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Old 09-07-2020, 07:45 PM   #1
Keysspearoo
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Smooth Skin Wetsuits

Anyone know of any companies that sell smooth skin wetsuits besides the custom companies like Elios and Polo Sub? I love the idea of a custom suit but I need a suit in a relatively short amount of time and I want to go smooth skin. Looking for a company who has smooth skins in standard sizes (S, M, L, XL, etc). If anyone knows of any please let me know. Thanks.
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Old 09-08-2020, 06:43 PM   #2
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

Every major company has a line of smooth skin wetsuits. Thing is that their distributors don't sell them in the USA. Just 5 years ago nobody wanted to try open cell wetsuits...

But either Beuchat, Picasso, Cressi, Pathos, etc. have a smoothskin wetsuit line. What I'm not sure is if they start from 5 mm thickness.
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Old 09-08-2020, 09:30 PM   #3
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

You talking smooth skin In...or Out...or Both?
And Why?
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Old 09-09-2020, 03:04 PM   #4
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

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Originally Posted by SEATUX View Post
You talking smooth skin In...or Out...or Both?
And Why?
Me? Both. Is what I understood he's looking for. It is way more flexible and dries faster, which makes it better for cold weather (not Forida case, but there's for everyone).
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Old 09-10-2020, 06:37 AM   #5
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

The problem is strength & durability. Without nylon or lycra bonded to at least One side, there is only the glue holding it together. Blind stitching adds a TON to the strength/durability/longevity of a suit ( and you cant blind stitch bare neoprene, well...yes you can, and I have seen it done, but it lessens the integrity of the seam rather than strengthening it)
The other thing is resistance to abrasion and UV exposure, bare neoprene doesn't fare well if it is on the outside of the suit.
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Old 09-10-2020, 07:40 AM   #6
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

They have been using them in Europe for decades. Of course there's a compromise, but they last 2-3 years maybe and if you divide the price (which in Europe is way less than here) by the number of days out, maybe could be interesting to wear one of those. I myself considered one for December-January here in South Florida.
As for abrasion resistance, they have lined reinforcements in the knees, lower back, etc.

If you see all the European champions, is what they use.

They are not stitched, btw. Just glued.
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Old 09-10-2020, 01:46 PM   #7
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

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They have been using them in Europe for decades. Of course there's a compromise, but they last 2-3 years maybe and if you divide the price (which in Europe is way less than here) by the number of days out, maybe could be interesting to wear one of those. I myself considered one for December-January here in South Florida.
As for abrasion resistance, they have lined reinforcements in the knees, lower back, etc.

If you see all the European champions, is what they use.

They are not stitched, btw. Just glued.
That's funny, because in the beginning ALL suits were only neoprene. But once they figured out how to bond material and sew them things changed...well, maybe not in Europe
As for "lined reinforcements in the knees and lower back" Lined indicates Inside the suit, and that would do little to protect the suit. And who wears out the lower back?
A better compromise would be a Light Nylon in and skin out. Then it can be blind stitched and it will still have allot of stretch and comfort.
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Old 09-10-2020, 02:19 PM   #8
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

Well, you can have all fun you want. I just remember you that only 5 years ago, nobody in the USA wanted to use open cell wetsuits "because they were difficult to wear".

By lined I meant outside lycra. Sorry about that. English is not my mother language.

Now, I don't know a serious freediver that doesn't wear one.

Same thing with carbon fins, etc...

Italy, Spain, Greece and France are 10 years ahead of us regarding freediving/spearfishing. Like it or not.

This is the Beuchat smooth skin with the reinforcements I was talking about:



Here's the Pathos:



Here's the Omer/Spora:



And Picasso:



None of them are stitched. Just glued.
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Old 09-10-2020, 10:12 PM   #9
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

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Originally Posted by SEATUX View Post
The problem is strength & durability. Without nylon or lycra bonded to at least One side, there is only the glue holding it together. Blind stitching adds a TON to the strength/durability/longevity of a suit ( and you cant blind stitch bare neoprene, well...yes you can, and I have seen it done, but it lessens the integrity of the seam rather than strengthening it)
The other thing is resistance to abrasion and UV exposure, bare neoprene doesn't fare well if it is on the outside of the suit.
Things have changed. Smooth skin suits are available in a sandwich built. Meaning they are open cell inside, smooth outside, and a nylon layer in between. Before they did not have the middle layer and they would completely tear apart.
One thing is true, they are sticky and will catch around the boat on a screw or any sharp point but it will only get minor cuts and small ters.

