these are nice !!
Sjoerd, I reckon they need to be seen here , not just at 'Facebook' ( I LOVE seeing what other people are making ! ) .....
http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.1770322016975.2096104.1206985588
[click on each photo , for the larger picture ]
cheers !
ben
hi there Mr. Sjoerdman !!
i'm just sitting here by the compermuter , with the hot chocolate , and toast and nutella [YUM !!] , thawing out slowly , after getting back from the dawno trying THESE out , this morning .....
.... in head high , glassy , but too crowded surf [for the amount of waves on offer ... it's definately a rapidly dropping swell , compared to the last three days.]...
I caught two decent-sized rights , and the fins felt very positive on the drop , turning off the bottom , and speeding across the face . ( With the back fins being so LARGE , they definately held IN ! )
On an earlier left , before it got too crowded , I managed to get a coupla rollercoaster cruisy kind of turns in , before being shut down . By drop-ins.
I like how , with the 'overhanging' trailing edge , the fins can be clustered closer together than with my OTHER quad setups I've tried ...I'll do that with the next 'one tabbers' I make , too, I think ...
...to be continued, when the school holiday kiddies , and the 'easter-breakers' [and not forgetting the loud-mouthed and obnoxious , aggro , annoying drop-in boooogerrrrss ?!] return to wherever it is they come from ?! [....hell, perhaps ? hahaaa]
cheers !
ben
Looks like those fins crushed the glass behind them. Must have been some power in them there waves!
hi mate !
it was a pre-surf accident in my haste to put them in the plugs , oops !
Sjoerd , I got to ride this setup again this morning , I LIKE it !
In smaller waves like today's , it would be interesting to ride a set of four small fins in this material , all the same size , too [around 3 1/2 to 4" deep , same sized bases]
have you done any [making and riding?]
cheers
ben
....next , when the swell drops EVEN more [tomorrow and this week ] , I'll try your little 'one tabbers' as 'sidebites' , on my 9'4 , with the 7" back fin.....I could have done that this morning , if I hadn't believed the "3.5 metre swell" report for today , on last nights weather report ??? [ it always pays to check it first , now I have a quiver to choose from ...]
Hi Chipperman,
Great to hear you’re have fun!
Try the set the other way round to get a twin set with some added stability.
The flex in the big ones regulates drive with the force applied to them.
In tight turns they flex with the turn and return the stored energy at the end of the turn.
That’s why on the one-tabbers the tab is so much forward, more flex.
It is possible to change the flex and drive produced by it with a different spaceframe inside, same fin different performance…
Check Quiver for my current models.
They have a tight fit in the boxes, take care with your board when you remove them. I know the problem.
Greetins from Sjoerd
hi Sjoerd !
thanks for replying , mate
Well, because the plugs in the Walden are SO far forward , I balked at doing the "traditional " setup [you know ..."big ones front , small ones back '' yahda yahda yahda]
I wanted the fins to be close together , and felt I would need the bigger fins in the back , to help hold in the way wide-arse tail on the board [with light bodyweight , I need all the help I can get !]
I WILL eventually try the setup you suggested , but I'm enjoying the 'twinzer type' setup more , at present . Ideally , slightly smaller front side fins [4-4 1/2" depth, MAXIMUM ] and about 3 1/2- 4" backs , I'd really like to try ...
I like the light weight of these fins !
Although they have what to me looked like a pretty thick leading edge , I was surprised [and glad !] that they didn't hum , or be 'draggy' [more high tech fin speak]
You did a really good job , mate , WELL DONE !! I showed another fin maker mate of mine today when I came out of the surf . He reckoned they were the best fins from holland he had EVER seen !!
I need to learn your moulding secret[s] , I think , Sjoerd ?!... that would save me a lot of time , money , material wastage , and mess !!
A thought ...
maybe [if] you could do some 'hockey stick fins' next ? [ if I send you some of my glasson cutdown ones for you to test , comment on , and use as you deem fit ? would you be interested ?]
Okay , I'm off to bed now , but I'll catch you again , when you're typing to me ...
cheers mate !
