I’m planning to make my first board this winter(nothing special, just a big log that’ll float me - i’m 6’5", 280lbs so i’mmaking an 11’ just to be safe) Is it easier to glass on a single fin or use a FCS box? What’s the least hassle first time around? Any other suggestions for designing the board to be stable? I’m a beginner and just want something to cruise and learn on. MAhalo
I’m planning to make my first board this winter(nothing special, just a > big log that’ll float me - i’m 6’5", 280lbs so i’mmaking an 11’ just > to be safe) Is it easier to glass on a single fin or use a FCS box? What’s > the least hassle first time around? Any other suggestions for designing > the board to be stable? I’m a beginner and just want something to cruise > and learn on. MAhalo Bro: Glass on fins are good in that they are cheap, and you can easily locate them near a thin tail board without worry about cutting depths for fin boxes. The down side is that they are hard to sand and are inflexible. If you grind your fin in the sand and hose it up, you cant just jam in a new one as is the case with the fin box. Fin box is a bit of a hassell to set up, but it is easy to sand out – many fin options and you can move the fin around to “tune” the board. Fin boxes are a strong mount – sronger than a glass on – but, they cut almost through the stringer and make for a potential breaking point around the fin box(need to compensate by adding extra glass in area). Fin box also will make the board a little heavier. I strongly recommed that you do not use the FCS set-up (plugs) for a longboard fin. FCS is the boss-dog for thrusters, but as the center set-up on a longboard – sucks – you will lose fins – trust me. My choice, deffinatly would go with the fin box. “Fins Unlimited” is the best, avoid the “High Surf” brand Shine http://users.leading.net/~shine
Bro: Thanks for the input - i’ve only read a few articles on board building, but feel pretty confident. i’ll have more questions aboutit as i get closer to doing it(about gloss coats, fabric inlay etc) can i get your email so i can tap your resource? mahalo Bear>>> Glass on fins are good in that they are cheap, and you can easily locate > them near a thin tail board without worry about cutting depths for fin > boxes. The down side is that they are hard to sand and are inflexible. If > you grind your fin in the sand and hose it up, you cant just jam in a new > one as is the case with the fin box.>>> Fin box is a bit of a hassell to set up, but it is easy to sand out – > many fin options and you can move the fin around to “tune” the > board. Fin boxes are a strong mount – sronger than a glass on – but, > they cut almost through the stringer and make for a potential breaking > point around the fin box(need to compensate by adding extra glass in > area). Fin box also will make the board a little heavier.>>> I strongly recommed that you do not use the FCS set-up (plugs) for a > longboard fin. FCS is the boss-dog for thrusters, but as the center set-up > on a longboard – sucks – you will lose fins – trust me.>>> My choice, deffinatly would go with the fin box. “Fins > Unlimited” is the best, avoid the “High Surf” brand>>> Shine
Shine is right. I can only add one other variation to consider on the fin box- take a look at the O’fishl center fin box. It’s designed to go directly under the fiberglass lamination and has a molded cap over the slot that gets sanded off after hotcoating the board. You can also install the Fins Unlimited box under the cloth or a separate layer of cloth. Make sure you tape up the fin channel real good before doing so. All of this is about sealing the box to foam seam rather that just laying the box down in a routed hole after the lamination. Look at some used boards closely, the fin box can be the source of a lot of deck delams and discolored foam that were caused by a fin box that leaks for one reason or another. TS>>> Bro:>>> Glass on fins are good in that they are cheap, and you can easily locate > them near a thin tail board without worry about cutting depths for fin > boxes. The down side is that they are hard to sand and are inflexible. If > you grind your fin in the sand and hose it up, you cant just jam in a new > one as is the case with the fin box.>>> Fin box is a bit of a hassell to set up, but it is easy to sand out – > many fin options and you can move the fin around to “tune” the > board. Fin boxes are a strong mount – sronger than a glass on – but, > they cut almost through the stringer and make for a potential breaking > point around the fin box(need to compensate by adding extra glass in > area). Fin box also will make the board a little heavier.>>> I strongly recommed that you do not use the FCS set-up (plugs) for a > longboard fin. FCS is the boss-dog for thrusters, but as the center set-up > on a longboard – sucks – you will lose fins – trust me.>>> My choice, deffinatly would go with the fin box. “Fins > Unlimited” is the best, avoid the “High Surf” brand>>> Shine
My choice, deffinatly would go with the fin box. “Fins > Unlimited” is the best, avoid the “High Surf” brand>>> Shine Curious as to why you prefer Fins Unlimited boxes over Hi-Surf? I personally prefer Hi-surf to FU boxes because they are cleaner and straighter than the FU boxes. However I prefer and mostly use the O’fishl boxes over both of those brands because I feel that they are stronger, more water tight and save time/increase productivity. Matthew
