Building water ski's

[River Lynchmob]

I sorta have the concave figured out, all the older skis I have looked at used a table saw. Some of the newer ones most likely a custom shaper knife was used. Shoot a pic of your Jig and I'm sure I can figure it out by looking at it.

I figured you'd have a proto type that someone could ski on at Puddingstone this weekend...slacker :swear

 

[RiverDave]

Dylan, my miniboats are gonna get done before you ever get this 1st ski outta the mold.. WTF? What's the hold up here?

RD

 

[djunkie]

Dylan, my miniboats are gonna get done before you ever get this 1st ski outta the mold.. WTF? What's the hold up here?

RD

I like how how you said the mini boats and not the golf cart. :skull:skull

 

[whiteworks]

Dylan, my miniboats are gonna get done before you ever get this 1st ski outta the mold.. WTF? What's the hold up here?

RD

I got a thousand bucks cash says no chance in hell of that. You a gambleing man Dave? This week I have been working on my formal dining room, started out simple enough but I kinda went ape shit on it. I am now moving air conditioning ducts and fabricating a custom toe kick in the custom cabinets to vent the air through. This fucking room is gonna be off the hook. I opened up some walls, had to run some one off molding to replicate the damn near 100 year old door casings, cut the wall out and did raised panel wainscott, custom run of base board to match existing, custom cabinets between kitchen and dining room with raised panel on dining room side to match walls, custom built in corner china cabinet. I still need to build all the doors and drawer fronts, install said cabinets, paint said cabinets, have flooring installed, reface kitchen cabinets to match new custom shit, retrofit a dishwasher into existing kitchen, get counter tops fabricated, redrywall living room ceiling, design build and install custom ceiling treatment, have Selos custom texture ceiling, paint everything, manufacturer custom shutters for the rest of house, Install wood ceiling in my office, stain said ceiling, reinstall built in desk and finish to match all the other custom shit and a whole bunch of other shit. So in a nut shell building a one off water ski is not on the schedule this week unless you put up a grand and side track my ass.

Hows the new website coming

 

[Oz Dude]

Just sounds like your stalling :skull

In amongst all that custom fabrication, one little waterski shouldn't be much more effort

Oz

 

[RiverDave]

New website? You ever seen the movie the moneypit? "2 weeks". Lol. That's how it's coming.. Lol

on a side note I'm not giving ya a grand. I'll just say one of my minis will likely be able to pull a skier before you have a ski.

RD

 

[Wheeler]

Dylan, my miniboats are gonna get done before you ever get this 1st ski outta the mold.. WTF? What's the hold up here?

RD

Just 2 more weeks! Dave. BTW, where is your golf cart?

 

[RiverDave]

Just 2 more weeks! Dave. BTW, where is your golf cart?

Wired For Sound... Mini boat is getting gel finished up now! Dylan's running out of time..

RD

 

[hallett21]

So what happened WW? Did you make a complete one?!? Post up pics or at least an update

 

[Crazyhippy]

So what happened WW? Did you make a complete one?!? Post up pics or at least an update

Yeah, Dave is getting close with the mini's...:skull:champagne:

 

[RyanPartridge]

2 more weeks?

 

[Gelcoater]

New website? You ever seen the movie the moneypit? "2 weeks". Lol. That's how it's coming.. Lol

on a side note I'm not giving ya a grand. I'll just say one of my minis will likely be able to pull a skier before you have a ski.

RD

Maybe you shoulda taken that bet Dave

 

[whiteworks]

Just reread this thread to see where I left off LOL. I'm gonna get some luan and wood glue it together with clamps and see what happens. I have an idea on how to build an economical press that might do the trick or not Gonna follow my grandfathers advise on this one "right or wrong just do something"

Should be done in about 2 weeks

 

[hallett21]

Just reread this thread to see where I left off LOL. I'm gonna get some luan and wood glue it together with clamps and see what happens. I have an idea on how to build an economical press that might do the trick or not Gonna follow my grandfathers advise on this one "right or wrong just do something"

Should be done in about 2 weeks

can't wait to see it!

