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Carbon foil cosmetic quality

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Wazza Foil
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Carbon foil cosmetic quality

Postby Wazza Foil » Tue Apr 03, 2018 8:49 am

I am new to carbon race foil quality and what to expect.
Are these foils all nice and shinny without manufacturing visual defects eg scratches, filling due to air holes, protruding screw heads etc.
Is it up to the user to smooth out surfaces of these pricy foils or they ready to go?

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Re: Carbon foil cosmetic quality

Postby gmb13 » Tue Apr 03, 2018 9:19 am

Most Race foils on the Market are delivered nice and shinny (mold release) which is not really what you are looking for. You will need to sand them to a matte finish to get the most out of them. Also you will usually have a few imperfections and pinholes which will need filling. I have tested a lot of Race foils in the last 3 years, and so far I have never gotten one with a perfect finish.

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Re: Carbon foil cosmetic quality

Postby plummet » Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:22 am

gmb13 wrote:
Tue Apr 03, 2018 9:19 am
Most Race foils on the Market are delivered nice and shinny (mold release) which is not really what you are looking for. You will need to sand them to a matte finish to get the most out of them. Also you will usually have a few imperfections and pinholes which will need filling. I have tested a lot of Race foils in the last 3 years, and so far I have never gotten one with a perfect finish.

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Gunnar

That just seems a bit fucked. I understand why but non the less its still fucked.

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Re: Carbon foil cosmetic quality

Postby cwood » Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:15 pm

Going carbon is a process if you want consistent performance. They are subject to rock and hard surface damage and nicks etc. Once you feel a perfect one you won't want to touch anything else so it becomes self fulfilling. When I ride an aluminum rig they feel broken....literally like there is something wrong with them. The tolerances and assembly and materials are all a compromise, while with carbon, the compromise is the fact that you can't beat the shit out of them and expect them to perform.
My Moses stuff has always been rideably perfect and almost perfect cosmetically out of the box....but unless you are in perfect fluffy sand all the time you will eventually be doing some repairs and smoothing. Its's really easy and don't be intimidated if you have even basic skills with sandpaper.
If what you want is something you can treat like a twintip and throw in the trunk etc....carbon is not for you. Just don't ride one properly prepped and you won't know what you are missing and still get many of the benefits and thrills of foiling!

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Re: Carbon foil cosmetic quality

Postby Mossy 757 » Tue Apr 03, 2018 2:33 pm

plummet wrote:
Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:22 am
gmb13 wrote:
Tue Apr 03, 2018 9:19 am
Most Race foils on the Market are delivered nice and shinny (mold release) which is not really what you are looking for. You will need to sand them to a matte finish to get the most out of them. Also you will usually have a few imperfections and pinholes which will need filling. I have tested a lot of Race foils in the last 3 years, and so far I have never gotten one with a perfect finish.

--
Gunnar

That just seems a bit fucked. I understand why but non the less its still fucked.
You think it's bad on a $2500 hydrofoil, you should see what dudes do to their bottoms/rudders/keels on brand new factory race boats before they hit the race course. I can't avoid the notion that race foils don't come perfectly faired because everyone just recognizes that racers are too neurotic to trust a factory finish and are going to mess with them anyway. Applying some sort of high-end finish that will get removed before the first time the foil gets wet just seems redundant and in the way. When I joined the military, step 1 to shining your shoes was to use shaving cream to strip off the factory coating so you could apply the wax polish directly into the grain of the leather; seems an appropriate analogy to finishing carbon fiber, why start with the factory finish when you can just start from a sandable base?

That said, I'd bet most consumers aren't as nutty about their carbon foils as racers, it'd be nice if a few brands looked amazing out of the box and had something more durable than filler-primer as a top coat.

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Re: Carbon foil cosmetic quality

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:36 pm

I think you have to expect some small or big pinholes on the "non surface" areas, like the box connections fuselage or board, no problems at all with this.

On the surfaces, there can be some smaller issues, but most often nothing you would complain about.

What is PERFECT ?

As said by racers, they sand (and maybe paint) them down anyways, so doesnt matter as long as the profile is picture perfect.

For freeriders, some prefer the total glossy finish - looks awesome.

Whether the matte surfaces ARE better in any noticeable respect, or not, for non racers, still has to be proven actually :roll:

Some brands deliver them slightly matte now, so there is no discussion, great :thumb:

It is still a relatively low cost product, no matter what we think individually, so some minor cosmetic flaws must be expected.

It you seriously think it seems "wrong" - ask the supplier - they are in my experience always very keen on being objective on these things, and not let you down if they feel "embarrassed" of what they delivered, or being real and tell you if it does not mean anything (and then you can always seek advice here if you dont agree).

8) Peter


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