Adjustable Fin Systems, The Future ! ?

General Discussion
1

www.edgefins.kauaistyle.com

Personally I think most of the fin systems are good ! and my hats off to the one system working the hardest ( Futures ). Brother John and I invented and designed edgefins during our very respected 11years at Bill Hamilton’s board shop here on Kauai ! We cut so many fins off tow boards and reset them,(talk about picky) A little adjustment goes a long ways!! We set systems that drove us to build our own fin system, Edge Fins. Edge Fins is still in it’s early stages of growth, it cost lots of money and energy to keep up with the progression of the surf industry . Our stratagy is to keep plugging away. It’s very rewarding to have someone meet us at the waters edge and say, hey Clyde I really like your fin system our I adjusted my fins just a little and what a difference !!!

I’m inviting you to try Edge Fins, 808-651-1459 Clyde Rodgers

Also we want to get edgefins out there to more surfers and board builders!! anyone with experence with surfboard construction and/or sales rep background , HELP !!!

Mahalo and Aloha! Have a great surf ! Clyde Rodgers

2

Hi Clyde…I’m interested in toein adjustability and looked into your system. I think the big challenge is getting shops to stock fins to accomodate all the systems. You see FCS and some Futures but almost nothing else (besides FUs). I will keep you in mind for my next travel board.

3

Aloha and Thanks Clyde …For calling me about my install … I’m sure I can do it now after you clearing up the couple of things I was confused about … really simple actually. I will post a picture when it’s done . I’m not a fancy glasser but it will be very functional and strong.

I was wondering about putting Edge Fins in where I already have Futures boxes?? I would like to try your fins on a couple of other boards I have … What do you think? Mahalo… Don J.

4

Meecrafty, You are right about the availability of our fins, most shops don,t stock them ! It’s a visish cycle shops don’t carry couse the boards they sell don’t have them and the board factorys don’t use them couse the shops don’t stock them ! So what do you do ? Pay andy Irons lots of money, just kidding! What you can do and we need you to do is ask your board builder to try Edge Fins, It’s available, easy to install , looks great on there boards and a great fin system to boot… If someone breaks a fin and needs backup they can call me or John and we send you what you need! this also allows us to get to know more indivisuals… Crafty Man when you are ready for Edge Fins let me know !

Aloha, Have a great surf ! Clyde Rodgers www.edgefins.kauaistyle.com

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Can you get into the trade shows and market your stuff !!! or get investors and advertise.

6

some questions…i am intrested but you web site had very little info… i would suggest photos of the install process and closeup photos of the boxes etc…

are the plugs anchored to the deck like FCS?

do the fins have the cant in them or do the plugs or it is bit of both?

how many fins types do you offer?

how is the fin anchored to the “box”

aloha

jp

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Aloha … To try to answer a couple of the questions . The fins I got do have the cant built into them . I have bought 4 different ones (sizes) …Don’t know how many their is but I was told that they will Make any fin you want… The fins are anchored into the Box/plug by 2 set screws. One on either side and it looks like it will hold real good . I will try to take some more pictures of the fins and Plugs I have and post them here.

This is a real good idea for me as i want to try straight ahead settings but would like to also have the option of adding toe if I want . Different waves , Fins etc. I saw somewhere that Greg Loher likes this system . He is quite the innovater in my book. Too bad that all the other board builders are “closed minded” about this . I sometimes think they won’t build something that has Any chance for “Operator Error” Mahalo to all Don J.

8

I like the adjustability thing…but it seems with jsut one fin tab suppourting the fin that it would be a little too weak, in all honest have you had a problem with fins breaking??

9

Turbo - here’s another version of an Edge fin: 4.5" base - more their standard thruster type. The mounting disc and fin are one solid casting. I can’t imagine either fin breaking unless you hit a hard bottom pretty well or something along that lines.

On a lot of my fins I actually cut into the base with dremel right at fins insertion point - making a weak/break off point on purpose. Rather have a fin break off clean as opposed to the whole plug ripping out of the board. Walking back to my car and grabbing another fin is a lot better than board surgery.

Best,

Herb Bean

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Howzit TurboJets, The Edge fin System has been around for a few years now here on Kauai and I have heard of only 1 instance where a fin broke off from the base. It's a solid system that can turn a dog board into magic just by adjusting the fins a bit. It's this kind of inovation by John and Clyde that opens our eyes to how important fin technology is and there is a lot to learn about them. I think it was George Greenough was said we've only just touched upon this subject and need more R&D when it comes to fins. John and Clyde are not wealthy or have any big companies behind them so for them to come up with a good workable fin system has not been the easiest thing to do. I commend them both for their hard work and the fact that they have pulled it off. I hope that more surfers will open their minds and try the Edge System. Aloha,Kokua
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Clyde, your preaching to the choir man. This industry is tought to break into with new designs. You know how long i’ve been at it, and we are just starting to make a dent. People are scared to adjust their fins. Surfers for the most part are close minded and afraid to try new stuff. We’ve had sucess in getting around that through education, a good product,and lots of free stuff. Ads in the mag don’t hurt either, but you know what they cost with no guarantees. Saw some of your stuff in the wooster booth at the surf expo in florida. Looks like it’s coming along. People were asking questions, but without John there to answer them, it’s gonna be tough for you guys. I looked for him all 3 days but guess I missed him. Why don’t you come to ASR in september in san diego, (let me repay you for the free place to stay a couple years back), and get some insight to what your competition is doing. All the fin guys should be there.