9.45pm ben
To stop your “yahda yahda yahda” you should try how they could hold in your rail in the front position and make your CD into a little skateboard?!
What do you think about the size of the hockey fins? 4.75" or 5". They were going to be my next project when life permits me. Playing around with the flex of the existing ones gave me the results I was looking for with the big tip.
My fins will be hard to compare with full glass ones because of the different flex properties of the materials.
Molding makes reproducing the same fin easier, but making the mold could bring you to desperation. Every scratch and bump will be reproduced exactly. Experimenting with new shapes is easier with the traditional methods.
Have a nice time next dawnpatrol!
Soul
hi Sjoerd !
For today's dawno , I used the tiny one tabbers of yours in the side plugs on the 9'4 mal...with an 8" windsurfer-type back fin [in the back box] . It was only VERY small today , so I couldn't feel much in the way of fin's effects .
4.75 " / 5" hockeys are a HUUUGE size , were you thinking of using them as TWIN fins ?? [for thruster or quads , I go with 4 1/4- 4 1/2" depth , MAXIMUM !] . What size boards [and waves] are you riding , and what weight and height are you , mate ?
The little cutdown 'hockeys' that I have are around 3 1/2' x 3 1/2 " , from memory ... I'll go through my 'fin photos' file , and see if I can put a few up on this thread for you ? [ ....if you like ?]
cheers !
ben
hiya Sjoerd...
here are a few that I still have , in the way of 'hockey stick ' fins ...
these will need thickening , and re-templating ...
....so as not to hijack this thread , if you'd like to 'p.m.' me your email , I could send you photos of hockey stick fin templates [cardboard] that I have done , too , if you like ?? maybe in amongst them , there might be one you'd prefer , which I could have a go at making for you ?
cheers mate !
ben
Hi Ben,
So much questions, you’re good at what you do!
I’m 1.93 meter and 90 kg, not small. What are your sizes? My boards are, I surf between 5’5" and 6’4", the longest ones sometimes as thruster. I prefer wide tails because the easy takeoff and they plane more easily. The waves here are from anckle high to, a few times a year, well overhead, lacking the push of real ocean swell, max period is around 11 sec., average around 5-8 sec. I like twinfins with a small trailing quad fin best. A good combination of twin with a bit of thruster drive to make the sections.
I think because the flex in my fins it’s possible to ride a bigger fin because they depower when too much pressure is applied. I haven’t surfed full glass fins since I stopped windsurfing, I tried the first FCS carbon fins, but didn’t like their foil and flex so I started making my own…
It would be interesting to try a set of your full glass ones as sideys in a twin setup to feel the difference. A hockey fin would fit my expectations best because with the full tip they would flex better. I tried a single fin once, but that is not my style, it felt impossible to turn and slided sideways when I thought of a turn. I like to hang in the face on the rail and fins and make fullforce turns from top to bottom, surfing more on the rails then the whole board. That’s why I moved the center fin sideways to the rails.
Don’t worry about hijacking this thread because this is a fin freak thread, hoping for some new visions that can crystalize to more better fins being born.
Try riding your CD with my big fins in small waves, the big fins give you drive to do nice things!
Cheers and have fun,
Sjoerd
cheers for that , Sjoerd !
....so , you're around 6'6" , and 198lbs [that's 14 stone , 2 lbs , for us aussies , and the poms , ?and kiwis?],
and ride 5'5" boards in ankle high waves ??? [ I often ride a 9'4 mal in those conditions , (and , lately , a 6'11 x 20" x 2 3/8" thruster) for a comparison ...mind you , I am 50 years old , and a bit stiff at times , am 5'9" , and ....weigh a whopping 62kgs [that's 136lbs] , dripping wet !]
you must be a really good paddler , mate ,
or else they are very wide , and very thick , " mini simmons"- type boards ?
Do you have any shots of your boards , please , Sjoerd , just so I can see WHAT exactly I am working with here ?
Going narrower , longer , [ ?and thinner?] might enable you to have more paddle power , more speed , and still be able to do the 'top to bottom' turns , that you speak of ...in fact , it will probably makes things a lot EASIER / FASTER [which sometimes = more FUN ?!]
cheers !
