Alternative fin design

General Discussion
1

Kia ora everyone, happy new year from New Zealand! I saw a few posts regarding 3D printing, and I thought I’d share what I get up to when I’m not prostituting out my time for paper with dead people’s faces on them. I started 3D printing fins years ago but have tried to push and develop them beyond what you’d typically see. It’s a fun learning process and I’ve definitely picked up some useful information on here regarding composites, epoxies, and the occasional bruhaha regarding hydrodynamics.

I will always respect those sticking to the hand crafted methods, but the proliferation of industrial design and crafting capabilities to the everyman is something that excites me and I believe opens the doors to true innovation. I grew up with both a full woodshop and a computer with cad tools at my disposal, so I love and respect all ways of going about creating. I feel like one reason a lot of people see computer based tools in a negative light is that as creators we apply them to the same objects we’ve always made and don’t utilize the actual strengths and unique capabilities of the tool, ie 3d printing dolphin fins: we’ve already honed this design in a million different techs, I’m not sure 3d printing them is going to add anything to the dialogue (but hey don’t let me stop you go for your life!). I think it’s the interplay between human creativity in problem solving and the capabilites/ limitations of tools that the “soul” or whatever ineffable quality you associate to that magic handshape comes from. I guess I’m just exploring whether the same can be done with computer aided manufacturing. 

Also, I’m fully aware a lot of these designs will stick in the craw of fellow hydrodynamicists here =). All I can say in my defense is that I want to attach feelings to those things that we would poo poo on paper, and then use that to inform myself on what “works”, although from my experience a lot of things are working.

Anyways, chur for reading through my mental diarrhea and if you’re interested you can check out some of the 3d forms on here: shameless plug

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2

Congratulation, very nice fins, I only 3d printed moulds for fins but just because i wanted to go for normal shapes, but I like your approach, one day I would love to have a CFD to simply change the fin and have some results in number to check which fin in theory can be the best choice, even if a fin in real surfing it is subject to too many variabiles and probably the numbers from cfd will never be the correct ones.

3

Love the look of them, very fighter jet inspired, i’d give them a go for sure.

4

Cheers mate, I’d love to give cfd a go but haven’t quite put in the time to get my head around setting it up properly. It’d be great to attach feelings to what the simulations say the water is doing. For instance I know there’s a lot of tip vortices on some of the flatter more jet looking ones, but I feel like there’s got to be some drag somewhere for control. 

5

These look fast and fun. I say anything you’re making yourself gets a thumbs up if it goes! 

6

Very infectious diarrhea indeed…

You print your cores and vacbag with carbon?

I have to try that too.

 

 

 

 

7

Yup, pretty straight forward. Leaves a bit of work in the bases and finishing but the juice is worth the squeeze. Still not sold on my method of finishing though so if anyones got ideas on fill coat/ clear coat that doesn’t round out the details as much that’d be sick.

8

Hi Anomaly, i vac bag my fins and foils in a polyethylene bag and when you peel the plastic off the resin is like glass and the detail is exact. It only takes a free produce bag you get in the supermarket and a small pump and every fin is an A-Class finish.