Looking at the shark attack link on Paul Jensen’s site, and it being very late, I got to thinking about fins. There’s a page about saving sharks and a picture of a big batch of fins. How would shark fins perform if you glassed them and installed them on a surfboard? By the way, I’m not saying someone should do this, but I’d ask, are surfboard fins directly modeled after fish fins? I don’t know much about fins…
what is the address of this site? i’d like to check it out. thanks
Ran across this link yesterday. http://www.shark-fins.com/fins.htm Fins for Lokbox, Futures?, and fcs. Rob Olliges http://www.shark-fins.com/fins.htm
I’m sorry I asked to see the site. Those are some of the most grusome photo’s I’ve ever seen. I’ve heard that there is film footage of a South African surfer getting knocked off his board and 10 -15 feet into the air by a great white. Has anyone seen this / know a link to see it?
this is a south african kid getting hit simultaneously by 2 (yes 2) great whites.
my aunt, uncle, and cousins sent me a picture of a “shark” swimming through the wave a surfer is about to catch it was actually a dolphin. i sent them back the above site, the one with all the victims missing body parts, and they vowed never to go to the beach again, that’s four less tourists surfers have to deal with…
Shark fins work at greater varying attack angles. Modern fins once turned past a certain angle will delam, sharks fins of course dont have this problem. It its any consolation Paul has utlised this fin information on the finnal shape FP. http://www.geocities.com/wunderboyi/ninetysixpercent.html
Has anybody tried that style of leash plugs that they’re advertising? Seems if the line breaks you have some threading to do… not to mention there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot holding the plug in?
Whoops… oh well, I could look at that board all day…
Let’s make a synthetic, rubbery shark fin with its natural flex…heh.
Actually lokbox has been selling the “microplug” leash cup for nearly 2 years, and have yet to have one rip out. They work great, and the white ones practically disappear on the board!
Hey Sean. Good idea. Funny you should mention this right now. I did this a couple years ago and it was tested by Matt Kechele at Sebastian Inlet. He liked it and named it the Thresher Fin. I only made a few and John Holeman has them on at least one of his boards. Those were rough prototypes. Last month, Holeman asked for more. This past week, I finally got around to making one suitable for market. I’m in the process of putting the final finish on right now. I hope to start making the molds this weekend. We will of course have to test them to make sure they work. If so, they will be made available later this year through Rainbow Distributing. I’ll throw this question out for you and anyone… what finish would you prefer, smooth or slightly textured from unsanded primer. I’m probably going to make a separate mold with each finish for testing, but I’d like to hear some ideas.
Hypothetically, let’s suppose I had these synthetic shark fins on my board. I’d want to have friends touch em, bend em, and be like “you are one sick bastard you put parts of a fish on your board.” Whatever is closest to that rubbery feeling would be what I’d want to buy. Funny, the “good ideas” you think up right before bed; it’s too bad it’s not an original idea on my part =)
Sean, Again this is funny, because I was wonderng what color to make them. Right now it’s a Plasticoat sandable primer gray. With the slight texture and color it looked just like a shark fin. The shape is unmistakable; shark 2nd dorsal. Not like anything you have ever seen on a board. And placement is retrofit, no tools required. Email me at mvg97@optonline so I can get your mailing address. This whole thing is odd for several reasons, but namely timing, because I shaped the original template over 3 years ago. And my computer has been down for the last month. But now that my computer is working again and I’m working on he fin again and I need input there is already a forum on the subject: right when i need it. Swaylocks strikes again!
…Don’t forget the hydrodynamics of the various shark’s teeth.Many studies have been done on this as well.Herb
Put the teeth on the front of the board! Hmmm, what would little fins do on the front of the board? Little canards I mean.
Yo Herb, glad you brought up sharks teeth. When you look at certain shark skin under a microscope you see row upon row upon row of what look like small sharks teeth. Much research has been done on this. Result, 3M produced riblet film which the 1988 America’s Cup US entry Stars and Stripes used and won. But riblet film was later banned by the yacht racing comittee. I was told 7 years ago by the head of 3M Aerospace Division that Airbus is using something similar to the riblet film. Then, a few years ago 3M and Dupont developed the shark skin swimmers Spandex leotard. Records fell. It’s old news now and everyone knows that boards sanded with 600 grit in the direction of the flow are preferred by most pros. Same also works for fins, but you never see it except on aercore. Maybe that’s the real reason they work. Yeah, sharks work. Ain’t nature cool. Google sharks.
There were some boards being made in San Diego area in the 70s that had the bottoms masked off with many parallel rows of 1/8" masking tape and glossed whcih left grooves to direct water flow.