Eleven footer, wow. Ya might want to consider the hassle of carrying it, and if it will fit on, in, or hanging out of your vehicle too. If I were your size, I’d make a 10’long, 24" wide, 3 1/2" thick, with a basic square tail. As far as box or glass-on fin, it depends on your skill with tools and a router. If you’re fairly skilled and have done your finbox installation homework, go for it. If not, maybe try the glass on single fin. Try a 10 inch fin.>>> I’m planning to make my first board this winter(nothing special, just a > big log that’ll float me - i’m 6’5", 280lbs so i’mmaking an 11’ just > to be safe) Is it easier to glass on a single fin or use a FCS box? What’s > the least hassle first time around? Any other suggestions for designing > the board to be stable? I’m a beginner and just want something to cruise > and learn on. MAhalo
Curious as to why you prefer Fins Unlimited boxes over Hi-Surf? Used Hi-surf just last week. When sanding it out – plastic was quick to show melting. Plus, the box was so narrow that the sides of the fin base had to be sanded quite a bit (same fin fit nicely in a FU box). What’s more, when wiped with acetone, the HS box continued to yeild residue regardless the number of times cleaned(that was strange). I let the distributer know about this – could have been just a bad batch from Hi-surf. But, “fool me once, shame on you – fool me twice, shame on me.” So, my choice is to go FU in the future. Shine
Used Hi-surf just last week. When sanding it out – plastic was quick to > show melting. Plus, the box was so narrow that the sides of the fin base > had to be sanded quite a bit (same fin fit nicely in a FU box). What’s > more, when wiped with acetone, the HS box continued to yeild residue > regardless the number of times cleaned(that was strange). I let the > distributer know about this – could have been just a bad batch from > Hi-surf. But, “fool me once, shame on you – fool me twice, shame on > me.” So, my choice is to go FU in the future.>>> Shine They do melt easily, but with a 36 grit disc and patient grinding it doesn’t bother me. Continuing to get a residue is normal when wiping plastic parts, for example fcs plugs will do that. And I like a good tight fitted fin however I also have had some that required more sanding than others. One of the things I like about the O’fishl system is that it requires less grinding. Anyway, good luck and may you be blessed with waves. Matthew
bear hiser - Don’t know if you have a double stringer blank but it’s a good idea. I’ve put in a number of boxes using a utility knife to cut out the glass then using a chisel to cut out the foam. If you don’t have a router it’s something to consider. Here is something I posted awhile back on box installation - it addresses the “fin fit” issue: 1) I like double stringers - wedge or parallel - doesn’t really matter. Once you’ve routed out the hole the box goes in, you’ve violated the stringer integrity on a single stringer board. Your stringer is about 1 1/2" - 2" thick where the box goes in but after you’ve routed for the box it’s down to practically nothing at the front of the box. I’ve seen numerous leaks, stress cracks and even total breakage right there at the front of the box where the impact of a fin hit was transferred right to the front of the box where the stringer once was. Bruce Jones has come up with a neat method of inserting side stringers on either side of the box extending beyond the front of the box to prevent damage from fin hits. 2) I route after the hot coat. Mask off the bottom around the hole. I line the hole with several pieces of cloth to help reinforce the perimeter of the box and strengthen the resin bond to the foam. I also take a level and make sure the routed area is level so resin doesn’t run out the low end. 3) I cut out the spacer or riser that bridges the slot for the fin. I then take the fin I’ll be using and put it in the box. Mask around the top of the slot and base of the fin so no resin gets inside the box. I put the fin in the box so I can make sure the box is straight. It sucks if you end up with a leaning fin because the box wasn’t straight. 4) Sand the outside of the box with something pretty coarse to get a good bond. 5) Mix up some sanding resin and pour some in the hole with the fiberglass pieces in place. Set the box in there and work it around until the resin oozes out the edges of the slot and the box bottoms out in the hole. Check the fin for vertical placement and tape it down to each rail so it stays there. 6) After the resin cures, peel off the tape and carefully remove the fin. Grind off any excess glass and resin and scuff a big oval area around the box. 7) Mask off around the oval scuffed area and the top of the box. I try to place the tape as close to the edge of the slot as possible. Glass a couple of oval patches over the box with sanding resin. After the resin kicks but before it’s rock hard, take a razor blade and cut away the glass covering the box slot. Again, try and stay as close to the edge of the slot as possible. The more of an overlap over the edge of the box the better. After the resin cures completely,feather out the edges of the oval patch. I block sand the whole area before glossing and live with a slight bump around the box. This “glass-over box” is sometimes offered as a premium on longboards (the Con Ugly being one) but being such a vulnerable area with leaks, cracks and even breakage being so common, I think it’s the way to go. I tried to include as much detail as I could assuming that people who already know how to do boxes have their own way and people reading this are beginners.
