Can someone explain to me what’s the dynamics of the curved side fcs fins. Is it true they are only good for smaller waves and if so why? One more question as well. What is a kiel fin and why is it used? Thanks for the help and I apologize for my ignorance, Im studying up to become a shaper. Mahalos
A buddy of mine just got a set of the G5s with the inner foil. According to him (not me), they’re very drivey and release well on snaps and turns. Definitely not limited to small surf; he rode these fins on Tues. morning in solid barreling 8’ surf. A “keel” fin is the center fin in a three fin setup (thruster).
Is there different sized fcs innerfoils? Is the general rule of thumb the bigger the wave the bigger fins?
drive it like you stole it
-my brother
Go to www.fincontrol.com and look at the '04 Catolog; click “Finovation” and it will break down the inner foils for you. They have the G7, G5, and G3 available. As far as fin size goes, I think it’s merely personal preference more than anything. I have a buddy that rides the Occy fins in his fish; those fins are HUGE. I ride a combination of G5 outers and a center G3 in both my 6’1 and 6’3 JS squash tails. I also like the YU fins, so it really depends on what you like, what board you’re riding and what waves you’re surfing. But generally, bigger fins hold better in bigger surf (from my experience).
Kia ora hi.Curved fins work in any wave and I think that they work better the flat fins.
Alright went to the site; Not easy navigating to the 04’ Catalog- I never made it.
How about a link?
Which curved fins are you talking about.
The ones with the inner foil curved?
(Futures is big on this)
or
The ones with the outer side curving in away from the rail?
Kia ora hi.I make curved and flat fins to fit FCS or Futures.I can also make any leading edge you want to try.
hi 'flowwithstyle' !
..... here are the [outward, then inward!] curved fcs fins .
I rode these on sunday , with the 1980s [?Harris' -designed?] mini winged keel . [FCS do a not dissimilar '3D red tip' design , for fcs plugs. The 'tip' is smaller , though .
A mate of mine , Stuey , rides that setup EXCLUSIVELY ... big waves , small waves , hollow waves , fat waves ...he RATES them highly ! He especially loves them in big hollow waves , he said . (Stuey RIPS , though !! )
These fcs-made ones pictured are called 'G-CRV's , after Greg Webber . Phil Way may also have been involved with curved fins for a long time too. 'Rainbow fins' , in California , made similar in the 1980s . I believe 'Lokbox' does them now . Maybe he will chime in here ? [he IS on swaylocks ...he is 'JJR' , over at forum.surfermag . I think they are his initials , from memory ...Jimmy James [or John , perhaps?] Robertson?] .
I forget the name of the Lokbox / Rainbow version at the moment , sorry . But Jim Robertson said he got good results using FOUR of them in a quad , too ?! [he was written up in a 'fins' article in 'The Surfers Journal ' , along with some other fin making people...]
Anyway , I hope this helps , if you still post here , "flowwithstyle" ? [ .... HOW did the shaping gig turn out for you , by the way ? did you ever pursue that ?]
cheers !
ben
The pictured fins above, induce more lift by their curve.
The forces on th outside of the wing/fin are greater than the inside, as the fin curves more resultant force is pushing upward on the tail of the board.
Not sure what else is occuring there, except unlike the H-2 fins which have more lift and drive with more depth and more surface area. Perhaps the contrast is that this(Curved) achieves it with less depth…therefor looser or less stickier.
Hi Pipe fins,
Have you been sending any royalty cheques to Geoff McCoy for using his gullwing fin template?
In my opinion you should not underestimate the effect of the extreme convexity on the outside of the Webber CRV fins - especially in regards to how it works on the outside fin... While the inside surface of the inside fin is 'hooking', the outside surface of the outside fin is releasing. My .02 is that the combination makes edge to edge transitioning easier and quicker while maintaining good control.
I have not tried the Pipe fins but the principle appears to be intact.
I’m not a big wave rider, but my experience is the bigger the waves the faster you’re going. The faster you’re going the more water rushes past your fin, therefore exerting more force//resistance. So, in bigger waves smaller fins may be the call, as long as chop is not a problem. I think there are some true big waves riders that share this philosophy. The fin experts on here may disagree.
....here's Marty, from this morning's dawn patrol , enjoying his newly acquired curved G-CRV Webber F.C.S. fins , in his old 'roadkill' 6'2" board ...[he was riding this , because his main shortboard doesn't have FCS , he got futures put in it.]
When I asked him , he said what he likes about them is " the way they feel off the bottom and off the lip" , the "combination of grip and release backhand " was what he especially noticed , when he rode a mate Stuey's board. [ He tail slid a bit in the last photo's wave , but put that down to being on this different board , and not having the sweet spot on that sussed yet , and there WAS also some backwash present ...]
he is thinking of getting Colin Earle to try to replicate his usual board , and put F.C.S. plugs in it , so he can use these fins , because he RAVED about how good they felt in stuey's board . And , Stuey commented that a coupla backhand gouges Marty did that day "were the best he had ever seen him do !" So , I'm glad Marty was able to get a set of them still , because he had been on about it for WEEKS [like a grom waiting for christmas morning to arrive !!]!
I think he's pretty keen to try the 'red tip' for a back fin at some stage , too, as that is what his mate Stuey rides with the curved sideys , and Colin Earle and the guy in the local surf shop here have also independently arrived at that combo too, and rate it HIGHLY !!
...to be continued ??? .....
cheers !
ben
Didnt use his fin as a template just did it by eye.Plus mine is unfoild ,steel reinforced and has sharper edges plus is made from PVC .Also mine has a different system set up for the locking screw.
Sorry I forgot to say I’ve been making fins that fit in Futures too
Hi Ben,
Any more updates on how those curved FCS fins are going?
What did you think of them?
Thinking of getting a set for my 4’2" prone board.
The fibreglass ones I’ve used don’t have the extreme curve in the top of the fin and without the sharp edge of the fibreglass fins too.
Which will be a lot safer when I’m being rolled on the prone board.
Hi Ben,
Thanks for your reply.
Happy new year to you!
I’ve got myself a thruster set.
They are in my 4’2" gst (gut sliding torpedo) ready for a test run tomorrow.
Tried a set of curves very similar to the Webbers in it and they worked a treat.
Will had a quad set on Ebay just the other day for $200 but no takers.
I went with the FCS’s because the curve is a lot safer for a prone application.
I’ll try them in my “normal” surfboards as well.
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Will Webber knows whats up 