Hexcel did build waterskis. Revolutionary process. It was quickly sold to the LaPoints (the best skiers in the world then) who had some commercial success building high end skis. The Ajax LaPoint molds and process was sold to Kimball (a major builder of combo beginner skis). The process was incredibly expensive in materials, labor intensive and time consuming. I worked for Kimball when they were trying to adapt the process to mass production. I wasn't a good enough engineer as the skis never got produced by Kimball.
Hexcel skis (both water and snow) were incredibly light and high performance. These applications highlighted the potential of the composite construction Hexcel was pioneering. They sold after proving the possibilities. Hexcel continued as a leader in commercial composites. I remember seeing road repair machines with the Hexcel logo. I bought Hexcel resins and cloth (never bought Hexcel honeycomb - go figure). They are still a major player in the composite world.
Eric
Hexcel skis (both water and snow) were incredibly light and high performance. These applications highlighted the potential of the composite construction Hexcel was pioneering. They sold after proving the possibilities. Hexcel continued as a leader in commercial composites. I remember seeing road repair machines with the Hexcel logo. I bought Hexcel resins and cloth (never bought Hexcel honeycomb - go figure). They are still a major player in the composite world.
Eric