I just ditched home for a new girlfriend in Oceanside and will start building a few true SD Lis-Style Fish boards for my friends … it seems no one has any keel glass ons right now. I prefer glass or hexcore type, but willing to try some ply and/or bamboo… what is everyone stoked on right now?
I need both smaller (maybe close to Tudor) or mid-large like Pavel …Does someone make a template like these in glass ons? and if so, where can I find them???
Willing to drive up or down the coast to get the best stuff…
I would start with True Ames if you want glass or 101 for bamboo or wood. FCS has a decent range of fins with tabs that you could saw off if needed or you can use Fusion plugs. The same goes for Lok-Box and the other fin companies that have pretty broad range of keels. Maybe check with Brad at Foam EZ for glasson fins … he’s usually on here. Good luck.
If you go to the Point Loma board room off of Rosecrans they have some good looking ply glass on keels. If I remember correctly they didn’t cost much either. If you want I can pick them up for you as I will be heading up to carlsbad this weekend to work on some stuff and we can meet up to do a swap of fins for cash. PM me if you want to do this.
Just wanted to share a pic of some bamboo keels I made and glassed on yesterday. Everyone seems to dig the look and feel of bamboo fins these days. Contact Larry (like Stingray suggested) and see if he can make you a set.
I just finished this board… Keel fins made from Bubinga and Birtch… I used this template I found right here on Swaylocks (sorry I do not remember who’s this was originally, but thanks again for posting)
tru ames has been out of glass on keels for months now i feel. there is rainbow fin co. who can make glass ons but personally, i feel like their foils are a little weird. if your in SD there is a guy who makes high-end wooden fins in that area, i think his name is john cherry. he has made some really amazing fins for some boards i’ve seen, he is worth checking out- by far the best wooden keels i’ve seen (no fiberglass fins though). search john cherry fins on google and you should find the website.
Besides basic template shape and stuff, most importantly is the foil of the fin.
How do you surf?
If you want it to have a tighter turning radius for more snappy (modern) lines, then a single foiled high performance shaped keel is the best for you. An example of that would be the bamboo fin shown a few posts above or something similar to the CI template has worked pretty well for me. I’ve tried the CI template type keel in lokbox, glass ons, and I’ve also foiled 2 different similar sets as wooden glass ons, they’ve all worked pretty well if you plan to surf your twin closer to how a modern thruster surfs. As for the outline of the fish, I feel like the single foil fins work a bit better if the nose and tail are a bit more pulled in, 15.5 inch nose max and something like a 8-9 inch tip to tip tail.
If you live by lined up point breaks(rincon etc) and want to draw out longer power lines, then go for a double foil type fin. Double foiled fins project you foward down the line a lot better without wanting to pivote up the face as a single foil fin will want to do. The true feeling of trim / highlines / max speed on a fish are best felt on a double foiled fish on a lined up point. As for template shape, something like the Gepharts works perfectly. With this fin set up I prefer a straighter and wider traditional tail, at least 10.5 inch tip to tip.
As for material.
I personally prefer wood over anything. Bouyant wood keels hold, flex, and are lively if they are made right.
And you can get the Gephart keel fins through True Ames. Halcyon, who post here, can make you a beautiful set of keels,too. You can always make them yourself. Mike
Like everyone said there has been some issues getting Keels from True Ames. Chuck still gets some out here and there and he is trying to get his US production up to speed again. We have been getting some from Bahne to fill in for our stock. I think we even have a few colored True Ames Keels left. Give the Guys at the shop a call and they can give you the details on what we have. Check them out http://www.foamez.com/fins-fin-systems-glasson-fins-c-4_35.html We ship same day and since you’re in Cal it get’s there next day with basic Ground shipping.
I 've g ot a few different types of glass on keels in the store . i give me a call or pm and I can tell you what I got . If you like the pavels I got them in stock,
