Hey Swaylockians, So you get your new board and go to put a center fin in it but it won’t fit. So you try another one – same story. What are your options? Obviously it aint the fins cause they work fine in you other boards. Do you make a little sanding block slightly smaller than the slot in the box, take some 80 grit and sand you ass off or jump up and down and scream at the guy who built the board? Take you pick. But maybe someone knows a trick to solve the problem quickly. Whatayasay? Happy Thanksgiving, Rich
I’ve found the problem to be a roll pin not centered correctly in the fin blank. Just a careful tape with a hardwood dowel and voila, no more drag. Happy holidays Rich! Tom S.
The roll pins are my own and made of brass rod work fine in my other boards Tom so there’s either too much thickness in the fins or the box is too narrow. It has to be the the latter cause these center fins fit in all my other boards. No quick fix I guess. Elbow grease a sanding block and 80 grit will have to be the way to go. Happy Thanksgiving, Rich
This brings up an intreseting point. Maybe we should try putting our fins into the boxes before setting the box.
I have a favorite big fin that I install in every box as I am installing the box. I tape over the slot and around the fin base before I set the box in place. This keeps the box from distorting and allows me to eyeball the fin for straightness. That little bridge that some box manufacturers use doesn’t keep the rest of the box from pinching in. This leads to a box that may allow a fin to fit but doesn’t allow full adjustment fore and aft. The boxes that are fully capped don’t distort but you still can’t eyeball for straightness. A box set crooked is a bummer. I’ve taken a file and worked on the inside of the slot to correct distortion but prevention is easier.
The fin flange should measure 0.350" wide on a pair of digital calipers. If the fin is too wide, sand it down to 0.350. If it still doesn’t fit, sand the box. And, put a dummy flange in the box (0.350 width) before installing the next box, so this doesn’t happen again.
I like your surf forcast page. I like that it’s in plain English. Keep up the good work.