Bent fin + Hairdryer = Fixed fin!!, Thanks larry!

General Discussion
1

A while ago i bent one of my fibreglass fins. I asked Probox larry for advice, and he told me to heat it up, and bend it back, then cool in cold water. I don't have a heat gun, but i was messing with the fins today and i thought about my wife's hairdryer. I tried it out and it worked great!!. The fin now is basically straight again, no kinks, or bumps at all. It would be hard to pick which one of them was actually bent.

 I used a G clamp to hold it while heating, and then used a shifting spanner to bend it back.

Thanks larry!!

2

How do you bend a fin? I’ve never had that happen. I always thought they would just break

3

yeah good question.  Actually, i’ve seen a bent single fin on a longboard that got stored on it’s belly (fin still in fin box) with boxes on top.

4

come to think about it. I have one! hahaha. I have an old Plastic Fantastic that has major heat damage on the bottom and the fin is off kilter a bit. Maybe it is bent and I can bend it back?!?!? I’ll see if I can post some photos when I get a chance.

5

I tried to pull off the back of a small closeout, but wasn't fast enough. The board was parallel to the wave, so i fell onto it, with my rib putting a nice ding in the rail, and im sure my knee ( and all my weight ) landed on the fin. The shallow water didn't help either.