C-Forum

Hi,

I am evperimenting with different options of quick release buckles in my C1 and OC1, I am currently using Seasure buckles.

Can anyone advise of other buckles?

Also what are these buckles bellow, commonly seen of Slalom C1's

[img]http://muchos.co.uk/members/colincol78/ ... mage05.jpg[/img]

Col

Those look like neat buckles (I haven't seen that type before)

I usually use "fastex" buckles (like you may find on a backpack waist strap), but have used old seatbelts that opened in the same fashion as airplane seatbelts to (i.e. they won't jam. DO NOT try and use your standard seat belt buckle from a car...it's too dangerous!)

Kalin (of the Great White North) had a SWEET setup where it was truly a one-pull release that released everything...unfortunately I don't recall where he got it....

Other folks just use velcro straps....i can't get them as tight as I like.

you said commonly seen as of slalom C1s, where have you seen them? i have never seen anything similar to that, though it is a good looking system.
cheers
-isaac

I've used a metal quick release buckle for a long time... it says TRIDENT on it...

i just looked it up online and seems it's made as a diving buckle...
(http://www.diverdans.com/Catalog/ocatalog_weights.htm)

It's great! I've had it for over 4 years now without having a single jam problem.

I have heard that normal fastex buckles (backback hip belts) will jam under pressure... however i've no personal experience with it.

I switched from a lap belt last season to thigh straps and ratchets and moved my buckled down so it still releases. This writeup is old(i've since modified and changed it alot) but it still works the same way.

these will never fail. They are aluminum and never rust. pretty hard to find but not impossible. Once you have them you will not go back to plastic. i had the plastic buckles broken on me when i was going over a drop, once could not rolled back up because the broken plastic buckle. It is worth it to get solid stuff.

http://www.amsafeaviation.com/commercial.htm

The ones Dweller mentioned (the diving metal buckles are great) but they chew your hearness off and sometimes slip. the are also difficult to set up. BUt they are better than the plastic ones and easier to find at the diving stores.

you can drill a hole to the tonge ot these buckes and make an emergency cord, incase you need to bail fast

nam

I'd love to find that buckle. Anyone know in Toronto/Ottawa where we can find these buckels? I'm thinking a VW junkyard!

I *ALMOST* had one - there was a really fat guy a couple rows in front of me on a flight- and he had a seatbelt extension, but I couldnt find it when leaving the plane. There are generally a bunch of these seatbelt extensions in the front of the plane... you can grab them if you are particularily lawless or the flight attendants are not watching

Mike,

You can order VW Beetle style buckles (that's what I use in the Prelude and Delirious) from CIP, they sell spare parts for vintage VW Beetles. They are the same design as the aircraft buckles, but made in plated steel instead of aluminum and thus heavier.
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... 11%2D704RD
Although their pricing is in USD, CIP are actually located in BC, so there is no duty, brokerage fee and such added on to the price.
I recently ordered 3 of them for myself, Isaac and Steve and the cost was ~ CAN$ 25.00.

I personally do not like the quick release buckles that feed the belt itself through the buckle, the belt can and will jam when sliding through when you want to get out (had a near drowning experience due to that a few years ago )!
The aviation or VW style buckles are much safer, as they instantly release the latching plate as soon as the release is pulled, without any possibility of jamming, and they are just as easy to release under load as they are unloaded.
If I use a lap belt in one of my boats, it has to be an avaition/VW style one!

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

Thanks. I'm getting my Superfun outfitted by Jamie Dors (www.paddlesportrepairs.com) this weekend hopefully. My job was uncomfortable, and didnt keep me in the boat. Big waste-o-time - oh well. I'll probably wait to see how that goes before I change the buckle.

Well Mike, wasn't that my suggestion right off the bat ...

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

Best straps I ever had were 2 weight belts from the scuba dive shop (with no weights on them). They are quite wide so you need wide slots/brackets but that does make them very comfortable without any pads or anything on them. The buckles are just big simple lever type flaps that lock when pushed down and release completely when you pull on them. Divers have to sometimes dump their weights fast in an emergency. Makes it easy to get out fast when you're running out of air upside down and you've missed your roll for the third time. Should be easy to find, dive shops are everywhere, including on the web. MarcB