I’ve got a 9’0" 17.5x 22x 15 performance minded shape with a paper thin tail. Must glass in a fin. Never done that before. It’s going to be a single fin only. can I get a few suggestions for size, style, but most important PLACEMENT from tail to trailing for a glass on. I’m thinking a 9.5", thin with good bit of rake, that would give me control and good turnability, right? but where to put it? Thanks
I’ve got a 9’0" 17.5x 22x 15 performance minded shape with a paper > thin tail. Must glass in a fin. Never done that before. It’s going to be a > single fin only. can I get a few suggestions for size, style, but most > important PLACEMENT from tail to trailing for a glass on. I’m thinking a > 9.5", thin with good bit of rake, that would give me control and good > turnability, right? but where to put it?>>> Thanks Placement and fin selection,IMO, on a single fin board will affect the performance and feel more than any design aspect. Going without an adjustable box is really going to limit your choices. A real dog of a board can turn into a fire-breather by moving a fin up or back by 1 inch. There really isn’t any reason these days not to use a box, even with a real thin tail. If you still want to glass it, I’d try someone else’s board with a similar design and measure it from there. That’ll eliminate a lot of trial and error…
How much fin box can I safely grind down. Three damn surf shops in town and not one of them carrys glass on LB fins. I’m just hitting an inch at 8.5" from the tail. I f*ed up, got a low spot that got lower and lower and lower the more I tried to fix it. So I finally planed the whole board down to even it out somewhat, should of done that in the first place I guess. I’m done and it looks pretty good, just super thin tail. Hey Newbs, my nose channels look pretty cool too.
You can only take a little (about 1/16th") off the thickness of the box on the closed side but you can actually take quite a bit (1/4"+) off the open side after it’s set in the board. The top of the box may stick out at the back when you install it, but you can grind it down flush with the board after it cures. The screw tab of your fin may protrude a bit in the back but that won’t hurt anything. To get my box slot as deep as possible, I put a spotlight under the board and use a sharp chisel to carefully get down almost to the deck glass (at the rear of the slot) when cutting the box slot - the front will allow a deeper slot since the board is thicker there. Use a little white pigment when you set your box especially if is dark colored.
You just made a flex-tail by accident. If you don’t go with the box, find a Gross/Liddle/Greenough flex fin and put it up about 12 to 13 inches from the tail. What weight and type of glass are you going to use? If you want to take advantage of your “mistake” try Volan as it seems to flex better, and skip the gloss coat.
regular 6oz. 1 bottom 2 top. nearest volan is 2hr drive away which ain’t happening today. If you know of somewhere I can get a fin in NE FL tomorrow, I’ll try it, would like to finish up this weekend. is there any way I can take advantage of this with a box? same fin just set the box way up there?
regular 6oz. 1 bottom 2 top. nearest volan is 2hr drive away which ain’t > happening today. If you know of somewhere I can get a fin in NE FL > tomorrow, I’ll try it, would like to finish up this weekend. is there any > way I can take advantage of this with a box? same fin just set the box way > up there? Oh yeah, it’ll work great with a box…If you go with regular glass it may wear out faster but’ll still work. Any thin flex-tip fin will work o.k. but if you go with a large area hatchet you may end up twisting the tail too much on turns. Now that you’ve 'fessed up to your location, you probably won’t feel anything (flex) for a couple of months until hurricane season. It takes shoulder to head high waves to really feel it happening. Did you try to keep what thickness you had all the way to the rails? If you did, it probably won’t flex enough so don’t worry about trying (and its probably better if you don’t considering the type of waves your going to ride). If you do want it to flex, before you glass, taper the rails to about 1/2 inch. Leave the center thick for the box, just thin everything else from about 8-10 inches up from the tail. Regardless of which way you go, installing the box is a really good way to go…
You just made a flex-tail by accident. If you don’t go with the box, find > a Gross/Liddle/Greenough flex fin and put it up about 12 to 13 inches from > the tail. What weight and type of glass are you going to use? If you want > to take advantage of your “mistake” try Volan as it seems to > flex better, and skip the gloss coat. I was just wondering? Why would he want to skip the gloss coat? I am trying to glass in a fin myself!
I was just wondering? Why would he want to skip the gloss coat? I am > trying to glass in a fin myself! It doesn’t have anything to do with the fin…He is trying to get the whole tail to flex up and down and twist(just a bit). The less you add on top of the lam the more flex you have. By eliminating the gloss you increase the flexability…
yup, don’t get too much head high around here. just enough to have fun. I think I might just cut 1.5" off the tail make it square instead of round and set the back of a fin box about 8" from the tail.