Not as simple as it sounds, not with what I’d like to do…
Soooo, I have this board that I’ve totally fallen in love with. It has great big glass on wood fins, and I would love to be able to take them and convert them (the fins themselves) to lokbox so I could travel with it much more easily.
Is there a way to do this? Maybe rout out a slot in the fin (they’re 3/8" thick) where some type of vertical support could be inserted into the fin to connect to the lokbox fin bases? Like some finblank layered glass?
Has anyone ever done something like this?
I was thinking that a sacrificial lokbox box (with screw recess filled) could be used as a mold for the fin bases, then a few layers of glass on the bottom of the fins along with some mold release on the board bottom could work for a final fin-to-board fitting to eliminate any gap…
The parts I’m having trouble with mind-shaping are getting enough support between the fin and the newly-molded fin base, and getting the angle of the fin/finbase right.
Not as simple as it sounds, not with what I’d like to do…
Soooo, I have this board that I’ve totally fallen in love with. It has great big glass on wood fins, and I would love to be able to take them and convert them (the fins themselves) to lokbox so I could travel with it much more easily.
Is there a way to do this? Maybe rout out a slot in the fin (they’re 3/8" thick) where some type of vertical support could be inserted into the fin to connect to the lokbox fin bases? Like some finblank layered glass?
Has anyone ever done something like this?
I was thinking that a sacrificial lokbox box (with screw recess filled) could be used as a mold for the fin bases, then a few layers of glass on the bottom of the fins along with some mold release on the board bottom could work for a final fin-to-board fitting to eliminate any gap…
The parts I’m having trouble with mind-shaping are getting enough support between the fin and the newly-molded fin base, and getting the angle of the fin/finbase right.
Don’t they usually say 6 layers on each side is strong enough? Maybe you could sand through the old fin for an inch or so to accommodate the 6 layers on each side.
I’m no expert on fins, but I would lay up enough pieces of glass to make up the tab for the fin with a couple layers left out, then sand down a layer or so on the existing fin to match, glue the tab to the base, then glass it all together with a couple layers of 6 oz.
I’m not sure if it would handle all the load that is placed on the fins, but if you used a 5 min epoxy to glue the tab on, some of which can withstand really large amounts of pressure, it might work.
you make the composites right? This is for travel issues and not switching fin types. If this is a composite, carefully remove the glass ons, carfully sand to bottom. Place the 3 plug fcs system, additional epoxy coat to plug areas, finish sand and use the nice keel wood set fcs offers, or get some custom wood fins for the 3 plug set up from any reputable custom fin maker.
Howzit Shwuz, Maybe check out the fins for Lokbox system, there might be ones that are the same or close enough that you could alter to be just like the ones you have now.Aloha,Kokua
Kalani over at the surfermagBB suggested that it would be much easier to tab fins for probox boxes. Checked their system out and it looks like it could work really well.
Howzit Shwuz, That could be the answer to the problem and probox is an easy system to install. You can go to their website and see how to do the install, they have a video of Mitch doing an install step by step. Aloha,Kokua
Shwuz…I’m building a pair of quads right now and am in touch with Robin at Probox about ordering his fins. We were trading emails all morning…
As soon as he can get his head around my oddball requests, my order gets shipped. Very stoked - the system looks good and is extremely affordable. And yes, making extra fins for it looks very backyarder-friendly…
A pair of boxes is $10. Installation templates are like $5 each and reusable. No gouging, no tricks. I recommend it. (Listen to me, recommending it before I even get my hands on it! Can you tell I’ve tried others before? )
Shwuz. I made some wood keels fit into lokbox box’s. What a bitch that was…I never fishished them completely. I plan to either cut the tabs off for glass-on application or go with the more fin tab friendly Probox setup. My heart go’s out to you lokbox fin shaper/grinder dudes. you rule!..
Learn the art of packing a board in a board bag all nice and tight and your glass on fins will love you for life…, switching to a fin system on this board and you might find that you don’t love this board so much after all. it’s a big risk you take, I’d say don’t do it and back away from that grinder real slow like before it’s to late!
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