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Ski Design and Homemade Skis

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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Anyone out there interested in getting into the microbrew ski industry? if so what does it take to be succesful. Post any homemade skis and designs for opinions as well.
Nov 24 2011 3:21PM
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jca
Posts: 4162 - Karma: 6,261
http://www.on3pskis.com/history/
http://skibuilders.com/

there's also a super detailed ON3P thread that Scott made after his first year of selling skis, ill try to find it.
Nov 24 2011 3:25PM
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304NordMan
Posts: 2980 - Karma: 521

CT_CREW made a sick pair of skis a couple years ago.

Click for larger image

Nov 24 2011 3:36PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Thank you so much! +k for sure
Nov 26 2011 3:41PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Do they still make skis?
Nov 26 2011 3:43PM
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ken1237
Posts: 140 - Karma: 22
bump

Nov 26 2011 3:48PM
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e.will
Posts: 1981 - Karma: 967
HG Skis

Nov 26 2011 3:59PM
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304NordMan
Posts: 2980 - Karma: 521
lol no i was refering to an ns member. this is the only pair he's made, but if you're looking for info he'd probably be glad to help you.
Nov 26 2011 4:08PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
oh gotcha haha thanks for the info! +k
Nov 26 2011 4:13PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Those are some fresh designs! If you dont mind a few questions how did you market your products when you guys first stated out?
Nov 26 2011 4:15PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Oh my bad i thought you were the company disregard that
Nov 26 2011 4:16PM
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ken1237
Posts: 140 - Karma: 22
BUMPPPP

Nov 28 2011 10:26PM
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4197 - Karma: 10,366
http://www.skibuilders.com

BAM.
Nov 28 2011 10:27PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
thanks dawwwg... anyone know how much it will cost to make one pair of park skis roughly?
Nov 29 2011 9:37PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
thanks dawwwg... anyone know how much it will cost to make one pair of park skis roughly?
Nov 29 2011 9:37PM
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rooftop
Posts: 110 - Karma: 8
$10
Nov 29 2011 10:11PM
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I.B
Posts: 8137 - Karma: 24,354
threads, i'm going to start pressing my own skis soon.

I need a job and some money to get the materials and what not, but i'm going to do it. I'm sick of skis breaking and me not being able to not get a nother pair
Nov 29 2011 10:16PM
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E__
Posts: 5751 - Karma: 4,633
http://www.facebook.com/upriseski
Check it out it's my cousins and friends company that they started almost a year ago I think, they might be in the same situation as you but it's worth a try to contact them.
Nov 29 2011 10:35PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Thanks! +k
Nov 29 2011 10:51PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Alright thanks! but then how do ski companies bring in profit and so forth because i dont see to many skis out there that are around a grand?
Nov 29 2011 10:53PM
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monkatizer
Posts: 4704 - Karma: 1,518
get another icon!!!!!
Nov 29 2011 10:54PM
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I.B
Posts: 8137 - Karma: 24,354
making one pair of skis may cost $1000 but making 2000 pairs of skis may cost $100000.

Making one dvd may cost $12, making 50,000 may cost $1.50 per dvd.

That's how it works.

And there are skis that sell upwards of $1000.


If you start to make skis, you will not suceed in mass marketing. not to be mean or anything but you will not be the next K2 because of these things

1. Experiance, you simply don't have the experience to make great bombproof skis that are availible today for the same price you will be selling yours
2. cost, the price of your skis will be over $500 from what i estimate. And people arn't willing to drop $500 on a new brand.
3. Name recognition, no know ones you, no one will know you unless you do somethign about it. people are comfortable with who they know



SOrry for being an asshole. but do it for the love of making skis, not selling them. If you do intern for someone who already has most of the kinks fixxed up.

Nov 29 2011 11:14PM
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I.B
Posts: 8137 - Karma: 24,354
making one pair of skis may cost $1000 but making 2000 pairs of skis may cost $100000.

Making one dvd may cost $12, making 50,000 may cost $1.50 per dvd.

That's how it works.

And there are skis that sell upwards of $1000.


If you start to make skis, you will not suceed in mass marketing. not to be mean or anything but you will not be the next K2 because of these things

1. Experiance, you simply don't have the experience to make great bombproof skis that are availible today for the same price you will be selling yours
2. cost, the price of your skis will be over $500 from what i estimate. And people arn't willing to drop $500 on a new brand.
3. Name recognition, no know ones you, no one will know you unless you do somethign about it. people are comfortable with who they know



SOrry for being an asshole. but do it for the love of making skis, not selling them. If you do intern for someone who already has most of the kinks fixxed up.

Nov 29 2011 11:14PM
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Poikenz
Posts: 1406 - Karma: 3,131
He is obviously talking start up cost, etc. I feel like you should take a business/ economics class. The more skis you sell the more you will profit. There are fixed costs (costs that never change- machines,etc.) and there are variable costs (raw materials needed- changes with levels of production).
So it might cost $1000 to make the first pair, but considerably less to make the second pair, and so on until you break even and start profiting.
Nov 29 2011 11:21PM
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4197 - Karma: 10,366
Making one ski does not cost a grand.

The raw materials cost approx $150 dollars per pair of skis, the problem is the material is usually bought in bulk.

Find a local machine shop to cut cores and such unless you have a bansaw and a planer (all that is really needed).

Actually pressing the ski can either be done with an expensive press, or can also be done by putting shit tons of weight on the ski like such:

Sandbags
Sandbags
Sandbags
Top mold
Ski materials
Bottom mold

Get creative, as long as you can find someone to sell you small amounts of base material, topsheet (not truly needed), etc... you could build a pair of skis for about $300 at the most. My dad buys in bulk and already has all the machine/tools so it comes out to $150 a pair.
Nov 29 2011 11:23PM
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Literature
Posts: 13673 - Karma: 3,086
Make an accurate, fairly high estimate, and double it.

