Anybody have any feedback about these fins? Concave inner side/regular foil outside. Thanks in advance. O.J.
where can you buy those on-line?
I tried them. My local shop has a demo set. I was using EA’s med flex then switched to the vectors. I noticed the stiffness of the carbon more than anything. There maybe something to the design especially in solid surf,but at 97.00 a set, the jurys still out for me. I’m still not sure how much of this is hype.
saw it ina mag the other day, and they never really said how they were better in anyway, just said they were. and said they were superfast, didnt explain dynamics or anything.
any more opinions on these vector fins from future? At almost $100bucks a set i hope they have something going for them.
in a discussion today with my brother, a fluid physicist, he had this to say about the vector force fin. reprinted with his permission. Looks like the Futures people are adapting the old NACA airfoil designs. Could be a smart move, if they are recalculating for the density differences between air and water. The cambered design (that’s the convex section on the underside of the foil and the shape are intended to create lift, which most surfboard fins (and ship rudders for that matter) don’t want. They tend to use symmetric foil shapes to reduce drag. Inducing lift from an airfoil creates drag as well, which may not be a good thing. Here’s a page that talks about the NACA designs: http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/airfoils/q0041.shtml http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/airfoils/q0041.shtml
This new fin may be the result of Future merging with Ocean Air Technology. Ocean Air makes hydrofoil type fins and winged fins for highspeed catamarans, surfskis and windsurfers. Every day I watch seagulls around the back of the boat. They too have this concave/scoop near the base of their wings (the top half being more flat). Any clarification on the Ocean Air Technologies technology? Their website has been removed. Rob Olliges
i think i read curtis and rusty worked this out. but first, i talked with rusty the september after the AB3. he sat with me for almost an hour and i told him all about mvgs: where i got the idea, where i did my research, who helped, and i gave him a list of websites to check out. i wanted him to know that mvg wasnt some simple “dreaded lee press on fin” as Surfer mag branded them. i wanted him to know that we had done homework and testing. that i wasnt out to make a fool of him by coming up with something just to rip off his $30K contest. i have nothing against rusty. heck, he put his money up to get the ideas out in the open and he did just that. believe me that impressed me and i respect him for that. he took a lot of heat for the c5 challenge and he made a bold decision. and he also makes great boards! besides i never saw a dime of that money. but heck they won. anyway, he took notes during our meeting. then a year or so later i was talking with curtis and i mentioned that the flat surface on the back of the side fins was a bad idea, that water tends to want to separate from flat surfaces or sets up turbulent flow, causing drag. i suggested putting curves on the back of the side fins and greatly relieving the leading edge because that sharp leading edge causes separation and turbulence. ie, look at the bulbous bows on todays ships compared to yesterdays sharp prow. curtis took the ball and ran with it. new designs are necessary if we are ever to advance our own technology. sure we may accidentally explode a few rockets, but you dont want to wait for BIC to come up with another whopper do you? besides i like to stir the soup once in a while. it’s fun to push the limits and have great conversations with the guys who are driving the industry and designs into new areas. http://www.hydrofoilsurfing.com/