Bro:>>> Glass on fins are good in that they are cheap, and you can easily locate > them near a thin tail board without worry about cutting depths for fin > boxes. The down side is that they are hard to sand and are inflexible. If > you grind your fin in the sand and hose it up, you cant just jam in a new > one as is the case with the fin box.>>> Fin box is a bit of a hassell to set up, but it is easy to sand out – > many fin options and you can move the fin around to “tune” the > board. Fin boxes are a strong mount – sronger than a glass on – but, > they cut almost through the stringer and make for a potential breaking > point around the fin box(need to compensate by adding extra glass in > area). Fin box also will make the board a little heavier. What about gluing in the fin box - do you set the box in with glue(what kind?) and then glass over it, then cutting out the glass over the box slot or just tape over the box hole and then gluing it in after glassing? Other generla question - is a hot coat necessary if i don’t want a gloss finish? mahalo > I strongly recommed that you do not use the FCS set-up (plugs) for a > longboard fin. FCS is the boss-dog for thrusters, but as the center set-up > on a longboard – sucks – you will lose fins – trust me.>>> My choice, deffinatly would go with the fin box. “Fins > Unlimited” is the best, avoid the “High Surf” brand>>> Shine
What about gluing in the fin box - do you set the box in with glue(what kind?) >and then glass over it, then cutting out the glass over the box slot or just >tape over the box hole and then gluing it in after glassing? Other generla >question - is a hot coat necessary if i don’t want a gloss finish? mahalo No glue, put it in with sanding resin, a little white pigment and milled fiber glass. I put two strips of 6 oz glass over the area for the fin box prior to hot coating. This is not only for strength, but to prevent from sanding too deap when sanding the top of the fin box off. You need – must – “hot coat” the board with sanding resin since laminateing resin is sticky and can not be redily sanded. Last, it sounds like you need some serious background. Check out Anthony’s Board Building links. If you read everyting on this page, you will know more about board building than most board builders do! This site is one of the main reasons I got into shaping boards several years back. http://www.viser.net/~anthwind/ Shine http://users.leading.net/~shine
Eleven footer, wow. Ya might want to consider the hassle of carrying it, > and if it will fit on, in, or hanging out of your vehicle too. If I were > your size, I’d make a 10’long, 24" wide, 3 1/2" thick, with a > basic square tail. It really depends on your personal preferences. I can relate since I weigh the same. I started off (5 years ago) on a 10’6" X 24" X 3 3/4". That last about a year before I went with a bigger board to really start noseriding and being more comfortable walking the board, so I got an 11’ X 26" X 4". My surfing really excelled on the big board, so I’d definitely recommend it. You catch tons of waves and practice indeed makes perfect. Just be aware of your wave count and make sure to give away plenty of waves to others, since you’ll be able to catch anything you want. PS: I rode the big board in all kinds of conditions, from knee to double overhead, though usually on reefs or points only, not very good for beach breaks. In the last year, I’ve started moving down in length as I got better and wanted more performance. So I have a 7’8" X 21.5" X 3 3/8" shortboard shape and an 8’6" X 21 3/4" X 3 3/8" hybrid. I use the 8’6" most of the time and will take out the 7’8" when its uncrowded. I’m thinking now that it would be best to get something in between as the 7’8" doesn’t get into waves easy enough and the 8’6" doesn’t have all the performance I want and it can be brutal to duck dive overhead walls of whitewater. I’ll probably go with something between an 8’ and 8’2" short board shape and probably get a rounded tail to help in bigger surf since that is where the board will be surfed the most. Lastly, I also recently picked up a 10’ X 23" X 3 1/4" pin tail longboard. I haven’t used it much, but it could be fun as a performance longboard in good but crowded conditions. Gioni