what is the s-core technology - sel...

WHAT IS THE S-CORE TECHNOLOGY ?

SALOMON S-Core Project – Australia – August 2004

THE S-CORE TECHNOLOGY IN 90’’

Most of the WCT pro surfers have a blue board. Kieren Perrow: n°6 in the 2003 WCT is surfing on the blue board for all events.

Youth AdultsConsumer type

With this board you can use shorter specs while keeping a comfort in paddling and being more responsive.

The best is to try it! You have two options: you can go to the closest S-Core shop: they have some S-Core boards in test. You can visit the S-Core shapers who carry the S-Core technology.

1. The S-Core is a new generation of blank engineered by SALOMON.

2. This blank is shaped and finished like a traditional blank. The board shaped in a S-Core blank is much more responsive and much faster than a traditional board.

3. The difference comes from an “Inside-Out” engineering resulting in a composite carbon structure which allows to optimize the flex and the behaviour of the board.

4. Finally, you have a custom shaped board which is more reactive, faster and also lighter. Have a look!!


THE S-CORE TECHNOLOGY IN 5’

1. The S-Core is a new generation of blank engineered by SALOMON, with the input of the shapers.

2. The main objective for SALOMON was to work on how to improve the performance of Surfboards by using SALOMON know-how in composite materials and structures. SALOMON did focus his work and research on the inside of the blank and left the design of the board to the shapers, which is their real job. That’s why we have been working with some of the best shapers of the world like Eric Arakawa and Greg Webber to develop this new concept of pre-shaped blank.

3. We also have been working with professional surfers to validate the real gain in performance. A lots of pro surfers from the WCT and WQS are using the blue boards not because they have a financial contract with Salomon but only because they do feel a real benefit, both in terms of responsiveness and speed. Kieren Perrow: n°6 in the 2003 WCT is surfing on the blue board for all events.

4. So what makes the difference between a S-Core Surfboard and a traditional PU board ?

The difference is that a board shaped in a S-Core blank is much more responsive and much faster than a traditional board. You can fly over sections, get forward speed and dial radical maneuvers. It’s an explosive board ! In small waves, you always stay on the top of the water and never loose speed. In more consistent waves, you can make maneuvers easily like in smaller waves.

The big advantage is also the lightness which gives a more responsive board under your feet.


THE S-CORE TECHNOLOGY IN 5’5. In fact, the S-Core board is based on the « Twin Shell » structure compared to the PU and Sandwich surfboards which are

one piece surfboards. This Twin Shell has the big advantage to separate the 2 sides of the board : the “Top Shell” which allows the contact Foot / Board and the “Bottom Shell” which allows the contact Board / Water. To optimize the contact Foot / Board, we had to focus on comfort. That is the reason why the density of the Top Shell has been engineered to obtain a “soft” feeling under the feet. To optimize the overall performance, we had to use a stiff bottom for the contact Board / Water to maximize speed and responsiveness. The inside bottom of the core is laminated with Carbon to stiffen only this side of the board. Those 2 shells are linked lengthwise by 3 stringers giving a dampen feel to the board.

The principle of internal core in surfboards is completely new. For SALOMON, this is the future of surfboards, like today’s skis & snowboards which are all designed with an internal structure. The big advantage with the S-Core concept is that the inside core will evolve. We have today developed the first generation of S-Core which shows already a huge potential…… it’s only the beginning and we already think of new cores depending of the size of the board, the type of waves and the style of surfers.

6. How to get a S-Core board ? It’s easy. Shapers do order pre shapes to SALOMON who manufactures the S-Core blanks. They receive the blanks at their factory, shape them and finish them like a normal board. The only difference is the lamination : the laminator is using epoxy resin and not polyester resin. The epoxy resin has better mechanical properties than the polyester resin. For you to know, all other hi-tech fields like the Formula1 and aeronautic are both using epoxy resin and they dropped the polyester resin a long time ago.

