Picasso smooth skin

[BladeRunner]

Hey guys and Gals I'm about to get my first smooth skin for spearing. I just wondering how delicate are this suits. I use Picasso suits so I know about the lubing and care dawning of the open cell suits. I just want know do just need to take alittle extra care than I would my other suits or walking through mine field kinda care. They can't be that difficult to put on, can they?

what advantage does the smooth give you when diving to?

Here is a pic of the one I'm getting if anyone out there has this one, reviews are very welcome!

 

[DeepThought]

Smooth skin's advantage is that it's supposed to have less drag with the water comparing to other normal nylon layers. People claim to feel the difference (I never used smoothskin).
Smoothskin/open cell is the stretchiest combination.

Usally smoothskin suits are defind as competitive freediving suits, because they are very delicate and therefore used mostly for line diving.
I wouldn't recommend anyone to use smoothskin for spearfishing, the rocks, a struggling fish or even the gun could make you very unhappy. Though there might be some spearfishers out there who use smoothskin and care to differ....

 

[BladeRunner]

yeah but I think I'll give it a try though, wouldn't hurt anything

 

[icarus pacific]

Give Roger a call at the Picasso America website, Blade. He just told me a few weeks ago that he has a bunch of the Chicle style suits from last year that he has to get rid of, and on the CHEAP, which is a word you'll never hear from him, so he's hurtin'. Problem is that these suits develop wrinkles from being folded and all and those wrinkles form weak spots and tear easier, so take it easy on them and you'll do OK.

 

[ajwaverider]

Smooth skin suits

Originally posted by icarus pacific . Problem is that these suits develop wrinkles from being folded and all and those wrinkles form weak spots and tear easier, so take it easy on them and you'll do OK. [/B]

Thats absolutly correct . I your thinking about a smooth skin suit for spearing please reconsider Blade. I have a couple high dollar
surfing suits that are made the same way and they're a lot stetchier and more confortable than some I have with with nylon
but the life expectancy is like one season .If you're like me I don't
like to invest a lot of money in something that doesn't last and I don't know how much spearing you plan to do but a nylon covered suit will be your best bet .What would cause a small snag in a nylon covered suit would put deep gash in a smooth skin suit .If you decide to go that way get you one of those hangers made for wetsuits and cover it with some soft pipe insulation wear the shoulders are and that will help keep out some of the wrinkles.

By the way you still plan on making a trip to FL?

 

[BladeRunner]

Does it matter if it's 3mm or 5 mm will you still have the same problem weak creases in the suit. I always keep my suits on hangers so the only wrinkles I get are on the back of the neck and inside the elbows and knees. Those are from just having the suit on!

AJ whenever I go diving I always have speargun the other hand. So spearfish a lot!

For the FL trip, I'm going to put off untill this winter when buy a zodiac boat. It will make getting to the number place I find in area alot easier. My neighbor has had beach house there for twenty years and told about a lot of places to check out! With the boat I can actaully push to places further out in deeper water!

 

[ajwaverider]

I don't think the thickness of the material will make a difference in it getting wrinkles or not. One of my suits in particuler is a 4/3mm and it gets wrinkles same as my 2/2mm. It might help with the scrapes and such though.There is a good material in between that offers plenty of stretch and durability and different wetsuit makers call it different names but it's basically the same material. The nylon that they use to cover the neoprene is woven in a different way than standand nylon almost like berber carpet in a way,tiny loops instead of criss cross weaving. It offers up to four times the stretch of a regular suit with more durability than
open cell suit. I'm not familar with the materials used for freediving suits but i'm sure they use it in them to .I'm not trying to sway your decision but I'd like to see you get a return out of your investment and if it's what you really want go ahead and get it.By the way I would stay away from used zodiacs if possible,they're good boats as long as they are under warrenty.
I bought my achilles inflatable from a friend that has been selling and repairing them for about 20 years or so.I've seen several boats come into his shop that had seams just come completely
unglued just because of defects in the building process and most
of them not even two years old ! Zodiac has change the way they used to make boats,now they use more machines in the gluing
process and are using different materials that can't be repaired as easilly and permanently as other boat makers . Look for a boat made with hypalon and you want have as many problems with it and if you get a puncture you can repair it permanently.
I'll post a pic of my inflatable in this thread later this week if I get
a little free time. AJ.

 

[icarus pacific]

I mentioned the wrinkles as in, the suits have wrinkles in them from being stored on the shelves while Roger was committing financial suicide by selling on-line and leaving the shops out in the wind; thus he's trying to get rid of them.

Tell him I clued you in on the deal and barter like a mad man.

 

[BladeRunner]

I was actually looking at getting the zoom boat made by Zodiac. They probly will have the same problems as the Zodiac. Are the Achilles made with hypalon

I was looking at the Achilles boats and they look nice but they don't have a dealer in Georgia. Do you know if you can get folding lauch wheels like you can for Zodiac boats? Which model do you have and what kinda of engine do you have for it? Did your friend give you a deal on the boat including the engine.

I didn't relize how expensive small outboard engine are. I was looking at getting a 10 foot boat with a 8 or 10HP four stroke!

 

[BladeRunner]

Hey the Zoom boats are made with 1100 decitex! AJ do you know if Zodiac is made with the same material?

 

[ajwaverider]

Zodiac

Originally posted by BladeRunner
. Are the Achilles made with hypalon ?

Yes the achilles are made with hypalon and some other inflatables use it as well. I think some of the boats from Boat US
are made with it to.

I was looking at the Achilles boats and they look nice but they don't have a dealer in Georgia. Do you know if you can get folding lauch wheels like you can for Zodiac boats?

Yes . Those wheels are available from aftermarket companys.

Which model do you have and what kinda of engine do you have for it? Did your friend give you a deal on the boat including the engine.

The model I have is the 10.2 sportboat. It has 3 air chaimbers plus the keel,marine grade plywood floor and laminated wood /fiberglass transom.The engine I have for it is a suzuki 15hp
two stroke,short shaft motor. I did get a deal on the boat because it was used also I got first dibs on it because those boats are in demand and can get pretty high in price.


I didn't relize how expensive small outboard engine are. I was looking at getting a 10 foot boat with a 8 or 10HP four stroke!

I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 10 footer because you'll be
carrying spearfishing gear and such you want as much room as possible.I've had mine loaded with room to spare, a 3ft cooler filled with bait,food, 2 gallons of water,2 deep sea reels, 2 med size reels a six foot cast net, six gallons of gas and a friend that weighed 175 or so and me at 150 and still 200pounds under the
maximum capacity. Those four strokes are nice but come with a hefty price also they weight a little more than a two stroke.For
example the 10 hp suziki four weighed like 15pounds more than the 15hp two stroke model.

I couldn't afford to buy a new one like $1200 so I had my friend keep an eye out for a used but in like new condition one that he sometimes gets in his shop.I spent 700 on the boat and 100 on the motor. The boat is a 89 and the motor 88 in like new condition.


What kind of options in the boat or you looking for like
roll up floor, inflatable floor, rigid hull ect?
Hope this answers some of your questions Blade.