Ben
hi Sjoerd !
here are some [big , since you like BIG fins?!] " hockey stick " templates for your perusal , mate ... please let me know if any of THESE take your fancy , eh ?
cheers !
ben
Hi Ben,
The 3rd template would fit my boards and style. That’s a nice one to get the right flex from a massive fiber fin. Some vertical strands of carbon could provoke an even better flex characteristic, making the fin flex from front to rear and stiffening it from top to bottom. These hockeyzzs are designed for improving the flex characteristics.
If you put the first tab from the 5" mark forward, the rear of the fin is more free to flex on the base too.
This kind of flex regulates the drive the fin generates, releasing the flow more by flexing with the flow like the sail of a boat. When there is too much flex from top to bottom the fin will bend and generate upward lift and make the board uncontrolable or even spinout.
Can you get unidirectional glas in Oz? That can give the same flex characteristics improving the performance of the fin.
Do you still have that luminescent powder?!!!
Mahalo from Soul
thanks for that feedback , Sjoerd ... it sure sounds like a lot of thought goes into your fins !!
can you do a drawing of what you said , please , and post it here ?
I'll ask about 'unidirectional' glass
yes , i still have the glow powder ...
..so ...
carbon fibre fins ?
or glow fins ?
or are you wanting 'glo' hockey stick fins , with carbon rovings-type strands in them ??
...DID I interpret / read all that right ?
Sjoerdy, please keep the ideas , and illustrations , and photos coming !
..this is YOUR showcase thread , mate !
cheers !
ben
well, Sjoerd , this arvo I rode your black fins again , in the rear plugs again , in the CD4 , with M3 templates in the front two plugs.
In chest high sideshore fairly low tide fast righthanders.
The board FLEW !!
It felt really positive , no slide with your deep fins in the back plugs. On a couple of fast rights , it definately felt like some flex / thrust was coming off them during top turns especially . I like how fast and how well they held in over the foam [did a coupla floaters that felt really in control , for a change ! ]
I'm hoping , IF tomorrow's forecast "all-day offshore" eventuates , to be able to try them out again , after my course ...an arvo/ evening surf again , in the lower tide and diminishing swell , could make for some really fast zippering little peelers ?! [hopefully]
Might see if my mate Rowan feels like sitting on the beach [he's injured] with his camera , to maybe pop off a few piccies eh ? [failing that , hopefully when my brother is here in a week's time , all going well ?! ....]
I now have the board set up with your fins in the FRONT plugs , Sjoerd , and the cutdown red corecell (almost 'M2' sized) ones in the rear plugs ...
....could be FUN , hopefully !!
Well, we have offshores forecast for pretty much EVERY day this week , so "IF" there will be fresh swell arriving later in the week , as forecast ... it 'could' be FIN TEST funtime[s] .... yeehaw !!
cheers !
ben
Thanks for sharing the stoke. Hope your next setup isn’t to stiff, a smaller backfin would loosen it up,feeling twinny with added direction and drive. Can’t wait for the next report!
hiya Sjoerd !
..... for smaller waves like today , I'd REALLY like to try a scaled-down version of your big black fin ...same template , but 1/2" less depth and base would be great , and I'd use them in the front , with something around the size of a carbon fibre version , thin , of a GS or a G1000 template in the rear plugs !
cheers
ben
hi again , Sjoerd !
[rode my mal today , swell had dropped a bit for the quad]
this may interest you , still on the 'hockey stick' theme ...
A guy on 'Facebook' [ I think he may be from your neck of the woods? His name is David van Eyk ] put up this photo , there ...
[img_assist|nid=1059249|title=5.5" Hockey fin destucted before I could finish it|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=492]
Hi Ben,
This is the hockeyfin I was making, project has been postponed a bit, have to start again.
It was meant as a twinny setup, maybe with a little trailing stabiliser.
Could you do something like that in a luminescent way?
I think you would be interested in a 4" elliptical onetabber?
Greetings from Soul