FCS fins build help!

General Discussion
1

hi everyone. I’m currently applying for a design school here in europe, and as part of my application, i have to give up a portfolio of 30 drawings/designs/self built objects/photos etc. What i was thinking is that i could design a FCS fin and build it myself. I know that there are 10000000s of posts on this topic, but i dont have the time to read through all of them for my few answers. I’ve built my own skim and surfboard before, and i am very confortable with woodwork, epoxy and glass laminate.

here are my questions:
i would like to build a single tab, FCS nubster(the little red fin kelly used in NY). what i need to know is, what wood type? how heavy a glass? and how to reenforce the tab(so that it doesnt break)?

I’ve been looking around in shops, and i can buy anything from birch to balsa, from 1mm thickness all the way up X cm(local remotecontroll builder shop), and glass, everything from 2oz till …

what i want to know is, if it would be better to make my own ply( laminating layers of 1-2mm balsa and 6oz glass over and over again till i hit approx. 8mm thickness) or should i get a birch ply (3mm of 3 layers, and then laminate a few layers of 6oz on the outside of the fin).
Ive read that alot of people advise you to make a halo out of roving. in my case this is unneccessary as it will be more for show, although i would like to try out this bad boy one day.

if anyone could help me interms of thickness the fin should be, if its better to make your own ply by laminating wood and glass layers together, or if i should just do it simple and buy a finished ply and laminate a few layers outside for strength, that would be extremely helpful.

p.s. i was also thinking of just cutting that FCS tabs out with the fin(so that they are one piece), then filing it down a bit and then smaking some glass onto it… bad idea?

thanks
luismx

2

Hi, 

I would use birchply, Balsa is too soft. That makes it more difficult to shape and foil precisly. There’s birch ply with very thin layers  (like 0.3mm or so) available at some shops were they sell remote controlled aircrafts as you mentioned. And then there’s the birch ply with the approx. 1 mm thick layers. You can use both of them, the latter is cheaper, the first is more durable and looks better IMHO. There’s a classic thread by Bert Burger with pics covering glassing of wooden fins. Read this and youre prepared…

http://www2.swaylocks.com/node/1010491

 

3

finFoil will help you to foil your fins:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/finfoil/

Any feedback on the program is always appreciated.

4

first batch of fins glassed and hardening right now! cant wait to give them the second glass layer :slight_smile:

5

In my limited fin makeing experience it is much better to lay up all the layers of glass in one go.

6



here are my questions:

Why FCS?

Who are the true masters?   Who are the spin masters? Who are the marketing masters?......

Tabs????? say what???

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