Dolphin D3

[soignet 0]

I just bought a used Dolphin D3 and was wondering what is the smallest canopy it could safely hold? The web site just says 170R & 190M. Could it hold a Saber 150?

[hookitt 1]

This is one of those times you may want to heed manufacturers advice. A general rule of thumb is: a canopy 1 size larger or 1 size smaller will be ok.

The Sabre 150 is a whole lot smaller than that 190 that is suggested. It's 2 sizes smaller and will fit very loosesly in the main container.

A loose main container means the closing pin will fit in there loosely as well offering you a higher chance for a premature pack opening. (horseshoe malfunction).

Simply put, it's not a good Idea.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[freakflyer9999 1]

Quote

This is one of those times you may want to heed manufacturers advice. A general rule of thumb is: a canopy 1 size larger or 1 size smaller will be ok.

The Sabre 150 is a whole lot smaller than that 190 that is suggested. It's 2 sizes smaller and will fit very loosesly in the main container.

A loose main container means the closing pin will fit in there loosely as well offering you a higher chance for a premature pack opening. (horseshoe malfunction).

Simply put, it's not a good Idea.

Check with your rigger. I've heard of but never actually seen rigs that have additional padding sewn in to make the container smaller.
I have seen people use wadded up newspaper to make it possible to jump a smaller demo canopy in their existing rig. Of course the newspaper flys across the countryside.

[hookitt 1]

I'm a rigger of 12 years ... I suggest not doing that.

Please don't suggest that sort of thing.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[RedassSkychic 0]

is there someone else around who has a 150 you could try to fit in your container? i've seen a 150 fit in container made for a 190 safely.. i was very suprised. have your rigger around to look at it and make sure the closing loop isnt loose.

[stratostar 5]

If you were going to use a 150 why didn't you do your home work ahead of time and get a D-1 or D-2.

~

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[riggerrob 643]

I am trying to remember ...
Does a Dolphin have the same main loop configuration as a Javelin, early Racer, Wings, Vector, early Mirage, etc?
Does its long closing loop anchor to a strap - sewn to the base of the reserve container - then routed through all 4 main flaps?
If so, that configuration is far more tolerant of smaller canopies than the 3 flap configuration used by many other manufacturers (i.e. Flying High, Strong, etc.).

[John4455 0]

It does. Mike Fury, the designer of the dolphin was the original designer of the Javelin, wasn't he? (If that isn't true, someone please correct me)
Javelins and dolphins size very similar. I have four rigs, two of which are dolphins. The D4 has a 175 triathlon in it and it is a good fit and easy to pack, the closing loop is good and tight. Another one of my rigs is a Javelin J3 and I know that a 150 zero P would be a great fit in that container.
Blue Stuff

How do ya like it Johnny?

[soignet 0]

I got the D-3 One it was such a good deal and two I am 6'1 and 175# and it is hard finding used gear to fit me if I was say 5'7 to 5'9 I could buy used gear all day long.

I am jumping a 170 now and that fits good and bought a Saber 150 (a deal I could not refuse) to jump when I am ready.

I contacted the manufacture and this is what I got (very fast response)

Although the D-3 was sized to comfortably accept a 190 sq ft main canopy, there's some flexibility in the sizes that the container will accept. I've had a pretty fair number of reports over the last eight years that riggers have packed canopies up to 220 sq ft into the D-3. The 150 sq ft canopy you mentioned will certainly go into thr D-3, and generally the canopies made from Zero-Porosity fabric will expand to fill whatever space they're packed in.

Here's the limiting factor you need to be careful of: If you have shortened your closing loop until it can't be shortened any more and there's still not enough bulk in the container to keep the closing pin firmly in the loop, the pin could fall out at the most inopportune time (like when you're front-floating on the Super Otter at 13,000 ft...) You know how Murphy's Law is, right ??... Anyway, if the canopy won't fill the container enough to keep the closing pin safely in place, we offer a small cushion that's shaped something like a little seat cushion that can be hand-tacked into the container. It adds some bulk to the container and makes
it look smoother, and it provides the bulk necessary to keep the closing pin in place.

Your rigger can also advise you concerning the compatibility of your canopy and container;
it would be a good idea to discuss it with him or her. I hope this information will be helpful; if you'd like to discuss anything further by phone, our number is: (352) 523-0052. That number rings at home as well as in the shop, so you can get me there pretty much 24-7.

Best Regards,
Mike Furry, President
ALTICO

[freakflyer9999 1]

Quote

I'm a rigger of 12 years ... I suggest not doing that.

Please don't suggest that sort of thing.

Would you care to explain?

Are you saying don't tack in padding to take up the space or use newspaper for a one time thing?

