You have your bottom channels that move alone the surface and your spiritual channels, which mustn’t be confused with intellectual ones that get hit with some spray occassionally but then there is the submarine demension-- In order to give boards more positive tracking nature the channel bottom has been used by many. A bird’s wing with it’s numerous feathers has a similar channeling affect on air and tends to make the wing less slippery. It is not a new idea but hasn’t been experimented with very much in fins, though I could be wrong. Whadayathink? How will a series of subtle channels running from the fin’s leading to trailing edge affect performance? I have my ideas about how it will work and plan on making several singles of exactly the same template and go surfing single to test the idea. Mahalo, Rich
You have your bottom channels that move alone the surface and your > spiritual channels, which mustn’t be confused with intellectual ones that > get hit with some spray occassionally but then there is the submarine > demension–>>> In order to give boards more positive tracking nature the channel bottom > has been used by many. A bird’s wing with it’s numerous feathers has a > similar channeling affect on air and tends to make the wing less slippery. > It is not a new idea but hasn’t been experimented with very much in fins, > though I could be wrong.>>> Whadayathink? How will a series of subtle channels running from the fin’s > leading to trailing edge affect performance? I have my ideas about how it > will work and plan on making several singles of exactly the same template > and go surfing single to test the idea.>>> Mahalo, Rich …Jeff Ho was doing them back in the early 70s and may be the originator of the flex feather fin.There was a article in one of the mags back in say 73-ish(Surfer/Surfing)I think it was Surfing.At any rate,the article covered flex fins which included some feather fins,and they’re builders. …I’ve feathered fins,as well as built my own from scratch.I have a mixed review on the design,but what the hay…someone might re-birth it with a new twist someday?Try and find that article. As I remember it,the article was a interesting design riff.I’m a little sorry I gave my collection away 15 years ago(along with my Skateboarders),but it went to a good and needy cause.Herb
…Jeff Ho was doing them back in the early 70s and may be the > originator of the flex feather fin.There was a article in one of the mags > back in say 73-ish(Surfer/Surfing)I think it was Surfing.At any rate,the > article covered flex fins which included some feather fins,and they’re > builders. …I’ve feathered fins,as well as built my own from > scratch.I have a mixed review on the design,but what the hay…someone > might re-birth it with a new twist someday?Try and find that article. As I > remember it,the article was a interesting design riff.I’m a little sorry I > gave my collection away 15 years ago(along with my Skateboarders),but it > went to a good and needy cause.Herb rich- surfer mag, vol.14 #6 (feb/mar '74) pp.67-69. if you can’t locate it email me and i’ll make a copy of the article for you and mail it out. the principle of those fins (separate flexing ribs) seems different from the experiment you’re proposing. interesting nonetheless. keep pushing. jim dunlop
…Jeff Ho was doing them back in the early 70s and may be the > originator of the flex feather fin.There was a article in one of the mags > back in say 73-ish(Surfer/Surfing)I think it was Surfing.At any rate,the > article covered flex fins which included some feather fins,and they’re > builders. …I’ve feathered fins,as well as built my own from > scratch.I have a mixed review on the design,but what the hay…someone > might re-birth it with a new twist someday?Try and find that article. As I > remember it,the article was a interesting design riff.I’m a little sorry I > gave my collection away 15 years ago(along with my Skateboarders),but it > went to a good and needy cause.Herb Fins? Did someone mention fins? The funnest, cheapest way to play naval-engineer on the planet??? I think that Stan Pleskunas (in San Diego) was making feather cut flex fins the same time that Jeff Ho was (without each other’s knowledge), but Ho got the publicity and thus the credit. I got interested in feather cuts not to allow individal parts of the fin to flex, but so I could use a thicker leading edge and foil cross section while still getting some bend in the top half of the fin. I even filled in the cuts with microballons, and they still had more flex than without cuts. It worked, but not so well that I wanted to pursue all the possibilites. Channels sound intersting. If nothing else, maybe they would act like tiny cavitation plates.
Jim: If you are scanning/copying I’d be very interested in reading this article. Thanks! Tom S. (tcsboards@yahoo.com) > rich- surfer mag, vol.14 #6 (feb/mar '74) pp.67-69. if you can’t locate it > email me and i’ll make a copy of the article for you and mail it out. the > principle of those fins (separate flexing ribs) seems different from the > experiment you’re proposing. interesting nonetheless. keep pushing.>>> jim dunlop http://www.thirdcoastsurf.com
Jim:>>> If you are scanning/copying I’d be very interested in reading this > article. Thanks!>>> Tom S. (tcsboards@yahoo.com) tom- i’m sorry but i don’t own a scanner (and the printer for my computer went tits up this week, too). i’ll be happy to mail(postal) it to you if you’d like. email me at jim dunlop
Fins? Did someone mention fins? The funnest, cheapest way to play > naval-engineer on the planet???>>> I think that Stan Pleskunas (in San Diego) was making feather cut flex > fins the same time that Jeff Ho was (without each other’s knowledge), but > Ho got the publicity and thus the credit.>>> I got interested in feather cuts not to allow individal parts of the fin > to flex, but so I could use a thicker leading edge and foil cross section > while still getting some bend in the top half of the fin. I even filled in > the cuts with microballons, and they still had more flex than without > cuts. It worked, but not so well that I wanted to pursue all the > possibilites.>>> Channels sound intersting. If nothing else, maybe they would act like tiny > cavitation plates. I’m using a feather cut, wide base, modified Brewer templete 7 3/4" single in a 6’9" CI Machado single fin model. Works great. I wanted to get the drive of the wide base with some flex thrown in. I’m guessing this fin design came from Stan’s SD school because it’s a copy of a 25 year old fin from a 55 year old SD surfer. In fact Rich (Halalcon sp) from this BB is making me one with the same templete w/o the feather cuts so I can compare the two. Like Paul mentions, you can also get away with a thicker foil on the leading edge, which I like.
I’m using a feather cut, wide base, modified Brewer templete 7 3/4" > single in a 6’9" CI Machado single fin model. Works great. I wanted > to get the drive of the wide base with some flex thrown in. I’m guessing > this fin design came from Stan’s SD school because it’s a copy of a 25 > year old fin from a 55 year old SD surfer. In fact Rich (Halalcon sp) from > this BB is making me one with the same templete w/o the feather cuts so I > can compare the two. Like Paul mentions, you can also get away with a > thicker foil on the leading edge, which I like. Hmm. I seem to remember that Tim Lynch used feather cut Brewer-style fins in his swallow tailed G and S boards down in SD. (16" x 21"+6" 14"). He absolutely ripped on those things. I may be fuzzy on the fin, but not him ripping!