How I would use Skinz

General Discussion
1

Someone asked…

Skinz is nylon unwoven cloth.  Comes in weights between  0.5oz and 2.5oz.

The best way to use it is between layers of structural cloth, just like puting divynicel foam between cloths.

 

You can contact Justin to buy it:   justin@graphitemaster.com

I think they only sell roles, but it’s dirt cheap.

Here’s two ways I recommend:
(from foam outward…the order you lay them down)

 

deck    3oz 45glass / 1oz skinz / 3oz glass
bottom  3oz 45glass /  3oz glass

no bagging needed

 

deck   2oz Innegra / 1oz skinz / Xglass
bottom 2oz Innegra /  Xglass

better with bagging but not necessary

#2 is about 20% more flexible than #1

#1 works for chips (comparable feel to single 4oz top and bottom with patches…but more durable…and actually slightly better performance)

#2 works best for “hybrid” boards…like a Xanadu Pig2, or Firewire Dominator, or CI Pod…these boards do not have a good response with their current construction (double 4 top, single 4 bottom, or equiv sandwich).  They are too thick for normal construction.  Go with something more flexible like #2 and the board will become alive.

I would do #1 on 2lb foam with 1/8" stringer…since you’re doing #1 to copy that classic performance feel.

I would do #2 on 1.5lb foam without a stringer.

 

The question was about Skinz, which you can only get at Graphite Master…so I ended up listing all materials that you can buy from Graphite Master.  You need to get 3oz Impact glass in a 50" roll, so that you can turn it 45degress.  X glass already comes at 45 degrees, so the roll is only 24" …I think.

You can find comparable materials in other places of course, but it will take some searching.

 

cheers!

2

nice one ben!

and for europe, do you have any idea? europe is a bitch to live in for this sort of stuff.

wouter

3

Ben, what properties does Skinz offer to the strenght of board lamination?

4

Hi Greg,

in order of importance.

It thickens the laminate. More importantly it adds a gap between two structural cloths. The separation of two structural cloths, increases buckle resistance and reduces pressure dings

It adds toughness. Toughness is the energy required to break. Whereas strength is the load (lbs) required to break.

Glass is strong, but not tough, That’s why cracks propagate through a window very easily. You have to add a plastic to glass so that cracks don’t grow out of control. They do this with windows, and you can apply the same principal with surfboards.

Most importantly! It does these two things without making the board stiffer. 1 and 2 can be done with about any other cloth, but they will also stiffen the board.

If you want a stiff board, don’t use Skins.

5

Benjamin…from reading your posts, both skinz and innegra are used as skin thickeners (lightweight bulkers). How would you describe the difference between the two. I am trying to decide on which to use 'tween two layers 4oz, for a shortboard deck (mainly for heel dents). Thanks. 

6

 

The 2.2oz Innegra will reduce heel dents more than 2.2oz Skinz.  However, Innegra will stiffen the board more than Skinz. 

Off the top of my head, 2.2oz Innegra is about 10% the stiffness of 4oz glass.  And 2.2oz Skinz is about 1% the stiffness of  4oz glass.  Stiffness is the inverse of Flex   (stiffness = 1/Flex).  Therefore 2.2oz Skinz is 100 times more flexible than 4oz glass and 2.2oz Innegra is 10 times more flexible than 4oz glass.

People think stiffness as a bad thing, but it’s not.  You just need the right amount of stiffness (the right amount of flex).   Which is to say, you need the right amount of glass and Innegra and Skinz to achieve the desirable level of stiffness/flex.

Unless the board is foiled down to what pro surfers ride, it is likely that the double4 top single4 bottom is already too stiff for your rider.  Not that the rider has complained, but that if you went about 10% more flexible, he would be even more stoked.   If you add Innegra, you’re going in the opposite direction of flex.  With skinz, you’re staying pretty much the same.

 

The simplest solution would be to just cut Innegra round patches for the feet and rotate them 45degrees.  Place it between the layers  45deg fibers don’t add that much stiffness.

You’re not protecting the whole deck, but you’ll increase the longevity of the board’s performance.  This also prevents the laminate from cracking around the stringer…which is really important.  Water hitting foam is not a big deal for performance, but water getting to wood is devasting for performance.  The stringers damping and stiffness characteristics can change by 50% with relatively low saturation levels.

 

Hope that helps!

7

Oh now !. Thanks to aeronautic, space, hi performance composite and hi quality organic chemical industry we have really good product in Europe !. They just don’t have same name !.