couple questions about fin box and leash plug installation:
do I install the fin box and leash plug before or after sanding down the hot coat? (hot coat went on a little thick in the center of the board and thin near the rails) (not planning to gloss coat, floor polish instead)
what is the recommended distance from the tail for a long board leash plug? (yes I am putting a leash plug on my cruiser)
2.a) will it be ok to put the leash plug on the stringer with the fin box there? or will I need to off set the leash plug?
I’m using RR Epoxy. Should I use slow, med, or fast cure hardner?
Standard end-of-the finbox placement is about 5.5" up from the tail on a square or squash tail, 6" up for a round pin. You can go shorter than that if you want a really retro feel (need BIG drop knee to turn) but then you’d probably do a glass-on “D” fin anyway…
Cleanest leash installation is to drill a 3/16 to 1/4" hole up through the end of the finbox & out the deck. You start by drilling a small, like less than 1/8" pilot hole through from the finbox side to the deck. Then go down from the deck just to the top of the finbox with something that’ll cut clean like a forstner bit or a router, like 5/16 or 3/8 diameter. You fill that hole with slow catalyzed hardener - even a little under-catalyzed because if it kicks hot it’ll foam & turn brittle. Once it’s set, you drill your final hole size through the finbox & resin plug, again using the pilot hole in the finbox side as your guide. From the top, it just looks like a clean little white-bordered hole with a loop of string sticking out. Nothing to drag on the bottom either, as your knot is in the box behind the fin. Clean!
4est, A note regarding “no gloss coat, floor polish only”. That might work on a white board, but I used Future Acrylic over the hot coat on a repair (red painted board)and after a few sessions in the water, the floor finish turned cloudy. Looks kind of messy now.
I think, (someone correct me if I’m wrong), that you can spray clear acrylic lacquer over the hot coat, like Krylon or automotive lacquer. The Future Acrylic is best used for sealing foam or thinning water-based acrylic paint. I’ve done both of those with good results. Doug
I tried to look this up in previous posts, but haven't found the info yet.
Is there a minimum thickness you need where youinstall the plugs (eg. xx mm's / inches of foam between the actual plug and the lam on the deck ?)
I made a tailshape wich is definitely too thin for a big finbox, normal plugs might be okay (I hope), I'm definitely doing an extra layer of fibre on the tail to strengthen it.
The further back towards the tail the fin is the more drive you obtain. The more forward the looser it will be. Leash plugs can be dine a few ways. Fortnser bit is one way. Match a bit size to the plug size. Or you can do the old school resin plugs where you build a dam of resin on the deck. Or you can do the plug through the fin box. The fin box looks the cleanest