[hookitt 1]

Apparently Mike Fury has a pad already so there's no more explaining needed.

The closing loop is at the bottom of the main pack tray rather than the bottom flap so as stated by rob, it's more forgiving of smaller canopies in larger containers.

I'm a fan of properly sized equipment. It doesn't need to be perfect but it should be close. If the main is squishy in the container, chances are the the pilot chute is held looser in the BOC as well.

I'm aware that all this works to some degree, but I try not to encourage rather interesting rigging techniques.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[stratostar 5]

Mine dose but I don't know about the newer one's.
I have a D-1 with a 170 in it, fit's fine.

~

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[stratostar 5]

That is good home work talking to mike you will find him to be a great customer service person and go the extra mile to help you out.
However Im always surprised that people buy some gear and post on a site to ask about it before calling and talking to the company or rigger before buying.
Should you ever need to send you rig to mike he will go over and fix anything he finds and not charge you a lot if at all, I think you will be happy with the rig and it's comfort.

~

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[diablopilot 2]

Quote

Anyway, if the canopy won't fill the container enough to keep the closing pin safely in place, we offer a small cushion that's shaped something like a little seat cushion that can be hand-tacked into the container. It adds some bulk to the container and makes
it look smoother, and it provides the bulk necessary to keep the closing pin in place.

Wow. Another reason Dolphin's are a joke.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[stratostar 5]

That wouldn't be an issue if people would buy the right size for their canopies to begin with, now would it.
You are welcome to say what you want and think that way, but "a joke"? Why because one don't cost 1,500+ to get one?
Or because "you can't freefly in one" makes it a joke?
Not being sitfly or FF friendly is a joke.
Please don't offer the standard replies about pin protection and riser covers ect, because that would be a joke.
I have one of the first ones built, it is very well built and very flexible ( with both canopies in it you can bend it in half the yoke to the boc) very comfortable more so then my javlin or vector, light weight and small, great pin protection on both main and reserve, and riser covers are fine, I personally chose the old style (small) with velcro, even tho mike wanted to change them for me, for free, when after six years I sent it to him resize the harness that he did for free and paid the shipping back to me, so great customer service too.
So for the 640.00 I paid for it back in 96 was well worth it and the rig looks as new now as it did then, but I'm a rigger and take care of my gear unlike some.
So in short I find people who talk shit about the dolphin really can't offer any good reason as to why it's a bad rig other then it's not cool to buy a cheap (price) rig with out all the fancy shit on it, IMHO those folks would be the real joke!
But to each their own.
~

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[mhartboca 0]

Disclaimer: I'm a newbie to the sport (1.5yrs, 78 jumps) and not a rigger so not only am I not qualified to speak authoritatively as an expert, I'm not allowed to portray one on TV either!

Dolphins have long appealed to me. When I bought my first/current rig, used, I looked long and hard for a Dolphin based rig. I read everything I could find, checked out all the manf's sites, talked to many people, etc. I just liked the Altico approach of building a durable, functional container without falling into the overload-with-options trap and all the other price-increasing stuff.

In the process I called a few of the rig manf's and talked with their folks. I will say that I -never- encountered anyone at any company that was rude or unknowledgeable about their products or anything less than good customer service. But Altico stood out even then. Mike was more than happy to answer any and all of my questions, talk about gear in general, etc... even though I told him up front that I was looking for used gear. He said more than once to call him back, anytime, if I had -any- questions, whether about Dolphins or not.

I was not able to find what I was looking for. And while this will no doubt cause some rolled eyeballs or groans, I wound up buying a used Racer Elite. (Why do people dis these so much? It's a great rig!)

Anyway. I recently found a Dolphin D-4 for sale. I wrote Mike to ask if a Sabre2 230 would fit, what mods the container would need based on DOM and s/n, etc. I had a response back THAT DAY.

Anyway, regarding canopy/container sizing, here's what Mike wrote me - again, about a D-4, but seems to me it'd apply to a D-3 as well.

The canopies you mentioned are only slightly larger than the canopies that were used to size the DOLPHIN D-4. However, the suspension lines on those canopies were Microline. If your canopies are rigged with Microline, I see no problem with them, because I've received many reports from riggers that they routinely put canopies into a DOLPHIN that are one or two sizes larger than those listed in our sizing chart. If your canopies are rigged with Dacron, the additional bulk may make packing pretty difficult. There are other factors which influence the bulk of a given canopy in a container, most notably temperature and humidity. A canopy that packs easily in a warm humid climate may be considerably more difficult when it's cold and dry.


Any company with that kind of support, customer service and dedication to the sport gets my vote, every time.

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary. Some assembly required. Offer void where prohibited by law.

Michael