7. To summarize, the S-Core is a new generation of blank engineered by SALOMON. This blank is shaped and finished like a traditional blank. The board shaped in a S-Core blank is much more responsive and much faster than a traditional board. The difference comes from an “Inside-Out” engineering resulting in a composite structure which allows to optimize the flex and the behaviour of the board.

8. The best is to try it ! You have two options: you can go to the closest S-Core shop: they have some S-Core boards in test. You can visit the S-Core shapers who work with the S-Core technology.


THE “TWIN SHELL” CONCEPT

TOP SHELL (Foot / Board contact)

BOTTOM SHELL (Board / Water contact)

FULL LENGTH INSIDE STRINGERS(Bottom / Top shell contact)=> DAMPENING

=> => COMFORT

=> SPEED & RESPONSIVENESS

The density of the foam has been engineered to obtain a “soft” feeling under the feet

The 2 shells are linked together lengthwise by 3 stringers giving a dampen feel to the board

The Top shell is laminated inside with fiberglass

The density of the foam has been engineered to obtain a “stiff bottom”

The inside is fully laminated with carbon to onlystiffen this side of the board


A structure that helps to optimize the flex and the performance of the board

THE FAQs ABOUT THE S-CORE - ANSWERS

1. How much does it cost ?High performance products comes out at a higher price. If you consider the internal structure, you have 2 boards in 1. A S-Core blank is much more Hi Tech than a traditional PU blank by using hi tech materials like carbon, optimized density foam, decompression valve…. Also you have to know that there is a lot of hand work to build a S-Core blank : foam cutting, 3D template, assembly of the shells : all those actions position the S-Core as very Hi Tech product. The Inside core and the materials used give to the board a high level of performance. The composite core allows the board to last longer. It’s a real investment : I prefer to have one really good board which last than two average boards which never last more than a year.That’s however very expensive !!For me there is no comparison with a traditional board: it’s really 2 different worlds. Would you nowadays play tennis with an old wooden tennis racket or with an actual one made of composite materials? Try the S-Core board and you will see !!!!

1. How to repair the S-Core board ? Like a normal board ?

For small dings, you can repair exactly the same way as a traditional board but using epoxy resinonly. You also can use a Solarez Epoxy Repair Kit available in all the good surf shops.



1. And if it does break in two ?Just to be crystal clear, S-Core Surfboards are not unbreakable. You have to handle it with the same amount of care as your traditional PU board : a S-Core board might break in 2 in the Shore Break for example.Kieren PERROW (N°6 on the WCT) normally breaks around 10 PU boards every winter in Hawaii. Last winter he surfed 99% of the time on S-Core and broke only 2.To compare the resistance of the S-Core versus the PU, we did some crash tests: a S-Core board is 10% stronger than a PU board.

4. S-Core boards are all blues ? Why this color ?

The raw foam used to build the S-Core blank is blue. We had the choice between different colors knowing that each color represent one density and resistance to denting. We choose the blue because this foam was the best ratio in terms of strength and performance. The blue color is in fact a good way to make the difference with the white PU surfboards. Also you can make a deco on a S-Core blank like a traditional board.


5. I can’t get a S-Core board at my specs !At this point in time you cannot have a fully personalized S-Core surfboard. However, the shapers are working on a full quiver with performance that may surpass the need for full custom board. In the future, you will be able to get an inside out custom board thing which is impossible with the other existing technologies.

6. It’s an Epoxy Board ! A sandwich board like Surftech !

A surfboard shaped in a S-Core blank is not an Epoxy Sandwich board. Epoxy boards technology is coming from windsurfing. It’s a board shaped from a full expended polystyrene foam (used for the core) wrapped in a sandwich layering using a high density foam like Airex. The expanded polystyrene foam has no mechanical properties. Also a ding or a crack on an Epoxy board quickly soaked up water, meaning it had to be decommissioned for at least a week to dry out before it could be fixed.

