"Douglas W. "Popeye" Frederick" wrote

My first thought was that volume discounts might keep it below that level.
My second thought was that it would only keep it below that level if the
purchaser went with plates and wings that will fit pretty much anybody.
Even then, it would be tough to get the cost down much below your estimate.
Pretty much all vacationing divers would use two tanks a day.  Some might
use as many as 6.  I suspect you would have to plan on about 4 per diver to
ensure everybody has one when they want and to deal with the occasional tank
or valve problem.  You'd also have to have extra regulator, plate and wing
sets to account for planned and unplanned service of the equipment.  The
question says "all scuba gear" which I take to include masks, fins, weight
belts and weights, all things that are sized to fit.  That means that you
either serve the same 100 guests all the time, or you have an inventory of
equipment that will meet the needs of most 100 guest groups.  I suspect
these additional equipment needs would pretty much offset any volume
discounts . . . and then some.

Perhaps it's included in your estimated cost for the compressor, but you
didn't mention a backup compressor or a system of cascade tanks.  If it's
the only fill station on the island, you'd better have a backup compressor
and, unless somebody's going to be filling tanks 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, you'd better have some cascade tanks as well.

Lee

And then double the whole thing to buy insurance. <G>

Fundamentalist zealot alert.

While many of us consider a plate and wing to be the best choice, it is
pretty obvious to anybody that takes the time to consider the business that
they would not be the first choice of rental gear by average resort diver,
presumably the target market.  Those that prefer plate and wing setups are
very likely to bring their own.  Those that rent are, mostly, unlikely to
prefer something other than what they are used to.  These days, that's
almost always a jacket style BCD.  If you want to show a profit, it's a good
idea to provide what the market wants.

Lee

Jammer Six,

Stroke alert?  Who the %@#& you think you're talking to?

I never said there was anything wrong with plate/wing systems in general...
only that they're not right for resort supplied equipment.  If a BP/W is
what you're diving... well... more power to you.  If you think it's stupid
or old-fashioned to use anything else that's just snobbery and inexperience
showing.

Let's look at a little of the history of dive gear... though you may not
have been around to see very much of it.  When I started in 1972
horsecollar BC's were the standard, though only recently so... and most of
us couldn't afford power inflators as they were quite expensive. Anyway, AT-
PAC's had just come on the market as a cutting-edge alternative to the
horsecollar.  The AT-PAC was basically the first plate/wing system and much
more comfortable than a horsecollar.  Still, it was Scubapro's introduction
of the first Stab Jacket that revolutionized BC's in... what?... 1978 or 79?
Given that some sort of plate/wing set-up preceded jacket BC's by several
years, isn't it odd that it was the jacket BC that became the new standard?
And, it's not as though the AT-PAC replaced horsecollars and then got
superceded... nope, as cool as they were, AT-PAC's just didn't take the
industry by storm.  'Could be that concerns about putting an unconscious
diver face down on the surface were just too much for an industry that had
to be so very careful about safety.

I don't mean to imply that the diving community is less concerned with
safety now, but it definitely required more focus to dive safely then.
Those were the days when a diver was expected to work tables for every dive
and many had a hard time getting it right.  Those were the days when NASDS
(one of, if not THE predominate certifying body of the day) was just
beginning to require SPG's for all students rather than relying on J-valve
or audible low-air alert use.  Buddy-breathing was more than just some
quaint holdover that no one expected to use.  BB saved lives because
octopus rigs were usually only expected for instructors.

Technology has made rec-diving much safer... dive computers... universal
use of octopus rigs... and yes, jacket BC's w/ power inflators have all
made the sport easier and safer.

... but I digress...

The upshot of this is that plate/wing systems are not really a new thing
(though the execution of them is so much better now).  Plate/wings
certainly have their advantages... as well as some disadvantages.  Still, I
don't see them replacing jacket BC's.  They will, most likely, remain
merely an alternative for technical divers... and snot-nosed kids who have
the need to feel superior to veteran divers because of their equipment
choices rather than their diving skills and experience.

I missed out on the double-hose era, but if another "dinosaur" showed up on
a dive w/ his Nemrod DH I'd pick him for a buddy over some newbie festooned
in the latest poser gear in a heartbeat. Yep, I'd rather dive with someone
who might stroke-out at depth and put his own life in jeopardy than some
smart-aleck young hot-shot who's going to put mine at risk!

Regards,
Jack

???  I don't understand.

Scott Jensen