Hey all. I am proud to say I have almost finished shaping my first board. All I have left to shape are the rails, and I must say it’s looking good. I have a question though. My tail area, from about 9" up (from the tail) to the tip of the tail is only about 1" thick. I was wondering if I’ll still be able to install my Future fin boxes without problem, or will I run into problems because my foam is too thin? Thanks for the input.
No problem.
The Futures boxes are 1/2" thick for the center or trailer fin and 3/4" for the side fins.
Ottawa eh? You take long road trips to surf, or are you riding on the rivers near there? I heard that there were some river spots up that way as well.
Hey Johan. Thanks for the reply, it puts my mind at ease.
As for river surfing, I’ve also heard there were some river spots around Ottawa, namely the standing waves under the Champlain Bridge, and another standing wave up the valley slightly, but I can’t say I’ve surfed them. Mabey I’ll give it a go this summer. Where did you hear you could surf up here? Mostly I head up to Sauble Beach since one of my aunts has a cottage there.
I’ve heard of your spots in Montreal, on the Saint Laurence though. I think I might try to hit them this summer. Any one’s you would recommend?
Nice to have company from CANADA!
I heard about the waves around Ottawa from a kayaker I know, actually…bitchin about the surfers taking over the waves…hehehe
If you come to Montreal, the easiest one to get to and to ride is Habitat '67. It’s also the most popular, so pick your time to go… sometimes it gets crowded. There are other places in the Lachine rapids, but long paddle out (1/2 mile maybe) and very hairy set of rapids to ride in. Lots of places being discovered out of town on the rivers frequented by rafters/kayakers.
Sauble beach? On lake Ontario right? I have a friend that lives near Sand banks park on Ontario, apparently it surfable when the weather brings it.
Good luck on the board.
Hmm. I think I’ll have to find some of the spots around Ottawa. I’m not sure if there is a Sauble Beach on Lake Ontario, but my aunts cottage is on Lake Huron, the southern part of the Bruce Peninsula. When it’s stormy you can get some pretty good waves. I hear Lake Superior is pretty sick though. Anyways. I’m picking up my Epoxy and fiberglass tommorow, and am going to install my fins this weekend.
A further question. How can I remove the foam where my boxes are to go, if I don’t want to use a Router. I feel a sense of impending doom thinking about using a Router. Any alternative methods? Input appreciated.
Lake Huron eh? As most of them, I guess the winter is the better season?
I have seen Superior look very interesting on the buoy info sites, but was never sure about making the 6-8 hour drive for swell with a small window of opportunity.
For the fins… have you made your self a jig of some sort? I made one out of various thicknesses of MDF when I started, but it was so tricky to get it all llined up for the different cuts (slot and then flange) that I gave up on it. Since I knew I would be doing this for a while I bought the Future install set.
I guess if you were careful you could probably do it with a dremel tool maybe?
Check the resources and see what others have done without jig sets.
Quote:
A further question. How can I remove the foam where my boxes are to go, if I don’t want to use a Router. I feel a sense of impending doom thinking about using a Router. Any alternative methods? Input appreciated.
Get the correct size router (not a huge beast) and practice on some scrap foam. Buying the Future set-up
would be a good idea, it’s really easy to use. Making
your own jigs or fences is going to be time consuming…
But the router is far and away the best tool for this job.
The potential for problems is much greater if you DON’T
use a router, IMO
Mike
Mike’s correct about using a router. The small ones are available from Harbor Freight for about $25. Make some templates and test run on scrap foam or an old board (if installing after glassing). Most glassing places will route them for you using the OEM jigs for the price of the HF router.
Johan: Winter is definitely better on the Lakes, but even in the summer, if there is a good offshore wind you can get some pretty sweet waves. I can’t say I have ventured up to Superior yet either, but it is definitely in the future.
Question: Thanks for the input. Unfortunately the only real router in my garage is a BEAST! Johan mentioned doing it with a dremel tool ( pretty much a mini router) and ironically I was already thinking of doing it that way. Anybody tried it, or have any thoughts on how it would work?
You’ll have to finish turning the dremel into a router by installing
a baseplate (I’ll bet dremel makes one) to keep the cut perpindicular.
I’m assuming you’re just routing foam (futures) so the dremel has
sufficient power. Stringer wood may be a problem.
The angle and cant of your fins is IMPORTANT. On the future system
this is all determined by the routing. A precise job is critical.
Practice on scraps until you get it wired.
Mike
Thanks for the reply Mike. I’m going to see what i can turn up for the dremel tool and then PRACTICE.