lokbox@sbcglobal.net

12

i dont think adjustability is that important for a surfer …

surfers just want a hassle free guaranteed surfing experience …look how many shapers have taken years to figure out fin foils , configuration, and the complexity of fin design issues …

you think the average surfer will figure all that out by making a few adjustments , then start questioning whether his board is any good …

the purpose of adjustability is hugely benificial to a shaper as a learning tool , but still has to be combinded with a whole range of board designs , because some board designs favour certain fin set ups and others dont …

adjustable fin systems are a must for the future of board design knowledge .

but possibly not the best thing for surfers who dont have the patience to figure things out themselves …

i dont have a problem in saying the set fin is a way more durable option …

but i still prefer a system for the sake of experimentation, for my personal boards …

most customers want performance, durability and reliability …

ive seen customers chase there tails around trying to figure there fins out , thinking there boards are no good …

i just say , these 2 fins set here, this fin set here , thats it …

a few weeks later they come back saying wow my board is magic now , it still comes back to shaper influence to weigh up the odds …

thats where like you say lokbox , education plays a part …

it all takes time …

regards

BERT

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"i dont think adjustability is that important for a surfer … "

Sorry Bert, but years and years of feedback from “average” surfers as well as “above average” surfers telling me how moving their fin just a quarter of an inch lit their board up, won’t allow me to agree with you. I’m sure Clyde will reinforce this. I do agree however on the education thing…

14

yea, I think the adjustability idea is good…I think it if you want to get it stocked at surf shops, you would prob have to make it removable too, im not sure if they are already, but alot of surfers use FCS just for travle purposes. Variety in foils helps alot too. Another thing to think about is maybe trying to get the fin to be able to adjust foward and backwards a little, maybe on some sort of a track and then you would lock it into place…just an idea

15

Just looked at that pic again, so it is removable, nice. To reiterate what I meant by variety in foils I meant variety in fins…which isnt isnt hard since it is removable…I’m definatley considering this setup for my next personal board…it might be a little while though, trying to fill an order…

16

if a surfer has to adjust his fin setts , then the shaper miscalculated …

adjustable fins make up for shaper error …

yes you can change your fins to optimise your board better to suit different conditions , more suited to a one board guy who has to get the most range out of one board …

on the other hand a board built for specific conditions will have an optimum fin set up for that particular board and condition its made for , so changing the fins wont it make it go any better than it otherwise could go in the conditions it was designed for …

i should have said i dont think adjustability is that important for all surfers …

they have there place …

for me as a board builder , i deal more with specific designs tailored to individuals to perform really well in a narrower range of conditions , more purpose built boards , for those customers a fin system isnt as important …

so yea i agree with why you disagreed with me in the first place …

fin systems have definatly increased the knowledge base and highlighted how important our fins really are …

regards

BERT

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Quote:
if a surfer has to adjust his fin setts , then the shaper miscalculated ...

adjustable fins make up for shaper error …

Well, you could also argue that different fins might be optimized at different toe-ins, and that a system like the Edgefins allows you to swap in different fins and optimize the toe-in of each. Like, is the same toe-in optimized on single foiled thin fins, and single foiled fat fins, and double foiled fins, and concave fins? The adjustability allows a true comparison of the capabilities of each of these as a rail fin foil. If you fix the toe-in, and then compare these types of foils, you will probably not be in the best position for each fin. In a sense, you might be determining the best foil for a pre-set toe-in, and not the best foil for a rail fin.

18

Aloha , I’m sorry but it seems to me that adjustable toe can only be good . I want to be able to adjust my fins for different conditions and use different fins . If the argument about shapers doing something wrong if the fins have to be adjusted is true then why do we have any fin boxes . All boards should be made with glass ons?? I have a few boards but can’t have that many to have a special one for every condition. Like golf clubs . And I don’t want to take 10 boards to the beach with me .2or3 maybe … Actually I really feel like everyone should be able to do anything they want as far as boards go … Experiment try new and different things . It helps to keep it interesting for me… Mahalo to all… D.J.

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I’ve used Clydes system for years. I’ll agree that a shaper should have a good idea of what works in his shapes but at the same time I’ve traveled and conditions do have quite a range between locations. Even at home in FL I nearly always change my fins between Cocoa Beach and Sebastian Inlet because of the difference in wave shape and speed. For this I think Clydes system offers the broadest range of all the systems I’ve used.

20

ok , im running with the majority opinion …

all valid points , which as a board builder i should note , being dogmatic is bad for business , to a point …

in most cases i was quoting some of my customers attitudes and there comments …

seems like fin systems , will end up being standard requirement in the future …

thats where i still want decent performance foils , without having to make my own …

thats where tom is looking pretty good at the moment …leading the charge with the new generation foils …

regards

BERT