Comments for Epic Introduces Measurement of Stiffness at http://www.surfski.info , comment 0 to 1 out of 1 comments http://www.surfski.info Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:36:22 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/238/156/#pc_397 Anybody who has paddle carbon and GRP versions of the same ski will know just how much stiffness affects the characteristics of a ski so stiffness is a meaningful metric. Looking at the Epic tests 2 thoughts spring to mind; 1. The degree of deflection is hugely dependant on the distance between the supports. If we want to make meaningful comparisons there must be a clear and strictly adhered to standard. ?About 5.5m? does not cut it. 2. I note that the ski in the Epic test is supported on 2 fairly narrow trestles so that the bearing areas on the hull are small. I was very surprised when I did my own crude comparative tests some time back just how much the hull surface is deflected inwards by the point load of the support. Given that the skin of skis with a heavier lay-up will deflect less it could well be that the hi spec skis were in fact longitudinally stiffer but showed greater displacement due to a higher skin deflection. In principle a stiffness standard is a good idea. Maybe Epic could make some suggestions as the measurement parameters. - SimonH Thu, 22 Jun 2006 20:24:38 +0100