Is this fin tab fixable???

General Discussion
1

Foiling some fins today.

Cutting out the tabs and wasn’t paying attention.

DOH!

Can I fill it in with resin/chopped fibers or did this just become a practice fin???

 

 

I’m really bummed because these were going to be a gift for a friend.

2

thanks for the input guys… I may try to fix it down the road but probably not…

because, … 1 hour later and I have a new one. =)

3

Cut the tab all the way off.  Drill 4 holes…two on each side that correlate with each other.  Use some sort of rod and epoxy it in place.  Dishes done.  Easier than a finger.  

4

I’d scrap it and start over. You could try to fix it but I wouldn’t recommend it. Not worth all of the extra work to get a sub-par end product.

5

did I mention? I love G10!!!

6

drill it from the bottom 

up through the tab 

mebe twice,insert

two scratched brass

rods mix a little epoxy

insert rods w/fiber

yes holes bigger than rods

let it go off ,put in board

try to break it…

if that plastic fcs stuff

can survive use…

i’ll bet you can break

a fin plug out

with that fixed buggah…

… ambrose…

7

Bevel the cut lines a bit so there is less a definitive shear point, then mix milled fibers and resin and fill it.

It will probably surprise you and last a long time unless you turn like Barry Kanaiapuni or Ben Aipa in their hey days…

8

i don’t.

So, it probably will ha ha

9

thanks Ambrose, that does sound strong!

10

I never considered brass pins, though I did used to insert steel brads into the first fcs fins cause I kept shearing off the tabs turning and wanted a set to last more than 2 weeks.  Still have them somewhere.

This is one of the first FCS fins I made back in '03.  The stainless #6  Stainless sheet metal screws are 1.25 inches long.The wood white oak and walnut.

On some longboard fins I used 2 inch stainless#8 screws into the wood, and still managed to break them at the base, but did not lose the fin as the steel just bent.  One fin which did not break, I found the stainless was rusting and allowed water inside the Sapele which turned black.  I scraped out the soft wood and epoxied in a carbon fiber rod that I had saturated and let to hang dry previously.

More recently I’ve taken to grinding grooves into the fin base and tab with an angle grinder with cut off wheel, tapering the depth into the fin, and filling it with fiberglass roving to reenforce the tabs.

 

This Fin did not work to my expectations.  The FCS tabs are canted to allow more of a Bonzerish type cant, but it felt like I was pulling a sea parachute.

I put the roving on both sides of the tabs, and have repaired both cracked and sheared tabs on wooden fins, though the cracked tab was on a smaller side bite.

 

11

or cut both tabs off and use it as a glass on fin.   You’ll probably end up with another chunk of G10 that is almost (but not quite) big enough to make another fin with tabs… so use that to make a matching one (unless this is a center fin, but it doesn’t look like it).