I have an older board that I’m having to fix up the tail for anyways and I’m wondering how I can remove the fin box that is in there. Cut out the outline and pull it out? Is it soft enough to use a router and just go through the box? Thanks so much.
As long as there is no metal hardware (grub screws or FCS2 quick-release mechanism) you should be OK to rout through it.
I would probably go 1/2 deep to start.
Just be careful, the boxes can break up and small chunks of plastic may fly out. I always wear protective clothing and face cover when routing out boxes.
Go slow and take shallow cuts and you should be OK.
I have removed FCS2 center boxes from brand new boards to install long single fin boxes. I used a long Dremel bit, basically a hand-controlled router, to move around the outline of the FCS2 box. Vacuum suction right next to it. It worked very well. I think the removed fin box might even be re-useable.
As a side point, if you install an extra long single fin box, then a snap-in FCS fin might be placed where the original center thruster fin used to be.
Alright I will likely try moving forward with a router and taking my time with depths, thank you all for the advice!
A Dremel tool with a cutting blade could be used to cut the flap part away from the center section, and then you might be able to pull the center part out with pliers. Depends on how well the resin is holding the box in. It might be a lot easier than routing out the whole box. I use a dremel with the flexible shaft and various cutting tips for a lot of surfboard work.
One thing you need to look at carefullt is how thick that part of you board is. You’ll need about 1 inch depth for the long center box.