I have a 59 Kodiak Special with them {some had 'em, some didn't}...I always thought they were there to stiffen and give more tension to the working part of the recurve. I always thought of underlays as a kind of "attempt" {for lack of a better word} at making the recurved tips just a little more static or stiff. I don't know how much they really accomplish though, but I have to say my 59' Kodiak Special @ 43#'s is a fast shooting bow with the right arrows. To the point that it's surprising for a bow that old. Then again, I don't have a non-under laid 59 KS to compare.

Something else, overlays really just build up the tip itself, never really seen them cover the whole length of the recurved tip like an underlay does. Underlays could also be a way to build up the thickness of an otherwise thinner limb so that a adequate string groove can be cut.

Are you talking about an underlay, just in the string notch area, or a wedge? A wedge will stiffen the section, an underlay won't.

What is on my Kodiak Special is a flat layer of glass and it is known as an "underlay". Maybe we are not talking about the same thing, but there is less than zero chance another layer of fiberglass is not going to stiffen the portion of the limb it is attached to. Might not stiffen it much, will not make it static, but it absolutely does stiffen it some.

And it will stiffen the limb/tip.Sixby told me years ago to add bamboo to the belly 6" to the tip (stiffer than carbon) on my 48" recurves and it made an obvious difference

Howatt's on for one reason only, so the string groove would not cut too deeply into the fiberglass.

And there ya' go.

Personally, I never called or considered that an underlay, simply because it isn't under anything.

I get it, and I know exactly what you mean. My Super Diablo, etc. have them. But I still never considered it an underlay.

We can consider snow "frozen water that falls from the sky" too....but isn't it easier just to say "snow"???? Just so we're all on the same page, this is what I call an underlay.

Most DH bows have under lays, and over lays of wood.Even my economy Bandido has them.Most comfortable riser grip I have ever had in my hands. I shoot a padded FF D97 string on it.Just a great little bow, and one I will never part with.

And, as I said, I'm perfectly clear now on what is being called an underlay. I just don't call them that, and don't consider them underlays.

Craig, I call them overlays. Just like the ones that appear on the backside of the bow.

I'm kind of simple so since they aren't under anything the term doesn't make sense to me.

We called them "caps" at Howatt's. Don't know how the belly of a bow became the back of the bow? Always been belly and back for the almost 60 years I've been in the business. Oh well, call them anything you like! But, they are there for the sole purpose of protecting the fiberglass from being filed too deep.

And Larry oughta know.

The Cavalier doesn't need an underlay to stiffen the limb tip. It's built with a dual taper lam that tapers to thinner and then thickens slighty in the tips.

Look very very closely at the limb taper in the recurve portion of the limb and you will see that subtle thickening. It takes very little to create a static limb tip.

Yes, here are some pics.

Best 90 dollars I have ever spent on a bow.Smooth at my draw,and quiet, and good speed, and so far durable.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here