I have a PoloSub Forza Tre for over 5yrs and it just started to dry a little from being in the boat with the sun on my back. It has very few small cuts but nothing else.
The key is to find out if indeed the suit has nylon in the middle and to inspect the durability of the outside rubber, the best way to test it is to pull gently and get a sense weather they outher wall might tear.
My suit is built to last and is not much more expensive than a top of the line brand. But it is a little stiff on 5 Mil.
Anyone who might tell you that they do not make a difference for freediving/spearing (not for scuba at all) doesn't know what they are talking about. The gliding feeling when going deeper is obvious on a smooth suit.
Cheers.
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Old 09-11-2020, 07:05 AM   #10
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

Even if the smooth skin suits are fragile (non-sandwich), you can fix them very easy with some neoprene adhesive. Sandwich is another different story. But they're a little less stretchy than smooth skin.

I fixed one that was all teared appart in the back. I'm talking totally teared!
It came together we'll and I kept using it for a couple years.

I have the pictures somewhere. If I find them, I'll post here.
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Old 09-11-2020, 09:01 AM   #11
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

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Originally Posted by Markio View Post
Things have changed. Smooth skin suits are available in a sandwich built. Meaning they are open cell inside, smooth outside, and a nylon layer in between. Before they did not have the middle layer and they would completely tear apart.
.
That is interesting, I was not aware of that laminate material, I have been retired from mfg new suits for almost 20 years now. I understand how material in the core would add strength to the suit ( where there are no seams) but at the seams it would still be as weak, the material doesn't bond with glue like the neoprene does, and I don't see how it can be reasonable sewn.. That and the material kind of negates the stretchy issue, it is ALWAYS the bonded material that affects stretch, AND..all material stretches in one way more than the other ( where neoprene stretches equally in all directions) That is why Mfgs need to pay attention to the orientation of the "stretch" as they cut out parts. You want the stretch on an arm, leg, or torso to go around the circumference, not down the length, although I have seen it done wrong Many times, and that is because the mfg was trying to get the best use of the sheet of material, not the best cut.

I also see suits that are smooth on the outside, but it is not neoprene, they coat the neoprene with another harder stronger material, so you pick up abrasion resistance, but sacrifice stretch. I don't know how that material is affected by UV.
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Old 09-11-2020, 09:46 AM   #12
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

Sandwich wetsuits are stitched, but most of them are custom made. Check Polosub Forza 3. You need to catch up!

Here: https://www.polosub.com/eng/catalog/cat-2-forza-tre

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Old 09-11-2020, 09:51 AM   #13
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

Found the pictures of the smootskin wetsuit that I repared!

It was a Spetton
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Old 09-11-2020, 09:54 AM   #14
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

And here in use after repairing it...
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Old 09-11-2020, 10:17 AM   #15
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Re: Smooth Skin Wetsuits

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco View Post
Sandwich wetsuits are stitched, but most of them are custom made. Check Polosub Forza 3. You need to catch up!

Here: https://www.polosub.com/eng/catalog/cat-2-forza-tre

I'm 73 years old...I don't need to catch up, I'm RETIRED!
But thanks for the info and link. The stitching ( at first glance) looks to be thru stitched with a zig zag machine, which isn't so great, things tend to tear on those dotted lines, just like a pad of perforated paper. But then I noticed the zig zags didn't go all the way thru the 3 layers. I would like to see an actual picture of the inside surface of stitching, I'm gonna bet that it is indeed a type of blind stitch, of which there are Several.
But Hey..you found something you like, and it works for you...All is Good!
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