Ski Builders Forum

I just received a bunch of fiberglass from Raka and they sent me different stuff from last time. I didn't notice the difference until I was cutting it to size. The stitching is a bit different and it felt stiffer and heavier than the previous stuff. I weighed out some small sections and the old stuff was 20.3 oz/yd and the new stuff weighed in at 26 oz/yd. I talked to the guy at Raka and he said they don't sell anything heavier than 22 oz. and that different manufacturers material can vary a bit. He said there's always a bit of a difference. On their website they sell 20oz and 22oz. I'm guessing the previous order was the 20 and my new order was the 22. I only weighed out about 100 square inches, so I don't have that much confidence in my numbers. I was wondering why on my last batch of skis I was using noticeably less epoxy. I thought it was just the hot summer temperatures though.

So...has anyone got a chance to compare these two different weights? I'm going to use the new material but I don't know what to expect. And of course the next few pairs of skis are for friends. I won't ski be skiing them, and now I don't now what I will be giving them. So much for trying to make consistent skis. My more recent skis have had thicker cores and I was worried about them being too stiff....but they weren't. I guess because I used lighter glass. Can I assume that the heavier weight glass will make about a 9-10% stiffer ski? Any suggestions?

I used a 2,5- 11,5- 2,5 poplar wood core with maple sidewalls, with two layers of triaxial 26 oz, one above and one below the core. The skis are really stiff. At 165 cm, they are a bit stiffer than my father's 175cm Fischer Progressor RC4 (2007, at the time when this line was downhill skis) So I suggest that you get a thinner core, or they will propably be way too hard.

26 will be stiff.