the "Mr. Wavefins" creations , I rode for a few weeks , now in Surffoils's care ....thank you , Mr. Wavefins !
fun in some chest high summer waves ...
.....thank you 'RDM' Rohan !
this is fun !
I have ridden it as a single ,
and also , with fcs sideys...
'Surffoils' "cornchipper" attachments ...
these were fun , they 'glo' in the dark , too !
I want to make another pair of these . I can't remember who has them , ? they 'may' have gone to Americans , with hicksy's trip there [ ? was that a year or two ago now ?! ...how time FLIES eh ! ]
again , this setup was ridden only in under head-high , mainly autumn and the rare summer day above waist high ! ha. Mainly because of the Walden's width, and its flatness [it was my summer alternative board for a while ]...
thanks , Beerfan !
....this box fin works WELL with these uncanted runners , me likee rong time !
cheers !
[one of these days , I will build myself some 'properly' canted bonzer runners !]
.....thanks very much , ['Rooster'] Mike !
this back fin you sent me goes really WELL !
..... I want to ride it in the 'bushfire fish ', soon , too [hopefully , anyway !]
more "glo" [in the dark] fins...
" if " I still have these ? I probably need to ride this setup again , just to feel how it goes [with too many fins over the years , unless I write down each "session , board , fins used " , I forget !]
fun !
I want to make more of these , for sure !
could be fun in the 6'1 and 6'3 thrusters I have , I reckon , given the right conditions [smooth faces...]
AH! The Bushfire Fish! I forgot about that one. Do you still have it and surf it? Mike
....hi Mike , cheers for the reply !
" The Bushfire Fish! I forgot about that one. Do you still have it , and .... surf it ? "
yes ,
and
no, not much .
But as I wrote , I am definately keen to try it again , with that semi-thruster setup previously pictured there .
Nowadays , with my [slightly weaker ] paddling / not-as-quick takeoffs [ as I mentioned in Beerfan's excellent "surfing tips" thread] , I guess I just need a head-high[ish] wave , lowish tide , with a bit of push , to get me moving . It's winter here now , so THIS is the time to hopefully get another few chances on / at it !
Once I make the drop , I DO remember it as a fast board , and nice and manouevrable ! [especially after riding my 9'4 mal so much , and my 6'11 !]
I hope this thread will be ongoing [and , hopefully , ? interesting , to some ?] , as I try out more boards with different fin setups , and make more new fins ...
... I think I 'may' have to dig out some shots of 'the Prawn' [R.I.P. !] , and its different fin setups , at some stage , too , eh ?!
cheers mate !
ben
this morning I rode the 6'11" richie west " bullett "
with two M7 [largish] side fins , and an old polycarbonate G4 [a smaller template ] back fin.
I was keen to feel a flexy back fin's effect on the board's performance .
There were head high and over 'bombs' , and a funky northerly wind pushing waves DOWN the beach , so the rights today were a bit longer [and yet , emptier??] than yesterday .
The first hour there was GREAT , then the wind , and what karl calls the 'brown out' [sandy rip areas] got into it.
The board felt somewhat slower off the top , than it did yesterday , but still felt good backhand [lefts] for me . Always manage to score a few lefts off the weekend pack , it seems .
I limit my go outs to about an hour at the moment if it gets crowded , and before sunup , there is always karl on it , and usually a handful of others .
I was thinking of doing the thrustered bushfire fish test run , but I was glad I took the 6'11 , as I noticed the younger fitter 6' thruster riding brigade were not getting onto the waves. One of those days when the tide is just a bit too high for the banks and for shorter boards . But , by the same token , I was also glad I didn't take the 9'4 , as it WAS pitching on the inside and backwashy ... it's sometimes hard to hold that much rail in when needing to stay high , under the lip , to make the takeoff and the wave , at times.
I need to make an M7 or bigger from fibreglass [and maybe carbon fibre too] , in order to get a good , stiffer back fin comparison with the setup that I used this morning .
I'm thinking , this arvo , if the wind backs off / switches to offshore [like last night apparently did ?! ....rarity !] , then , on the lower tide , with swell, it 'could' be "bushfire fish"'s thruster setup test ride time !
the aforementioned [this morning's] fin setup...
And ,
here is why I want to put a back finbox in , for the single fin option , too ! This board has more rocker than my 7' "Tunnel Vision" , (which lasted me 10 years ) . Enough thickness in the tail to get a box right back , so there is still the thruster option , as well as , with a 10" box , a nice singley and a widowmaker / 2+1 / bonzer option ... yeeehaaaa !! fun fun FUN !!!
cheers !
ben
...it hummed. Very thick tip. Ross from the longboard shop ['P-Co' , here] kindly lent me this. It performs better with two small side bite fins added ....fun to experiment with , though ! (thanks , Ross / " P-Co " !)
before too many plugs were added , it started off as a single fin , then I added a twin keel setup ....
1971 ,
? possibly an early twin fin ? .... converted to a ? glassed on wood single fin ?
[not sure if Simon did that , maybe ? my first fibreglass board , a big brother hand-me-down , thanks Simon ! ]
1976, a Crozier single fin ?kneeboard ? [I stood on it] , and I had started making stuff ...
[ I wonder if I did that haircut too, eh ?! ....."stunning hairdo there , boy !" :) ]
1977 , a better Crozier ... [ this is pictured at elouera road , by the way , 'ruckusman' Glenn !]
2004 / 2005 ... 'the prawn' ...
the prawn and its 'bushfire fish' successor , 2008ish ...
hemp inlay fins , [cutaways not yet foiled , in this photo]
before....
after ....
bushfire fish...
things I would change
1. make from a [new ] blank
2. longer [5'10 - 6'2"
3. narrower [20" at the absolute maximum]
4. thinner [2 3/8"]
5. "IF" a back finbox ...10" , maximum
6. ?possibly ? less plugs
7. either thinner 'swirls' , or spraypainted
8. probably no concaved deck , either , due to I'd make the board thinner with finer rails
9. different / finer foil
10. polyester resin , not epoxy
and I would still try LOTS of different fins , of course .
"IF" I DID go with quad plug setup , plus a fin box , I would like to try different position[s] / angle [less] for the rear fins .
that's what I really enjoy[ed] about making the occasional board [and frequent fins] ...
it's all a LEARNING experience for me , and about the different FEELINGS that different boards and fins can give , on a wave .
Once we hit the water , all the bullshit stops ....and the PRACTICAL starts !
cheers !
ben
"SURFING ...the most FUN you can have , outside of the bedroom !"
[ ...therefore , get wet today !]
waiting in the wings ....
Also, Glenn ....here's a shot of those panels I mentioned to you , plus a few other random fins and fin blanks ...
.
.... by the way ....
cheers for the shots of your fin foiling setups , guys , and your new glassing , sanding , and "soon-to-be fin foiling" setup , Glenn [on the fin foiling thread]
ben
[quote="$1"]
From about ? June 2006 ? , when I first rode the "Bushfire Fish" , as a FIVE finner ...
I'm keen to revisit it [hopefully] soon , as a thruster-type setup...
[/quote]
today , July 27th 2012 , Rowan on the above setup ......
[ Hopefully , to be continued ....]
the other fin test he did yesterday ...
his 6'2 truster [shaped by local boardmaker , Colin Earle ] , with my two resin-swirled side fins ...
[ it's the 'flying missile honky nut board' !! ]