7. Are S-Core boards environmentally friendly?The foam used to built the core is approved by the most strict standards (German ones).

Extruded polystyrene foam can be recycled. To finish a S-Core blank, the shaping time is reduced compared to a normal PU blank. So the shaper does less dust per board shaped!

Moreover, SALOMON has attained the ISO 9002 standard, a European standard for environmental concerns that goes well beyond all US standards.



08. What kind of fin system can you apply?So far, we have tried FCS, Future Fin, Red X and Speed fin systems.

They are all working fine. Any kind of fin system can be used on a S-Core blank.



THE S-CORE VERSUS THE OTHERS

SALOMON S-Core Project – Australia – August 2004

THE S-CORE vs SURFTECH

• SURFTECH is a brand of surfboards manufactured by COBRA in Thailand.• They use the Tuflite® construction which is an old technology used by the windsurf industry.• The SURFTECH surfboards are Epoxy sandwich made surfboards.• Their positioning and claim : Lighter Stronger Proven.• SurfTech is signing license agreements with some famous shapers to duplicate their templates and use

them with their Tuflite® technology. So boards are not shaped by these shapers but they are just a copy.

THE S-CORE VERSUS OTHERS

Construction type: A core made of expanded polystyrene foam : very low mechanical properties (mostly used for packaging). This core is wrapped in a high density layer of foam (Airex) : very stiff and brown -> needs to be painted. Epoxy lamination.

+ Good resistance to dings+ Lightweight ness

- Molded surfboards – no custom made- Rigidity and comfort under feet- No foot print- Non hydrophobic core (when the board

absorbed some water, the board is dead)- This kind of construction is very limited in terms

of evolution- Expanded polystyren soaks up water: hard to

dry

THE S-CORE vs SURFTECH


Construction type: A core made of expanded polyurethane foam : very low mechanical properties (also used for isolation)

with a generally one centered wooden stringer for rigidity (acting like a beam). This core is wrapped in fiberglass with polyester resin. Main manufacturers : Clark Foam (California), Bennet (Australia), Burford (Australia).

+ 100% shapable/custom made+ Feeling under feet : the board has good

dampening properties while the deck enables the foot print

- Very old technology (about 40 years old)- Resistance to dings- Short lasting mechanical properties- Very limited in terms of evolution

THE S-CORE vs PU


Shaping Designing

++++Shapability ++-Mech. properties ++

+++Custom +++-Pot. of evolution +++

Customstructure


THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MATERIALS


FOAM

STRINGER

FIBER

RESIN

EXPANDED EXPANDED POLYURETHANEPOLYURETHANE

EXPANDED EXPANDED POLYSTYRENEPOLYSTYRENE

(+ layer of Airex)(+ layer of Airex)

EXTRUDED EXTRUDED POLYSTYRENEPOLYSTYRENE

11

WOOD WOOD ØØ 33

POLYPROPYLENEPOLYPROPYLENE

FIBER GLASSFIBER GLASS

POLYESTERPOLYESTER

FIBER GLASSFIBER GLASS FIBER GLASSFIBER GLASS

+ CARBON+ CARBON

EPOXYEPOXY EPOXYEPOXY

HOW TO POSITION THE S-CORE


The S-Core is not competing directly with the existing types of boards, it is complementary.

ENTRY BEGINNERS

PROSULTIMATE

SU

RF

LE

VE

LLOW END

RE

TA

IL P

RIC

EHIGH END

CRASH TEST MEASUREMENT (between S-Core and PU boards)

The S-Core surfboard is 1 0 % s t r o n g e r than a PU board (breakage spot = a wave breaking on the middle of the board)

Fo

rce

in

Kg

Dis p la c e m e n t in m m

PU bo a rd

S-C

ore

bo

ard

POINT OF BREAKAGE

4 1 ,9 m m – 3 1 7 k g

5 5 ,3 m m – 3 4 8 k g


what is the s-core technology - sel...

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