 

[Crazyhippy]

A month later...

And not quite 2 years after the initial post:headscratch:

 

[Tom Brown]

What glue should be used in the lamination process?

I've never built a ski but, if I were building one, I would definitely go with glue that is exterior grade.

 

[Mr. C]

You must be living in dog years or something.. It really isn't quite 2 weeks yet.....well in RD time that is.:champagne:

A month later...

And not quite 2 years after the initial post:headscratch:

 

[hallett21]

i wanna see it!!!!

 

[Carrera J]

Can't wait to see it!

 

[hallett21]

gettn impaciente lol

 

[whiteworks]

gettn impaciente lol

Sorry about the delay LOL. WW protoype generation 1 is in the mold curing for the weekend

 

[whiteworks]

Dylan, I will make you stainless steel fins for nothin $$$:thumbsup:thumbsup

Just went back through this thread, time has a way of slipping away at an ever increasing rate.

To Mr. Kenny Vaughn, I deeply regret that you cannot be apart of this project, that being said the passion that you shared with me for this stuff is deeply instilled in this little project. I was thinking about you today while in the shop drinking beer and working on this project just for the fun of it.

RIP my friend

 

[hallett21]

Sorry about the delay LOL. WW protoype generation 1 is in the mold curing for the weekend

Can't wait!

 

[whiteworks]

Can't wait!

I laid this one up short, gonna do a vert air style deal, actually this thing will be a tank weight wise but it might make a good plug for a mold

 

[djunkie]

Can't wait to see how this turns out. Hopefully it works well. Might have to get on the waiting list for one.

 

[obnoxious001]

I laid this one up short, gonna do a vert air style deal, actually this thing will be a tank weight wise but it might make a good plug for a mold

Nice to see you are back on it,, how thick did you make that one?

 

[whiteworks]

Nice to see you are back on it,, how thick did you make that one?

3/4"

 

[BOOM BOOM]

3/4"

I know this might be off topic but I need some help,could a guy use a old race ski to ski on,I came across a Fred Williams 79" slinky that is in good shape,don't want to spend 1000 + yet would this be smart or should I buy something newer? Thanks for any imput.

 

[whiteworks]

I know this might be off topic but I need some help,could a guy use a old race ski to ski on,I came across a Fred Williams 79" slinky that is in good shape,don't want to spend 1000 + yet would this be smart or should I buy something newer? Thanks for any imput.

I'll start with a disclaimer first "I dont know shit" now that we got that out of the way my opinion on this would be to save some money and go buy a new MAHA or DC if your going to go fast. There are tremendous loads placed on skis at speed, snapping one is not something that sounds fun, new badass skis can snap as well.

 

[obnoxious001]

I know this might be off topic but I need some help,could a guy use a old race ski to ski on,I came across a Fred Williams 79" slinky that is in good shape,don't want to spend 1000 + yet would this be smart or should I buy something newer? Thanks for any imput.

You could ski on it a few times if you can get it for free or next to nothing, but I think you will find that it's not going to be great if you are seriously going to try and race, depending on your age and class. You should be able to find used race skis for a few hundred dollars or so. I may be able to help you find something, I know some racers who no longer race. My own Maha is not for sale, in case I get the urge to go use it again.

 

[Crazyhippy]

I know this might be off topic but I need some help,could a guy use a old race ski to ski on,I came across a Fred Williams 79" slinky that is in good shape,don't want to spend 1000 + yet would this be smart or should I buy something newer? Thanks for any imput.

I bought an old Murdoch when I was first getting started. Same basic idea, it will work for now type deal. I used it my first race day, and was on a borrowed Maha for day 2. The Maha is sooo much nicer of a ski to race on...

