I am very interested in making my own fins. Can anyone point me in the right direction for good references; websites or literature, or if anyone has any good tips it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ben
Hey Ben, What kind of a board are you going to make them for – glasson or fin box system? Mahalo, Rich
this site is the best referrence/resource on the web. just do some “Search Swaylock’s”
Really good stuff on this subject in the archive section. Wood core and glass fins with all sorts of crazy options and approaches. Put you right on the path to the soul patrol. Groovy baby, groovy!!!
It,s for a fin box system.
Look at the the sky, then down at your feet. Think about how to make them fly through/on water/air. Bird and fish; just watch them. Rob Olliges
i was thinking about getting 1/2" thick plastic… like polycarbonate, acrylic, nylon, whatever, and grinding it into a fin for a finbox. There is 1/8" acrylic that glows fluorescent on the edge… that might look ok glued-up with other thin sheets, maybe clad with polycarbonate. Is any plastic better than another?
Fin Making is very well learned here. This is what I gathered. fin box = .357 " wide 22 layers of 6 oz is about what you need ( i went 24 so I had more to play with) I made mould out of aluminum and lined it with non porous release medium. ( i’m sure wax paper would work but not for sure) The mould deep enough to hold 24 layers plus a caul plate. ( plate that presses layer of cloth down) Layering cloth, resin, cloth etc, in mould Lay up your layers, I then put caul plate down ( also covered in release medium) and vacuum bagged it for about an 1 1/2 hrs. I used reg ol’ polyurethane resin. Epoxy works too. If you don’t have access to vacuum bagging supplies I am sure you could either find ideas on the net. or use a simple water venturi for a vacuum. If you carefully laminate all the layers you may not need to vacuum bag the mould. I did only because I work in a composites shop. After your plate of fabric has kicked an is workable, trace out your fin out line using whatever templates you have devised ( be advised this site is loaded with designs/ ideas/ theories etc for fin design). Make your plate large enough ( if resources available) to supply 2-3 fins from one plate ( maximize efficiency man!!) Cut out with band saw or other safe means available. from there foil is up to you, once again this is the place to find all you need to determine what you want. just keep in mind how many layers you layed up when sanding as this will help you with figuring out your fins symmetry as you sand. This is what I figured out from this website and my composites knowledge. It is all training for the big one. I am sure that there are more refined methods out there but this is my method for fin making when the Straits of Juan de Fuca ain’t making no waves. Have fun. if you have any more questions let me know at and I’ll try to best of my knowledge to answer them. Attached is a link with some fin shapes… http://www.trueames.com/xsurfing.htm
Ben, Which system? Rich