I F’ed my board today. Sanded down the excessiive resin and it was looking quite good for my first board. I milled out a fin box router jig that worked like charm. I looked in the archives to find out about placement. I read ‘11"x 3-1/2" x 1-1/4" off the rail from the trailing edge’ for a thruster. So I think 11" from tail, 1-1/4 trailing from rail and 3-1/2" leading edge from rail. Looks a bit hard angle so I cut to 3" off rail at leading. I thought it still looked hard but went with it cause I’m a dumbass and wanted to get done instead of waiting and asking the board. Now I have ridiculously toed in side fins and I am freaking bummed…I was so close to being done. Anyhow, can someone with some time and patience please tell me what dictates side fin placement. Where you measure from, how size effects placement, etc. I’m lost. I have an inkling how toe and cant effects the ride but I guess I dont understand how to put it together. BTW, this board (5’6" for the boy)was going so well so far that I purchased an 8’8"E blank last week to shape something for myself but my enthusiasim is now drying up. Thanks, Jeff
I F’ed my board today. Sanded down the excessiive resin and it was looking > quite good for my first board. I milled out a fin box router jig that > worked like charm. I looked in the archives to find out about placement. I > read ‘11"x 3-1/2" x 1-1/4" off the rail from the trailing > edge’ for a thruster. So I think 11" from tail, 1-1/4 trailing from > rail and 3-1/2" leading edge from rail. Looks a bit hard angle so I > cut to 3" off rail at leading. I thought it still looked hard but > went with it cause I’m a dumbass and wanted to get done instead of waiting > and asking the board. Now I have ridiculously toed in side fins and I am > freaking bummed…I was so close to being done.>>> Anyhow, can someone with some time and patience please tell me what > dictates side fin placement. Where you measure from, how size effects > placement, etc. I’m lost. I have an inkling how toe and cant effects the > ride but I guess I dont understand how to put it together. BTW, this board > (5’6" for the boy)was going so well so far that I purchased an > 8’8"E blank last week to shape something for myself but my > enthusiasim is now drying up. Thanks, Jeff FIRST, CUT/AND GRIND THEM BACK OFF AND SMOOTH BOARD. NOW TRY 11"UP AND PUT A PENCIL DOT 1.25" FROM RAIL, THEN 3.5" UP AND DOT 1/4" CLOSER TO STRINGER THAN REAR DOT(TOE-IN). AS FAR AS CANTING, BUY/USE A AJUSTABLE ANGLE TOOL(ADJUST TO APPROX 95 DEGREES) TO USE FOR EQUAL ANGLE-OUT ON BOTH SIDES USE GLUE GUN BEAD ON BOTTOM OF FIN, HOLD IN PLACE WITH ANGLE TOOL UNTIL GLUE HARDINS(2 MIN), STAND BACK A LOOK BUT DONT TOUCH. NOW GLASS THEM ON GENTLY…WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF GARAGE GLASSING!!! I DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THE 3.5" FROM RAIL MEASUREMENT, YOU MEASURE ‘TOE-IN’(1/8-1/4 MAX) FROM THE STRINGER WITH CARPENTERS 90 DEGREE ANGLE (VERY ACCURATELY)
my guess is the 3.5" measurment is for the trailer fin in a basic thruster setup. most trailer fins on a thruster are between 3" - 3.5" from the tail. toe in can be set like in the JC video, running a straight edge from the side fins rear edge measurement to the nose, or an inch or two past. this gives me a rough measurement that i than measure off the stringer. only use that method when doing a totally new length or shape. also go measure some boards in your local shop…
Like the two previous post read. 1/4" inch toe will work on shorter boards but on a 7’ or longer board its way too much. It will put your toe in angle on the opposite side of the stringer if you carry that line to the nose. Use 1/8" for the longer, 1/4" for the shorter. Better yet, just do it like Bruce said, then you’re using the same ratio on each board. - Alaska
