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Discussion of diving methods and equipment available prior to the development of BCDs beyond the horse collar. This forum is dedicated to the pre-1970 diving.
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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

$30 Snark III Silver

Thu Oct 24, 2019 10:07 am

$30 Snark III Silver
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- Sea Hunt Jerry called me last Summer and said he had a bag of "Junk" regulators he found a deal on somewhere. What was left of them were three Snark III regs. He sent a picture and they were all Snark III Silvers. He says I can have all three for $90. Well, nobody finds DH regs for $30 each these days. I figured they're worth that much just to have spare parts for my other Snark IIIs. So I bought them.
- Well, I went through each one and they're all intact inside the cans... Mushroom exhausts, diaphragms, etc. Hoses LOOKED good but they're stiff and probably shot. One of the three looked like it was missing the over-pressure valve.
- I sold the newest one to my buddy Rich for $30. And hung the other two on the wall until just last night. I had ordered a little first stage regulator over-pressure valve to see if it could replace the missing one. But when I looked closer, the Snark III OPV was actually complete except for the cover. The functional parts were inside but reversed. I cleaned them up and assembled the OPV onto the Snark III. Then I tested the function and it worked and didn't leak either.
- So then I put it on a tank just to see if it still worked. Sucking through the mouthpiece was totally dead... No air at all. So, I thought something must really be screwed up inside... No diaphragm or something like that. But when I opened it up, it had a decent diaphragm and the compound levers were functioning perfectly. So I put the reg on the tank again without the front can and diaphragm. Pushed the levers and WHOOSH... It fed air just fine. I sprayed some soapy water on everything and didn't see any bubbles leaking, either. Seemed in actually good operating condition.
- So why couldn't I suck air through the mouthpiece? Well, the dang hose loop is jammed up. Probably a stuck mouthpiece valve ( I haven't looked yet).
- Just for a quick evaluation, I put the cans back together with the original diaphragm and slapped on a new hoseloop. Put the whole thing back on the tank, turned it on, and WOW... It's a perfectly functional Snark III regulator that only cost $30. That means I can afford to buy new parts and fix it up!
- The easiest and most obvious upgrades will be:
1. A new VDH Silicone diaphragm.
2. New VDH Hoses, mouthpiece, and wagon wheel valves.
- More intricate parts replacements may be necessary on closer examination... Especially if I detect any air leakage. Fortunately the VDH DAAM kits have parts that are virtually identical... Gaskets and HP diaphragm. But also, some of the original parts might be better off left alone.
- Anyway, I thought I'd share this... Kind of fun to know you can still get a beautiful vintage double hose regulator for only $30.
(Thanks Jerry!)
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: $30 Snark III Silver

Thu Oct 24, 2019 3:39 pm

Sweet. I think there will be some Nemrod themed dives at Fortune next year!

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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: $30 Snark III Silver

Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:35 am

- I was just looking on Ebay and there's a Snark III "Super" for $315. The one I got for $30 is a Snark III "Silver". It looks like the differences are:
1. Super has the older, decorative body casting while Silver has newer, plain and functional casting.
2. Super has no HP port while Silver HAS the HP port... For attaching a pressure gauge.

I believe BOTH of these beautiful regulators are well worth $300-$500 ea.... I'm just very fortunate I got mine for only $30!
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

SnarkIII
Lung Diver
Posts: 67
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 11:23 pm
First Name: Skip
Location: Lawrence MA

Re: $30 Snark III Silver

Fri Oct 25, 2019 5:55 pm

That was a great find. A Snark III was my first double hose. I still have it. After sitting on a shelf non functioning for 20 years I overhauled it last winter (with help from Phil) it works perfectly again. It was also modified to make LP accessories useable. Just as I remember it's still a great breathing reg, better than any of my single hosers. I'll go so far as to say it's the best breathing reg I've ever used.

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Vancetp
Master Diver
Posts: 401
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2016 7:26 pm
First Name: Phillip
Location: Belmont CA

Re: $30 Snark III Silver

Sat Oct 26, 2019 6:19 pm

I have had a couple of black label Snark III Silvers with the fancy top and no HP port.

BTW I still have some parts for these if you need any.

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