OK, I’m really getting it now. Couple of days on good sized wind swell and the fin is great. Projects out of the drop even more noticeably than the starfin, feels really fast and I got squirrely before it did- seems like it’ll hold in really well. I like it, it seems to work way better on the waves with more push and it’s staying in the board for a while. Thanks gents, really a nice addition to the functional surfing tools.
Got time for some expansion JL? I’d really like to hear more from the guys riding this fin!
thanks
greg
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Cuttlefish, If you cant get them in Australia, then the guys might post some dims or you could print out some of the posted pics, buy some blanks and make them yourself.
Ex- windsurfer fins might be an easy conversion too.
good suggestions , mate !
i’m keen to make a few in different sizes for three plugged back fcs setups
has anyone used smaller versions as back fins for thruster setups ?
if so , how did they go ??
cheers
ben
Lol Chipfish the raking habit is hard to break isn’t it ?
They work better upright, your first planshape looks nice, don’t make them too thin though.
cheers
Apologies Consafos (maybe) for talking tunnels again but if you try a spitfire fin with a 4 to 6 inch tunnel behind it I bet you find it has all the benefits of a starfin plus being looser and faster.
.
Chipper, those FCS tabbed Spitfires are gonna pop your plugs out, I think.
Hi Ben, I was going to get some windsurfer fins or something…
and then I printed out the pic from page one of this thread, photocopied it in various % sizes
and shaped a couple out of 4 mm aluminium.
At this size the extra weight is not going to affect my performance at Pipe’ this year, and Dennis Lillee said he’d already done it years ago so I was just copying him.
A few countersunk holes so I can put them on my paipos. Im testing fin shape and positioning for tube riding.
Redards to you Ben, SF.
Quote:
Quote:Cuttlefish, If you cant get them in Australia, then the guys might post some dims or you could print out some of the posted pics, buy some blanks and make them yourself.
Ex- windsurfer fins might be an easy conversion too.
good suggestions , mate !
i’m keen to make a few in different sizes for three plugged back fcs setups
has anyone used smaller versions as back fins for thruster setups ?
if so , how did they go ??
cheers
ben
We already have them coming out. My theory is they will turn closer to the same arc as the front fins than a traditional thruster set up.
Quote:
has anyone used smaller versions as back fins for thruster setups ?
if so , how did they go ??
Whenever I use a fin that upright, I find it turns incredibly well with my fore-aft weight positioning spot-on, and rather poorly when my weight ain’t where it should be, and it is harder to find the turning sweet spot. So I add more rake to get a fin that is more forgiving of my weight placement and as a tradeoff loses sensitivity.
In a rear fin there are other issues at play. The fin base is not a very sensitive part of the rear fin, the chords 1-3 inches up from the board are more important. And the short tip chords lose HOLD on the rear. So when you stick an elliptical fin of equal fin area in the rear, you lose hold and the board loosens up, some. Of course you can compensate by making the fin area larger, but my doctrine is the rear fins benefit from more tip area than the rail fins, and the rail fins benefit from a more elliptical progression of chord lengths.
So, yes, I tried it, and I found the board loosened up some.
Yeah, FCS plugs will pop out. If you want to use windsurf style fins you should use windsurf style boxes.
http://www.boards.co.uk/articles/index.asp?ID_A=35&article_type=17
I doubt that a FU/US box will hold such a high aspect ratio fin but I guess you could try it…
and a little rake will do no harm…
You are right Surffoils, here is a Polish Fin from 1988. A standard finbox will fail.
thanks for the feedback , dave , solo and surf foils
yeah surfer dave i think i’ll start with a 6 1/2" deep back fin ,
and yes roy , cheers ! i will make it upright
this thread is interesting
let me know how the aluminimum one rides eh sf …
and please ,
keep it clear of your gooolies eh mate ?
ben
s
Thanks Solo & Larry for the Spitfire fin setup.
Amazing the burst of speed following a square bottom turn on the 6’8 McCoy Nugget it is quite suited for. I will retire my McCoy Gullwing kelp catcher fin not to worry about the clothesline effect anymore.
Even the agro-groms commented, “sick turns”.
A well crafted,welcome addition to my repertoire!
Wasserdog good line-ups, no one out with you? Lucky guy! Nice looking McCoy with the spitrfirer fin. Mahalo,Larry
Quote:
Thanks Solo & Larry for the Spitfire fin setup.
Amazing the burst of speed following a square bottom turn on the 6’8 McCoy Nugget it is quite suited for. I will retire my McCoy Gullwing kelp catcher fin not to worry about the clothesline effect anymore.
Even the agro-groms commented, “sick turns”.
A well crafted,welcome addition to my repertoire!
Wasser,
I sure miss that board. Glad someone that can surf is now enjoying it. Thanks for posting. Flat here as usual in the summer. Nice shot and nice waves.
Just want to share the stoke infection that beset me yesterday. Paddled out yesterday expecting to just go for a long paddle on my big board. Threw in the spitfire fin. First time on that board with the spitfire, though I had a starfin in it not too long ago and it was awesome. Paddled for a while, and I gotta say my board was cruising fast. Very little drag when paddling, and didn’t really catch too much kelp or sea grass, which surprised me.
Then I rounded the corner and was greeted by some mushy summer mixed up windswell, with the wind shifting off shore a little. Gangs of people out on shortboards at this little beach break, so I sat on the shoulder and picked off swingers and such. All I gotta say is holy crap! Who knew a fin could make such a big difference in speed! My board went so fast down the line. I took off on this one steep closeout, popped up, trimmed forward a smidge, grabbed rail and was covered up and couldn’t see anything. Then, POW! I shot out onto the face so fast that I had to run back and crank the board to keep from going flying off of the wave. For beachbreak, this is going to be my go to fin. Made many sections that I never would have made with my Harbour fin (which I also love, but for different reasons). Also, felt like I lost less speed on pivot turns than I do with my Harbour fin. Haven’t tried it yet on the slow reef breaks or point breaks yet. Gonna have to wait for winter for them to start working again. Maybe some nice September NW swells? Please!
–BCo
Re-reading this thread has me amped to take the spitfire out again. Right after this thread was running I had a board shaped identical to my 5’8" single. I really wanted to see and feel the differences that fin setups would make on the same board.
I’m riding the three fin version with MR’s up front and a CI shark tooth fin as a trailer. I honestly can’t tell which board I prefer at this point. Even friend’s comments are mixed, some saying that I ride the single better and others saying the opposite. At any rate, it’s been a fun experiment.
Greg, as soon as I have more data on the spitfire, I’ll post it up.
Quote:
Re-reading this thread has me amped to take the spitfire out again. Right after this thread was running I had a board shaped identical to my 5’8" single. I really wanted to see and feel the differences that fin setups would make on the same board.
I’m riding the three fin version with MR’s up front and a CI shark tooth fin as a trailer. I honestly can’t tell which board I prefer at this point. Even friend’s comments are mixed, some saying that I ride the single better and others saying the opposite. At any rate, it’s been a fun experiment.
Greg, as soon as I have more data on the spitfire, I’ll post it up.
Get a video of yourself done and watch. Singles tend to smooth out your surfing because they don’t work without a real bottom turn. Glad your enjoying the fin. Wait till you see what we are coming out with in a couple of weeks…Ha Ha…