I am planning on building a desert island type board for new england waves. I was thinking of doing a 2+1 set up so it can be ridden as a single fin or thruster as well. However I dont have any experience with this mid range size board. Should I set this up similar to a longboard (fin box at 5 in and sidebites at 15) or should the cluster be closer together/ farther back?
Go to a shop take the measure a Rusty or other semi gun and use that as the guide.
Doesnt seem to be a popular shape in these parts.
The closest I can find are mini longboards. Close enough or is it too different of an animal?
Had 2 Desert Islands a few years back, 9’ & 8-6. Both were C-5 set-ups but rode as tris and 2+1 alot. Actually, both came from Warm Winds in Narragansett.
The 9’ had an FCS tri set. Rear fin @ 5", sides @ 15" 1 1/4" from rail 3 deg. toe + 5 deg. cant.
The 8’-6" had a 10" fin box set 5" from tail, sides @ 13" 1 1/4" in, same toe + cant as 9’.
Canard fins on the 8-6 were @ 17" 1 1/4 in, same t + c. Don’t have the meas. for them on the 9’
I’m on Long Island but used the boards mostly in Costa Rica. The 9’ was alot of board - almost too much for the waves it saw. Liked the 8-6 better, plus most of my other boards are 2+1’s so I’m partial to them.
Rode the 8-6 mostly with FCS GL side bites and a 6 1/2 or 7" cut away center fin. Occasionally changed it up and used only a Skip Frye 7" flex.
Your board looks like a keeper.
Hope this helps.
Pete
Side fins at 15" a bit excessive. I ride funguns a lot, my 8’0 side fins are set at 13", rear fin at 4.5", which provides a large ‘sweet spot’ - can punch off the tail, or pump it from further up - bottom is single to double.
Current fungun is thruster, previous a 2+1, found the thruster set-up surfs with tighter arcs and quicker rail to rail transitions, 2+1 has a nice flowing smoothness to it, longer arcs.
If you go 2+1, leave enough foam in the tail to get the fin box back far enough. True Ames, as do other fin companies, offer 4.5" - 4.75" fins, ‘TA small box fin’, for rear fin thruster set-ups. The best set-up I found 2+1 was a 6" rear fin, bit more vertical, with 4.25" side fins.
On the current thruster fungun, ride Simon Anderson L fins, my current favorite in Futures. And like the new MF-1 in FCS, currently using them on a 7’6 quad/tri.
Your shape looks good, have fun with it…
Thanks for your help. This will be a hollow wood build so everything has to be planned out well in advance. Box at 4.5 and sidebites at 13 looks right to me.
post pics when done!
As a single fin, a 8.5" single swept is sufficient.
You mght consider short side standard boxes up 12", barely toe'd in, so you can ride SMALL waves as a twin only, for the snappy turns and extra response, then go with the single rear and maybe small bites for the sides in bigger surf.
Normal twin fin sizing with your pulled in tail, and respect to head high surf might be around 5.5". I use 6.5's but our surf on the WestCoast is different.
For the bites in single fin conditions, you can get 3.5's or 4's, needed only on the bottom turn side, unless you surf beach breaks.
I made dozens of short twin fins using the 7' as a standard, the rider chooses the size buy cutting them down. Some sub 6' twins of mine favored 7.5's with little toe in.
Thought I would post the finished product . I have only had it out on some small days with a 2+1 setup with a 7 inch center fin. It has a nice smooth logboard feel to it. I want to try a 6i n cutaway fin to loosen it up.
very nice work!
Suggest you try a conventional 6" rear fin vs. a cut-away, which lack the drive of a fuller template. Ride small sides and 7" on smaller days, large sides and smaller rear, moved back a tad, on bigger days…
Nice looking ride. what did you come up with for the fin placment?
Thanks, I am happy with how it turned out. The center box is in at 4.5 and probox in at 13.25. Now just if we could get some waves!
I generally have no attraction to wood boards whatsoever, but that thing is puuurrty.
