When or did DA Aquamaster have yellow hoses?

[scubajim1]

Hi Everyone,
With the availability of getting yellow hoses again is upon us. I have this question:

When or did DA Aquamasters have yellow hoses?

If they never did, please inform me. I have two DA's and I would like to get then near original if I can.

Thanks in advance,

scubajim1

[standingup]

here is a link to info about regs and hoses
http://www.vintagescubasupply.com/regsusa.html
http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/museum/museum.php

[swimjim]

If I remember from my studies, Pico address DA's from '58 - '60 had them. They also had the strait mouth piece too. I think I read this on Dan Barringers Vintage Scuba supplies web site. http://www.vintagescubasupply.com/

Jim

[BSea]

From what I've been able to find out, the yellow hoses started in 1960 on the DA with the black straight mouthpiece. They may have been on earlier models, but so far nobody I've spoken with has verified that this is true. I know that the above link show the 58 & 59 with yellow hoses, and maybe whoever wrote that has copies of catalogs from those years. I called Aqua Lung & asked them, but according to the information they had, the yellow didn't come out till 1960. However, a buddy of mine asked them to date his DA. It had a Warner address and a chrome body and a serial number. The contact at Aqua Lung told him it was a 58 model. But it's well documented that the chrome body didn't come out till the mid 60s, and in 58 the address was West Pico, so I think that the people at Aqua Lung don't know as much as the vintage divers that post here. But they just look so good with yellow hoses, so go ahead and put them on. I'm putting a set on my 58 DA with a black mouthpiece.

I have never seen yellow hoses on the chrome DAs, only on the satin body DAs. But Brian sells a cd with all the US Divers catalogs starting in 63 I think. That would tell you for sure on those later years with the chrome bodies.

[Nemrod]

They all had chrome bodies, just the early ones were brushed/satin.


Contacting that so called Aqua Lung company for anything concerning USD products is mostly a waste of time, in fact, they are pretty much a waste of time.

Nemrod

[BSea]

Contacting that so called Aqua Lung company for anything concerning USD products is mostly a waste of time, in fact, they are pretty much a waste of time.

Nemrod

That's what we figured out. So I would go with what the vintage diving community has found. Dan's website says 58 & 59 had yellow hoses. That's good enough for me. If I find out later it's not authentic.....Oh Well.

[simonbeans]

The DA has yellow hoses in 1960 also. Straight mouthpiece, nylon black hose clamps. IMHO the most handsome of the USD line. In 1961 USD changed to the curved black mouthpiece with the special tighter corrugated hoses. Then in 1962 until the end of the DA, the wider spaced corrugation black hoses, curved mouthpiece and nylon clamps were used. Hopefully when or if the yellows become available, the late 1950's and early 1960's will be reincarnated. It will also be interesting to see how many curved mouthpieces will be mated with yellow hoses on a bright shine chrome DA or RAM. It will be interesting.
Allan

[duckbill]

Deja Vu! (sp?)
http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/forum/ ... 85&start=0



In short, for DAAMs:
1958, W. Pico, dull chrome: hoses- yellow; mouthpiece- yellow,straight
1959, W. Pico, dull chrome: hoses- yellow; mouthpiece- yellow,straight
1960 gets interesting : hoses-yellow; mouthpiece- black, straight
In August of 1960 USD moved to W. Delhi. Most, if not all, W. Delhi DAAMs were actually made in France. Some were in dull chrome and some in shiny chrome, even though they pre-date the commonly accepted 1964 year for shiny chrome on the DAAMs.

...all with "winged" yoke screws.

Oh, and the DAAMs had yellow dust caps up through 1960 too, if I remember correctly


So, if you put your yellow hoses on a matte chromed W. Pico DAAM, with a yellow or straight mouthpiece, yellow dustcap and "winged" yoke screw, the VDH police shouldn't hassle you.

[ovalis]

The yellow hoses & mouthpieces did not show up in the US Divers catalog until 1959. In the 1958 catalog they were black, unless they were introduced mid year. They did have yellow tanks in 1958, but no hoses, masks, or fins. US Divers first advertisement for their complete yellow line was on the back cover of the January 1959 Skin Diver.

[duckbill]

The yellow hoses & mouthpieces did not show up in the US Divers catalog until 1959. In the 1958 catalog they were black, unless they were introduced mid year. They did have yellow tanks in 1958, but no hoses, masks, or fins. US Divers first advertisement for their complete yellow line was on the back cover of the January 1959 Skin Diver.

INTERESTING!

Seems I stand corected. Sorry.

So, the Kleer-EZ, introduced in 1956, was originally black, then yellow, then black again?

[YankDownUnder]

I recall seeing the seamed yellow hoses in stores in Australia in 1960-61. By the 1960s US Divers was owned by La Spirotechnique, as was Australian Divers Spiro Pty Ltd.

The regulator pictured on the front of Historical Diver magazine, Winter 2005, is on a tank marked Rene Sport, with a side reserve valve. The hoses on the regulator are yellow and the mouth piece is metal. (circa 1950-51)

[pescador775]

I bought a new Aqua Master in June, 1963. The finish was polished chrome with black hoses and curved mouthpiece. Dust cap was black plastic.

[ovalis]

The hoses on the regulator on the cover of Historical Diver were not the yellow hoses that US Divers put out in 1959. Those are the original hoses that came on the regulator and they were gum rubber which has that amber tint.

Also, the yellow dust caps came on the Mistral regulators. The DA's I assume were black.

[duckbill]

Also, the yellow dust caps came on the Mistral regulators. The DA's I assume were black.

Yeah, I have as a note that the DAAMs had yellow dust caps up through 1960. Unfortunately, I didn't note the source. However, if catalog pictures are anything to go by, the dustcap on the DAAM in the 1960 USD catalog sure don't look black to me. It is definitely a light color. Were there any other colors of dust caps?

Do you have a reason for 'assuming' they were black? I've seen too many early Pico DAAMs sold with yellow dust caps to agree with your assumption unless you have a basis for it.

[ovalis]

I researched this about 15-20 years ago by talking to a couple of old timers about it and that's what they told me. They said when the Mistrals came out, they had yellow dust caps. But who knows. The 20 or so DAAM's I have all have black dust caps with exception of one or maybe two have a yellow dust cap. Is it original, did somebody switch it? My DW Stream Air has a red dust cap on it, but my other one has a black one. Maybe in 1959 USD switched everything to yellow. It was huge marketing campaign for them that year. That's when they brought in the masks, snorkels, fins, & drysuits in yellow.