now-top of the tank, and stick whatever size weights I choose underneath. Voila! Cheap, compact, effective, flexible, lightweight, shoulderheight and secure. Credit to John Priestley, he came up with the idea. In the pic you can see me walking on water in Scapa, with said weight attachments. Hey, That's one of the coolest pics I have seen for some time.......I bet it either took ages to get the timing right or it was a fluke!!! Lance __________________ You can run but you can't hide! ISC Appointed Megalodon Dealer for East Australia http://www.closedcircuitdivers.com.au info@closedcircuitdivers.com.au Last edited by Lancer4545 : 10th January 2008 at 06:29. Reason: Wanted the Pic included
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10th January 2008, 09:08	#36 (permalink)
jo_c Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hants, UK Posts: 140	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Quote: (Originally Posted by tibby) Hey Dave, I like the BP sidemount bungies. That's what I did too and they work well. What do you use for a buttplate? I used the ISC under-CL D-rings mounted on a cordura beaver tail. They are useless as chest D-rings anyway. Also, it looks like you have four weight pockets (not just 2 on top) so you can hold all your lead as well. I take back my comment I made about that. Tibby Hi I think you're talking about the pics of my backplate. Yes, I have 2 pockets at the top of the BP for trim, and then 2 pockets in the middle of the BP for extra weights. The pockets don't really interfere with opening the latches as long as they are not stuffed full of weight. Even then you can still open & close the latches. I use one of these for the buttplate mounting.. just stick it on the crotch strap at the back. https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1277 I used to use 2 of the undercounterlung d-rings on top of each other to achieve the same thing, but the ones I had kept slipping. This is better. Last edited by jo_c : 10th January 2008 at 09:10.
(Online)

10th January 2008, 13:57	#37 (permalink)
tibby untitled Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2007 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 336	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Quote: (Originally Posted by jo_c) Hi I think you're talking about the pics of my backplate. Yes, I have 2 pockets at the top of the BP for trim, and then 2 pockets in the middle of the BP for extra weights. The pockets don't really interfere with opening the latches as long as they are not stuffed full of weight. Even then you can still open & close the latches. I use one of these for the buttplate mounting.. just stick it on the crotch strap at the back. https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1277 I used to use 2 of the undercounterlung d-rings on top of each other to achieve the same thing, but the ones I had kept slipping. This is better. Jo c, I'm sorry for the confusion, gotta' get my head out of my butt before I read posts . That's right, I forgot about the DSS double d-ring. When I made the first version of the buttplate I found out it's hard to reach back if the rings are too close to each other. Then, I fixed that in version 2 where the d-rings are more on the hips then on the butt. Do you ever have problems reaching back to clip in? Of course the easy way to do this is to buy an Armadillo CCR setup from Golem Gear for only $75 or so and not mess around with DIY stuff but where's the fun in that? Cheers, Tibby __________________ Does the voice of reason change when you add helium to the mix?...hmm
(Offline)

10th January 2008, 14:48	#38 (permalink)
jo_c Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hants, UK Posts: 140	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Quote: (Originally Posted by tibby) Jo c, I'm sorry for the confusion, gotta' get my head out of my butt before I read posts . That's right, I forgot about the DSS double d-ring. When I made the first version of the buttplate I found out it's hard to reach back if the rings are too close to each other. Then, I fixed that in version 2 where the d-rings are more on the hips then on the butt. Do you ever have problems reaching back to clip in? Of course the easy way to do this is to buy an Armadillo CCR setup from Golem Gear for only $75 or so and not mess around with DIY stuff but where's the fun in that? Cheers, Tibby Can't say I've ever had a problem reaching them. I also clip spools/dsmbs there when I need to.
(Online)

11th January 2008, 10:38	#39 (permalink)
GarryL New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Megalodon Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: London Posts: 17	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Quote: (Originally Posted by Dive!Dive!) Heres another solution I posted earlier. I've been diving this for a few months now and love it. It does make the whole rig heavy though.... Steve ************************************************ *** I suspect many of you, like me, need a reasonable amount of weight when diving with a drysuit. On OC this was easy to sort out with v weights, but since having my Meg I've been looking for another solution. Up until now I've been using a mixture of soft weight in the back of the CL + a weight inside the V of the plate. I recently got some of Peter from V4Tec's weights and one of his STA, but instead of using the weights atached to the STA as intended (would be a pain on the Meg as I'm using jubilee clips rather than cambands), I've drilled my plate and attached them direct to that. I'm pleased with the results so thought I'd share a few pics. The advantage of this is that it is 30 secs to remove the weights or change for different size if moving from salt to fresh water. If you want to do this, I found a 13mm (1/2 inch) hole with a 16mm countersink works a treat. Top marks to Peter at V4Tec for service as well. Cheers Steve Attached Images Steve, many thanks for this info too. My first plan was to cast some weights for attachment to the back of the backplate as I mostly dive in the UK and wouldn't need to remove weights more than a couple of times per year. Do your pictures show standard V weights? Is the attachment drilled right through the lead (doesn't appear so?) If not, what length bolt protrudes from lead? How much weight is attached - looks around 4 kilos? Any other detail? This also looks like a good solution and thanks for sharing. Cheers. Garry
(Offline)

11th January 2008, 12:13	#40 (permalink)
Dive!Dive! New Member Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 93	Re: Shoulder Weighting the Meg Garry The weights are from V4Tec in Germany (have a look on their website). They are sold as part of a weighted single tank adapter kit. The threaded nuts are cast inside the lead, with the countersunk bolts going through the back plate. In the picture, each bar is about 2kgs , but they are 3+kgs as they come from V4Tec (heavier available as well) - so you simply cut them to length/weight with a hacksaw. I got a couple of sets to allow fresh vs salt water weighting. No doubt you could cast your own if you had the patience to make a mould. Steve
(Online)

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