That said, my old Murdoch was my "training" and "play" ski for a long time (until i got a 360). It isn't a modern race ski, but it is still solid running 60 or so (which was hauling ass prior to that first race). I still dig it out on occasion just as a fun cruiser.

 

[BOOM BOOM]

3/4"

You could ski on it a few times if you can get it for free or next to nothing, but I think you will find that it's not going to be great if you are seriously going to try and race, depending on your age and class. You should be able to find used race skis for a few hundred dollars or so. I may be able to help you find something, I know some racers who no longer race. My own Maha is not for sale, in case I get the urge to go use it again.

Thanks I would like to get something, I want to go cruising,no race's here in Michigan,always wanted to start one from lake Huron to Lake Saint Clair and back,35 miles each way it would be a great venue.If you have a line on a ski,give me a shout,I'll keep looking at tha classifieds,size 11-12 bindings.Thanks

 

[obnoxious001]

I know this might be off topic but I need some help,could a guy use a old race ski to ski on,I came across a Fred Williams 79" slinky that is in good shape,don't want to spend 1000 + yet would this be smart or should I buy something newer? Thanks for any imput.

Thanks I would like to get something, I want to go cruising,no race's here in Michigan,always wanted to start one from lake Huron to Lake Saint Clair and back,35 miles each way it would be a great venue.If you have a line on a ski,give me a shout,I'll keep looking at tha classifieds,size 11-12 bindings.Thanks

I guess your first post was not real clear, we thought you meant you wanted to race. If you can get a good deal on the Fred Williams, it's probably fine for just "cruising"

 

[BOOM BOOM]

I guess your first post was not real clear, we thought you meant you wanted to race. If you can get a good deal on the Fred Williams, it's probably fine for just "cruising"

Would a ski like that be good for 60-65 mph?

 

[obnoxious001]

Would a ski like that be good for 60-65 mph?

We kind of have done some serious thread jacking here, but it would probably be fine for that, not sure if you ski wrapped up or with your hands out front, and if the ski has any rocker in it. Even a Maha 360 (70" long) is capable of being skied at those speeds, but it won't be as easy as a longer ski.

 

[BOOM BOOM]

We kind of have done some serious thread jacking here, but it would probably be fine for that, not sure if you ski wrapped up or with your hands out front, and if the ski has any rocker in it. Even a Maha 360 (70" long) is capable of being skied at those speeds, but it won't be as easy as a longer ski.

Thanks for the advice,I will kill this now.thanks.sorry for jacking the thread.

 

[whiteworks]

So we pulled Gen 1 prototype from the mold, and learned some things.

1. I laid this one up short in the mold, will move the next one up a bit for more nose.
2. I got a bit more spring back than I anticipated, however I think that by pre-bending the wood before lay up will tone this down a bit.
3. its really stiff and strong.
4. will lay a few more dummys up before breaking out the hardwood.

all in all things went well, I am going to make my press now and also a steam box to pre form the hardwood versions. Fairly happy with the shape but I can tune the mold a bit as I see fit. I think that I will shape a few dummies and coat them for water testing, lighter and stronger will come with hardwood versions and proper pressure during layup.

 

[whiteworks]