That's what it will cost to do it right if you're starting from scratch.

The big issue is: you could put together skis for $300, but do you really want to ski on them? Quality comes with experience and money. Just a fact of building skis.

It's a huge undertaking, but very worthwhile when it does work out. Best of luck.
Nov 29 2011 11:31PM
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,409
https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/mobile/forumread/id/651776/
Nov 29 2011 11:34PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Thanks for all the help guys! ill definately take all of your opinions into consideration! +k for those who helped! also if anyone has any homemade skis they wanna share feel free
Nov 29 2011 11:35PM
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,409
Bahh that post didn't work. Searchbar shaping or building. I Started a thread on this awhile ago, lots of good answers in there to. Also take safety precautions. Some of the tools and materials are dangerous to work with.
Nov 29 2011 11:40PM
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RMU
Posts: 120 - Karma: 2,912
Nothing more satisfying then skiing your own ski.

If you need any info check out skibuilders.com


Nov 29 2011 11:51PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
I got it to work, thanks!
Nov 29 2011 11:54PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Thanks RMU! ill skis btw
Nov 29 2011 11:56PM
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4197 - Karma: 10,366
Click for larger image

Third pair made, $150, gonna work great. Stiff where I wand it, flexy where I want it, the size I want and the look I want. I don't care how your skis come out, if you made them they're better than any you can buy in my opinion, probably not the quality of it but the feeling of riding them and the chair lift conversations.
Nov 30 2011 12:30AM
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Literature
Posts: 13673 - Karma: 3,086
I'm not ragging on anyone who's building their own stuff. You should have seen the first ski out of the ON3P press.

That said, not everyone has a wet grinder/stone grinder in their garage, and for most people getting started, they're looking at a grand in tools just to put things together.
Nov 30 2011 12:37AM
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4197 - Karma: 10,366
I feel like if you search hard enough though you could find someone in your area that would let you use their bansaw / planer.

But I get where you're coming from with all the expensive equipment and stuff, just trying to show that if you really want to you can do it for cheaper than most people think.
Nov 30 2011 12:44AM
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mountainviper
Posts: 1931 - Karma: -3
Yeah dude my buddy welded up his own press. Cost him about $400 and it cost him about $150 in materials to press an actual ski. The tools are a big expense but after that initial investment it's real cheap to press skis compared to buying them.
Nov 30 2011 12:49AM
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jamodeo
Posts: 3040 - Karma: 663
as stated HG skis, produced such a fun product loving um so far
Nov 30 2011 12:58AM
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whoa-dere
Posts: 10596 - Karma: 7,100
nice camber
Nov 30 2011 12:11PM
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I.B
Posts: 8137 - Karma: 24,354
You willing to make me a touring ski? if so PM?
Nov 30 2011 1:03PM
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,409
Glad someone re started this kind of thread. The thing i dont get when pressing skis, is that when you put all of your glass and whatnot in place, is the glass cut to shape already, or does it overlapd the skis and get trimmed off later? Also, where does all of the excess epoxy (or whatever resin your using) go to, I mean it will squirt out the side, won't it get all over the sidewalls and whatnot. Will the educated help meh out plz.
Nov 30 2011 1:57PM
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4197 - Karma: 10,366
The only thing that NEEDS to be cut to shape before the press is the base, only because you need to attach the edges to it pre-pressing. If you want to use sidewalls, then the core needs to be cut to shape as well, although sidewalls are not necessarily needed, as shown in the picture above, there is simply a coat of epoxy followed by a coat of wood gloss finisher. As for the overspill of epoxy, it will leak over the sidewalls but is removed when cutting out the ski after pressing because a ski is slanted on the sides, like such:

/___\ instead of l___l

It is a lot simpler to do it without sidewalls, and performance isn't altered greatly by not using it and leaving it with wood sidewalls. Hope this helps.
Nov 30 2011 2:10PM
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4197 - Karma: 10,366
pm'd
Nov 30 2011 2:16PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5675 - Karma: 4,268
This is something I plan to do eventually, along with shaping surfboards. I've already built longboards, I wanna start doing surfboards some time soon and then maybe when I have a real job/ place to do all this I'll do skis. They seem the most complex and require more expensive equipment.
Nov 30 2011 2:51PM
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ken1237
Posts: 140 - Karma: 22
bump
Nov 30 2011 10:42PM
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Mike.Steezze
Posts: 407 - Karma: 17
Just curious, what are the specs on those? Gotta admit for some homemade skis they look dope. and Im in the market for some new, not super expensive skis is the reason for me asking.
Dec 1 2011 2:35AM
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4197 - Karma: 10,366
176

110-90-110 (i think?)

early tip/tail rise and camber MUSTACHE CAMBER!!!
Dec 1 2011 2:50AM
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Mike.Steezze
Posts: 407 - Karma: 17
Ok, thanks but not what Im after, pretty much what I have right now.
Dec 1 2011 12:18PM
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Caleb.E
Posts: 3556 - Karma: 1,014

i wouldt say mustaceh rockers just in case moment gets mad at u !

but sick skis btw

Dec 1 2011 7:18PM
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hot.pocket
Posts: 4197 - Karma: 10,366
Haha +k sir made me laugh :)

But I work there I think they would let it slide...just maybe...
Dec 1 2011 7:21PM
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iamaskier333
Posts: 67 - Karma: 9
Thanks again for all the opinions you guys... And hotpocket those are some damn sexy skis btw
Dec 1 2011 9:50PM
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ken1237
Posts: 140 - Karma: 22
what type of press are you using?
Dec 1 2011 10:54PM
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