Vintage Double Hose

Can't let Eben out-do me too much. Just finished my 1963 Sportsways Twin 38s rebuild project (1880psi). The 1/2" straight thread o-ring sealed valves are cool (as is the 0-ring sealed manifold). The bands and harness came from Alan. A whole host of folks on the board helped me with this project so thank you one and all. Mark
P.S. I understand from reading pasts posts that these tanks are quite heavy in the water. That said, I dive a 5mm full suit with farmer john pants, gloves, booties... here in the ocean. With a steel 71.2 cu ft tank I have perfect no B.C. buoyancy control down to at least 30 feet with a 26 pound belt (I weigh about 230 if anyone cares). So I am soliciting opinions on how much lead I should take off my 26 lb belt when diving these SW twin 38's (42s with 10% overfill) here in the ocean, all other things being equal. Of course I will perform some empirical testing but I'm just looking for a good place to start. Thanks, Mark.

Diligence pays off....Well done. Only on VDH would "38's" of this type garner this much attention

Thanks Bryan,

I've wanted a set of these puppy's ever since reading the following from "The Golden Guide to Scuba Diving":

Good job, Mark! Those look great. Do you have the Waterlung decals? Somebody had them available at one time... just can't remember who.

antique diver wrote:Good job, Mark! Those look great. Do you have the Waterlung decals? Somebody had them available at one time... just can't remember who.

No, no decals. Almost want to keep them clean looking.

- Way to go Mark. Those are beautiful. Re-Built and good as new. "Experienced Divers use two tank gear..." Yeah Baby!
- Thanks for sharing your project and photos. It has been fun following your progress and now seeing the finished product inspires me to get back to work on my own projects. I wish I could join you in a "Twin 38s Theme Dive" to break them in properly!

Buoyancy Notes: I don't know if the Sportsways 1880 psi tanks are especially heavy... They are just heavier than the 1800 psi tanks. With a 3mm suit in fresh water, and 15-20 feet deep I wear only 2 lbs weight with the Sportsways and 12 lbs with the 1800 psi tanks.

I'm with you on the dull gray unmarked color... I don't know why but I prefer it, too.