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Carbon/fiberglass blades durability

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Vov

Well-Known Member
Dec 21, 2006
65
2
93
Hi, everyone!
I am trying to find any data on how long would (or have) carbon and fibreglass blades last? Do they normally deteriorate in time? Any connection with the exposure to the sun?
Any statistical, scientific or personal observations would help. Thanks a lot .:)
 
I had a pair of PURE carbon fins that snapped two weeks after I bought them. Next, I switched to C4's and they've lasted me a decade. It really depends upon the manufacturer. I've used mine for scuba diving inside wrecks without issue.
 
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I had a pair of PURE carbon fins that snapped two weeks after I bought them. Next, I switched to C4's and they've lasted me a decade. It really depends upon the manufacturer. I've used mine for scuba diving inside wrecks without issue.
Thanks Jon. There has been an annoying number of fins or combinations of blades and foot pockets which 'snapped' i.e. sadly broke, usually at the bottom... Though it seems certain that the immediate reason for these failures were strong, sometimes desperate pushes off the bottom, the danger created by them deserves to be addressed. It has been repeated time and again how important it is to properly balance oneself at a moderate negative buoyancy - 1- 4 kg, but still it seems to me that some blades are not made to last... more than 12 months of fairly frequent use. With carbon and epoxy being one of the ever lasting materials I am a little confused - producers should NOT use the cheapest materials, should they?
 
My suggestion would be to look for blade foot pocket combinations which are joined using glue rather than drilled and attached. As in my experience the snap of blades will happen along the line of the drilled holes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Yeah, nowadays it seems all producers quit drilling (thus weakening at the most loaded area!)...
 
I have a pair of Edge fiberglass blades drilled for Picasso foot pockets, and they lasted many years. When I quit using them they were still were as good as the day I bought them. I don't think I could break them if I tried. I now use Moana carbon fiber blades glued into Pathos pockets, and they show no signs of wear. However, I've just used them for a bit over one year.
 
Thanks Bill, very kind of you to share... Both fiberglass and carbonfibre, if properly made should last 'for ever' but they don't.
It seems quite difficult for younger/beginner divers/hunters to not scratch the blades and not push off the bottom with them... but still the number of broken blades seems annoying to me. Maybe we should put more effort in advising youngsters (IF they ask for advice;)) to start with... what, the old Nemo unbreakable blades? I don't know, and since there are no more spearfishing rubber fins the danger goes on. I believe it is (currently) impossible to create a soft and unbreakable blade. :(
 
I'll have to admit that I'm easier on fins than many people. I don't dive from the beach, so my blades don't get thrashed in the rocks coming in through the surf. And on the rare occasions when I push off the bottom, I push off with the butt of my gun.
 
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I have had my Bleutec blades for 13 years now. They outlasted 3 pairs of footpockets, two Omer and one Pathos. A good solid blade will not break.
 
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I'll have to admit that I'm easier on fins than many people. I don't dive from the beach, so my blades don't get thrashed in the rocks coming in through the surf. And on the rare occasions when I push off the bottom, I push off with the butt of my gun.
Yes, Bill, I also do it and shared it - help push myself off the bottom by using my gun; my friends did not seem to be impressed or interested...

@SpearAmerica: Thanks. It is difficult or impossible to really compare durability.. I can only fin with very little bending of my knees with rather soft blades. So I would not buy very 'strong' ones.. don't find any difficulty to keep them off the rocks and they don't seem to be influenced by sun, fatigue, etc.
 
@Vov: I only use soft blades. When I say solid blade I don't mean hard blade but solid construction. I have been selling the Bleutecs for close to two years and haven t had a single blade break. Go to European forums and u will notice same thing.
 
I had the pleasure of taking Petros (Spear America) on my boat yesterday. He brought an extra pair of Bluetecs, and now I'm kicking myself for forgetting to try them.

He got a nice fish, but he had a bit of unwanted help.
bite2.jpg
 
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There must be a more detailed story to that Bill!?
please tell....
 
There must be a more detailed story to that Bill!?
please tell....

OK, if I must. :)

Petros shot that yellowtail at about 45 feet and it wrapped up in the kelp on the bottom at 55 feet. It was pretty murky down there. He made a couple dives braining it and cutting its gills while I held his gun and the float line. After those first two dives he was holding the float line on the surface and felt a big jerk. On the next dive, he found a giant black sea bass with his yellowtail in its mouth, but it turned loose as he came down on it. On the dive after that, the yellowtail was not where it had been, so he thought the black sea bass had stolen it. Keep in mind that with all that kelp wrapped in shooting line down there in the poor vis, its not really easy to tell what is going on. We kept kicking and pulling the float line as hard as we could, and made progress to the point where we could see the swivel attaching his float line to his mono shooting line. He went down and detached the shooting line from the float line, kept on going, and finally swam up with the fish. I was nervous as hell during all this since he would disappear into the kelp and murk on every dive, and I'd wonder when I was going to see him come up. Also, I had my doubts about my ability to save him if required.

When we saw the bite out of the fish, our first assumption was that the black sea bass had taken it. But the more we thought about it, that doesn't seem likely. Black sea bass don't really have teeth. Our best guess is that a shark got in on the action at some point. Seven gill sharks take a lot of fish from divers down in the San Diego area, and we aren't all that far north. The area where we were diving is famous as a nursery ground for juvenile (8 to 10 feet) great white sharks, so that is another possibility. When they get bigger they switch to marine mammals as their diet, but the smaller ones still eat fish.

As long as I'm telling stories- When we first arrived at our kelp bed of choice, there was a guy diving from a jet ski, and it was obvious he was trying to retrieve a fish. We anchored a respectful distance down the kelp bed. By the time we suited up, he got his fish and came by to ask if we had a scale. Its hard to hold a scale steady above your head, but the fish seemed to weigh about 50 pounds. That is the biggest yellowtail I've ever seen- my biggest is only 40 pounds. I took photos and sent them to him, and last night he said that the fish weighted 51.2 pounds on a certified scale back at the harbor.
aaron51.2.jpg
 
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BTW, here is the photo that I used to start a thread on another board. :)
bite3.jpg


What was left of this fish weighed 27 pounds.
 
Great story thanks... def looks like a shark bite to me... that is a fantastic shot of the dude with the big yellowtail.
 
We left the dock in the morning , I have no clue what time, maybe 8:00ish. There was no current or bait anywhere until after 2pm on the last spot we finally found some life and some current. I saw a fish on the surface and dove down the opposite direction and either that one or another one came to check me out. I shot the fish at 45 feet and it got tangled at 55 feet.
I did 5 dives to retrieve the fish and I saw no shark in the area. On my second dive a black seabass was on the fish. I assumed that guy was the taxman. Austin analyzed pic and said 100% its a shark. Bite is too big for a soupfin. It is possible that a seven gil was in the area. All I know is that shooting yt deep is a pain.
Thank you Bill for not having me way down the wait list. It was a great day.
 
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Lovely fish all the same & one you wont forget, well done for getting it to the surface.
 
Great catch, story, luck... everything! Thank you both.
 
I have used C4 falcons and they have lasted well for over four years.
However if travelling I always use Beuchat Carbon pro fins as they are a composite of pure carbon with a plastic layer to ensure strength and flexibility. I sold my C4 blades as the comfort of the Beuchat foot pockets allows me to stay in the water for as long as I want without cramps or aching feet. Early in the season I use fibra blades as they are softer . Friends have reported issues with cracking carbon blades .
Hope this experience helps.
Mike
 
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