This shit cracks me up, Im doing my homework on glues and I have been lead back to this thread several times from various locations on the web LOL.Try for yourself, search out building water ski's, this thread has the most comprehensive knowledge on the web (funny and sad at the same time) So as it sits we have many types of glues available on the market, urea-formaldahyde, epoxy, resorcinol and I'm sure several others. As I read spec sheets on different types of glues there are several things to consider, these plastic resin (urea-formaldehyde) types seem to fit the bill, but reading different forums with different people using different glues and having result that vary widely has me scratching my head LOL. Sometimes the people are just morons and not mixing the shit right, others are trying to use them in the wrong temperatures, the problems that are posted are absolutely endless and my overall respect for the general trades men out there is dwindling at an ever increasing level. I figured maybe looking into bow making websites, one fucking clown was asking about using liquid nails LOL. Its quite comical honestly, I guess I should call some product manufacturers and talk to some reps, sounds like a pleasant way to spend an afternoon huh? I used tight bond III for the dummie, its cheap and will hold OK, that being said it has a tendency to creep and not hold its form (more spring back) when under load and I don't see it holding up on the long haul. the resorcinol's seem to be purple and I don't recall seeing any purple shit on the joints on any of the wood skis I have ever seen. The Epoxies sound great but the down fall seems to be the brittleness and with flex I can see it breaking down. So heres the deal, I need solid intel on the correct adhesive, as this deal is about to start costing some dollars, hardwood gets pricey, I have to build a press, and then once everything is in place build some real shit and play around with shapes, contours, lengths, widths ect.. there is going to be a large pile of expensive firewood before this is over LOL.

On a high note I have decided to go with one piece billet drop through skags, yeah they will most likely be expensive but who gives a shit LOL Im thinking there will be over $300 in material in a ski, and dont even get me started on the labor and investment of equipment, I can see why custom wood skis cost big bucks, I don't think anyone is getting rich making them LOL. So if any of you that may be reading this train wreck of a thread have some real information on the correct adhesive and feel it in your heart to shoot me a PM that would be just great and I will not forget the favor, if not Ill figure it out on my own the hard$$$ way LOL.

 

[CampbellCarl]

So we pulled Gen 1 prototype from the mold, and learned some things.

1. I laid this one up short in the mold, will move the next one up a bit for more nose.
2. I got a bit more spring back than I anticipated, however I think that by pre-bending the wood before lay up will tone this down a bit.
3. its really stiff and strong.
4. will lay a few more dummys up before breaking out the hardwood.

all in all things went well, I am going to make my press now and also a steam box to pre form the hardwood versions. Fairly happy with the shape but I can tune the mold a bit as I see fit. I think that I will shape a few dummies and coat them for water testing, lighter and stronger will come with hardwood versions and proper pressure during layup.

Are you accepting applications for the test dummy position or do you have any candidates in mind?..............................For some reason Lynch pops into mind.

 

[Crazyhippy]

Are you accepting applications for the test dummy position or do you have any candidates in mind?..............................For some reason Lynch pops into mind.

<---- raises hand... I is dummy good.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

[whiteworks]

Are you accepting applications for the test dummy position or do you have any candidates in mind?..............................For some reason Lynch pops into mind.

I do have a test rider to provide feedback and if I get the time to play in the shop I hope to have some real shit box skis getting wet soon.

 

[whiteworks]

Doing a little lumber shopping, I have somehing in mind and its gonna be a hunt.

 

[obnoxious001]

This could be fun!

 

[rivergames]

Make sure you work out the kinks first before my Custom WW Zebra wood ski with hand laid gold flake lettering gets laid up

 

[whiteworks]

I bought some amazing certified aircraft grade spruce today, this stuff is so clean and tight vertical grain its amazing. Expensive is an understatement (damn near $200 a board) lol not touching this stuff until I figure some stuff out lol.

Also purchased a steam generator, but still need to make a box. Then I started playing around with some rice paper graphics, never tried it before but my little expierament went well.

Ordered some aluminum for the fins, should start messing with that next week.

 

[River Lynchmob]

Are you accepting applications for the test dummy position or do you have any candidates in mind?..............................For some reason Lynch pops into mind.

Hey...I resemble that comment!

 

[CampbellCarl]

Hey...I resemble that comment!

Oh hell, I didn't mean you.........................I meant Jack..........................

 

[whiteworks]

Oh hell, I didn't mean you.........................I meant Jack..........................

Jack will fuck you up Carl LOL

 

[bump]

Hey, this was pretty interesting and I'm not complaining but just wondering how it goes.

 

[Riverbound]

He used all his waterski material to make wood shutters.