I F’ed my board today. Sanded down the excessiive resin and it was looking > quite good for my first board. I milled out a fin box router jig that > worked like charm. I looked in the archives to find out about placement. I > read ‘11"x 3-1/2" x 1-1/4" off the rail from the trailing > edge’ for a thruster. So I think 11" from tail, 1-1/4 trailing from > rail and 3-1/2" leading edge from rail. Looks a bit hard angle so I > cut to 3" off rail at leading. I thought it still looked hard but > went with it cause I’m a dumbass and wanted to get done instead of waiting > and asking the board. Now I have ridiculously toed in side fins and I am > freaking bummed…I was so close to being done.>>> Anyhow, can someone with some time and patience please tell me what > dictates side fin placement. Where you measure from, how size effects > placement, etc. I’m lost. I have an inkling how toe and cant effects the > ride but I guess I dont understand how to put it together. BTW, this board > (5’6" for the boy)was going so well so far that I purchased an > 8’8"E blank last week to shape something for myself but my > enthusiasim is now drying up. Thanks, Jeff Jeff, think of it this way. The more rocker a shape has the straighter forward the fins can be placed. With a real flat tail rocker the more toe the fins will need. A flat board will ride on the botton more than on the rail, so it needs more toe. As far as caster, I personally like the tips tilted out quite a bit, It feels like the fin is more vertical when the board is in a hard turn. Anyway that’s my take on it. http://www.JimtheGenius@aol.com
FIRST, CUT/AND GRIND THEM BACK OFF AND SMOOTH BOARD. NOW TRY 11"UP > AND PUT A PENCIL DOT 1.25" FROM RAIL, THEN 3.5" UP AND DOT > 1/4" CLOSER TO STRINGER THAN REAR DOT(TOE-IN). AS FAR AS CANTING, > BUY/USE A AJUSTABLE ANGLE TOOL(ADJUST TO APPROX 95 DEGREES) TO USE FOR > EQUAL ANGLE-OUT ON BOTH SIDES USE GLUE GUN BEAD ON BOTTOM OF FIN, HOLD IN > PLACE WITH ANGLE TOOL UNTIL GLUE HARDINS(2 MIN), STAND BACK A LOOK BUT > DONT TOUCH. NOW GLASS THEM ON GENTLY…WELCOME TO THE > WORLD OF GARAGE GLASSING!!! I DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THE 3.5" > FROM RAIL MEASUREMENT, YOU MEASURE ‘TOE-IN’(1/8-1/4 MAX) FROM THE STRINGER > WITH CARPENTERS 90 DEGREE ANGLE (VERY ACCURATELY) When I was mangaing Dick Catri’s factory in Florida in the early 70’s, he had this formula for fin placement. Rear of fin X from rail, front of fin X from rail. We did a series of traditional fishes (Liss type), well this formula didn’t work for crap. The front of the fins were farther away from the stringer than the rear. What I use for my shapes is templates with the toe cut on them. I butted my square along the edge, finding half the intended width and marked both sides. i:e 12" apart 6" on temp. The temp. is long enough for shorties (5’6" with fins 9-10" apart) to long dogs with fins 13-14" apart. Just slap it against the stringer and slide it along until you like what you see. I always hated using a square to set up the 4 dots that were needed. I have 3 different templates, ranging from more toe for rockery designs and less for flatter boards With fins unlimited next door, I have acess to many items. A few years ago I took 4 short fin boxes that were not assembled, cut them apart and baked them in the oven until they stayed in the hourglass shape I had clamped them to. I glued them back together so that the center of the hourglass was the width of the narrow channel. I made several sets if side fins with plates at each end. The fins could be set at any toe I desired. (I didn’t know that an Austrailian Co. made a system called SWIVEL). With max toe the board rode like SHIT, the bottom turn was OK, but off the top, the tail would track along the lip with the nose in the trough. The outside rail fin was steering the tail down the line. With the fins pointed straight ahead I had no problem in turns. Rocker and fin placement are the KEYS to a good riding board. Terry Fitzgerald said in an interview that he couold make any board ride good by moving the fins around. That’s no lie! So much for professor Phillips disertation, go surfing! http://www.JimtheGenius@aol.com