Dive Hats - Composite

A History of the Superlite

Contributed by Bev Morgan

 


MOMITS Dive Hat Collection

Museum Of Man In The Sea

Panama, Fl.

 

 

Another

Miller ?

 

The work of Robert Miller

Fiberbrass...

June 2006 - My name is Robert Miller. I built these hats in the mid 80's. I sold several mostly to friends. I recently contacted one who was a superintendent for a marine construction company. I asked him how the hat worked out. He said it was a little difficult to get on, but once on it worked great! In fact, all the divers at a diving company loved it and it got stolen from him. This made me take them out of storage and rethink about why I had stopped making them. One reason was lack of funding. Marketing such a product in the 80's was a lot more expensive. The internet has changed that picture tremendously. The other problem was the neck ring was hand-laid fiberglass and it was taking as much time to make the neck ring as the helmet. I also was not satisfied with the hardware and was at dead-end on how to proceed. I've solved this problem with an all metal neck ring. The one picture of the air hat shows the unique o-ring groove which the neck dam seals to. Both hats are very light and close fitting. I call the demand hat MV VII. The MV stands for minimum volume and the VII for the seventh hat in an evolution till I got it right. These helmets incorporate a built in weight placement that I believe was the first to balance the weight opposing the air spaces in the helmet. The result was a hat that you could swim with like you had a dive mask on. Any interest out there?

 

 

Comex X-Lite 3
Pictures and text contributed by Andrew "Mud" Burke
G'day, here are some photos of an X-Lite3 Helmet. It incorporates the T9 open circuit demand regulator that could be upgraded to the T92 Combined Breathing Unit by adding a conversion kit. It was purchased just prior to Comex Pro ceasing the production of personal divers equipment and as such was probably the last helmet sold by them in this configuration. It is helmet number 278.
 

 

 

Genisis II
Courtesy of C Hamlin
First Genisis in North America
Available from Baytech

 

From Rob Krul
Krasberg reclaim helmet
Rob thinks this hat is about 25 years old but he'snot sure. He's looking for more info.
You can email him here.

 

Also from Rob
Piel EP 300
Made in France about 30 years ago. The strange thing about this helmet is the window and a very small micro
regulator on the right side. This helmet is a constant flow type helmet.
 

 

Spiderman Superlite 27 - R Landry


Oceaneering
Rat Hat

Pics courtesy of
J Klein








POMMEC
Dive hat from Holland. Only about 25 were built around 1985.
Courtesy of robkrul@zonnet.nl




First 37 picture
Courtesy of H Aguilar, and he says - Just got it! Really sweet!



Aquadyne DM-5
Aquadyne and Comex pics courtesy of Hank Fannin


Comex Band Mask
With removable face plate




Vintage pic of a Vintage hat

My old Savoie. More bottom time than whale shit. But I screwed up and sold it to a guy they used to call "spare parts".

-----Richard Mayfield

 
If God had wanted Texan's to dive...
Danny Hamons's Lone Star Superlite 17
Excellent paint by Kevin Fadeski 




The Dräger CCBS 450 helmet, which is based on a KMB 17B. 
The helmet was developed mid 80's and performed to the strict norwegian rules for offshore equipment (NPD, DNV).

Based on a KMB modified and supplied shell the helm was equipped with Dräger designed inhalation and exhalation regulators.
Beside this a numer of safety devices and emergency equipment was added.

The helmet is part of a breathing gas system recirculating the exhaled gas to the surface and after reconditioning returns it back to the diver.
The helm features extremly low WOB (0,9 J/ltr) and efficiency.




Excellent shot of a Swindell air hat.
Courtesy of  John Hargreaves

 

 

From F. Hite:

Here are some pics of my Swindell. I've been diving it since 1992.

 



   Helmax Model SS-B
Built by George Wymer
of Safety Sea Systems

circa 1984
Courtesy of Steve Hambley


A couple more Helmaxs

Courtesy of the Diving Heritage Museum

 

Deep Sea Light Weight Hat
Models A & B

 Hats mfd by Nautiek
Pictures from  Jan de Groot


 



Aquadyne AH-3
Courtesy of Magnus Lundbeck
 


Aquadyne DMC 7
Courtesy of John Durham
Durham Diving Services
 


US Navy Mark XII from 1980
Photos Magnus Lundbeck
 


Carson Hat
Courtesy of Steve Struble
 


Jack Brown Mask
Courtesy of Steve Struble

 


Savoie
With fiberglass shell
Courtesy of M. Lundbeck
 


KMB 8
With clamshell
Courtesy of Steve Struble
 


KMB 9
ca. 1975
Courtesy of Steve Struble
 


Rat Hat
Pre-production prototype from late 60's or early 70's
Courtesy of Steve Struble
 


Superlite 16
Essentially a bandmask with a bolt-on clamshell and handle
with which a yoke and neck dam similar to that of the SL-17 was used.
This hat is missing the yoke.
Courtesy of Steve Struble


 
Robert McGowan's Superlite 16 after two year re-build

 


Superlite 17
Chad's Silver Bullet
Courtesy of C. Weemhoff
 


Nice 17 with brass knobs & reg cover.
Miller conversion underway...
How about now?
Courtesy of B. Henley
 


Superlite 17
The Badger
Brand new never been wet, replacing a hat that went overboard.
This hat has a new style composite neck yoke - not fiberglass.
Courtesy of the Badger
 


Superlite 17 K
Courtesy of A. Bringuard
 


Superlite 27
Courtesy of S. Roark



Superlite 27
An older 27 from the early 90's which has been rebuilt and refurbished.
Should have seen the "Before" pics - it was ratty.
Courtesy of J Novaes



Superlite 27
Custom paint
Courtesy of  Donny The Rat



Swindell
An early model without the additional upward looking view port
Courtesy of Steve Struble
 


US Divers Comm Hat 1
ca. 1970's
Courtesy of Steve Struble
 

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