Surfboards more responsive tougher with Innegra fiber

Surfboards more responsive tougher with Innegra fiber

Industry News Surfers Experience A More Responsive, Tougher Board Thanks To Innegra Fiber Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 24 August, 2009 : - - Surfers, shapers, surf shop owners and even competitive surfers are beginning to take advantage of the responsive ride and tougher boards made with Innegra™ fiber. “It takes the chop out of the wave, combining the impact resistance of epoxy surfboards with the softness of polyurethane boards. It’s all about the feel,” said Arnaud Bezat, owner of Abezat Surfboards in the Netherlands. The fabric not only gives a better ride, but also adds incredible toughness to the boards. “I had it in my booth at Surf Expo 2008 and gave a hammer to everyone who came into the booth. Nobody could ding it. Then one guy asked if it would stand up to driving his truck over it, so we went out into the parking lot and drove over the board twice. It looked great!” said Roy Scafidi, owner of Island Surfboards and Oceansports World in Cocoa Beach. Scafidi has made and sold boards to Ron Jon Surf Shop where they are taking advantage of the durability in their rental boards. This durability gives you more time on the water and less time repairing your board! The fiber is the lightest composite reinforcement fiber available as well as one of the toughest. It is currently used in ballistic protection, high performance ropes, and a variety of composites including winning Formula One race cars with Technical Partner, Brawn GP Formula One Team. Scafidi of Oceansports World has also supplied Innegra fabrics to NASA engineers for testing in various applications where light weight and toughness is mission critical. These key advantages, in addition to its compatibility with many thermoset composite application methods are making it the fiber of choice for many demanding applications… including surfboards. On the West Coast, here’s what Joe Virgilio and George Gall from Plus One Surf had to say, "Innegra? Amazing. This stuff couldn't have come at a better time. Innegra is making us rethink how we make boards... ...we are just starting to see the potential." A team rider from a major, international brand commented, “My new Innegra board was so light and so responsive, when it rips for 100 surfs I’ll be convinced.” Hank Johns, co-owner of Graphite Master and SIMA board member said," A surfboard's flex and re-flex are what surfers feel (or don't feel) on the face of the wave. Innegra's significant property for surfboards is its dynamic tenacity. We will be investing a lot in this technology and really believe Innegra can represent a paradigm shift in custom board design." Through his distributorship he'll be selling Innegra fabrics to builders on the west coast as well as internationally. Also, Resin Research’s Greg Loehr offered his support by saying, "Many advanced composite materials have been used to build custom surfboards, but most haven't really made their way into the mainstream consumer market. I think Innegra has the opportunity to break through this barrier of "tradition" the way epoxy has. Innegra has the characteristics necessary to become a commercial success in surfboards: it is obviously incredibly tough, has unique flex characteristics, and best of all is the fact it is lighter than glass or resin and even lighter than carbon or Kevlar®.” Innegra’s advantages are being felt in the paddleboard market too according to Bob Boeche at Diamond Glassing. "A growing, important part of our custom glassing business is Stand Up Paddleboards. SUP'S from our customers like Stu Kenson Surfboards are evolving at a very fast pace. Their larger size puts a greater demand on weight than any other type of board. We've learned to maximize the strength-to-weight ratios. Glass is great , but the ultralight weight of Innegra is awesome. We are going to solve paddlestrike dings and rail cancer without adding weight or the costs of carbon." Boards are currently available from Oceansports World, Plus One Surf, and Abezat Surfboards in the Netherlands. Others soon to be offering boards are Diamond Glassing and Stu Kenson Surfboards in southern California, Gzero Boardsports in Brazil and Hellfish in Australia, UWL Surfboards in France and many more by the end of 2009. Fabrics are currently available from weavers Absecon Mills, BGF, J B Martin, and Lewcott and distributors Graphite Master, Oceansports World, and Advanced Composite Technology in North America as well as Colan Industries in Australia. The fabrics are compatible with standard surfboard manufacturing and are most effectively used next to the foam with a cover layer of glass over the graphics. Click here to see video of an Innegra built surfboard run over by a truck Innegrity manufactures high performance Innegra™ fiber for use in ballistic, composite and rope applications. The fiber delivers light weight and toughness at a cost that is reasonable compared to other high performance fibers, and has been used in combination with carbon, aramid and polyethylene fibers. Innegra fiber is being tested in sporting goods applications from tennis racquets, bicycle frames, baseball bats, kayaks, canoes and more. The company was founded in 2004, began pilot manufacturing in 2007 and started full-scale production in early 2009 in their 120,000 square foot facility in Mauldin, SC. Mark Shioleno; 1312 Old Stage Road, Simpsonville, SC 29681; 864...; 864-373-7080fax; mark.shioleno@innegrity.com