Hello. I am currently undertaking a school project on surfboard fins. I am aiming to design a new fin,with a developed fitting to the surfboard.
For part of my market research, I am interested to know if anyone has any ideas about the design of a new fin.
I am looking at strengths and weaknesses of existing products too,so If you have any of these regarding the type of fin you use,or would like to use,I would be grateful for this information too.
I hope to specifically analyse 4 main fins- [=1]The [ 2]9.5" Turbo Tunnel[/].[/][=1][ 2]The 9" O’fishl Proteck short board Centre Fin , The rubber flex fins,and the super flex fins. So if anyone has used these fins,please could you let me know about how they are in general.[/][/]
Welcome to the forum…You’ve set yourself a high mark to reach already!!
Has your research uncovered anything that you could share with us, something to start the ball rolling, the subject of fins is a complicated one so you might have to narrow the field down a bit.
I don’t know much about fin design, since I make my own fins just for fun.
But what I’d be very pleased to discover is about center-fin attachment. If I’m not wrong, every surfing or sailboard box needs a tool and metal parts for doing the job. I ruined some sessions for not taking the right tool to the beach.
I want a box and a fin that don’t need tools!!!
Glass-on fins are not an option (longboard sleeps into the car everyday).
I believe some decades ago, the first removable skegs just slide into the open-end-box from the tail and stay there with no tools.
Hey. I don’t know if you read my post about the K-flex fin. I think there is or should be a market for high performance, safety fins. By safety I mean somehow softer. I just got sliced up this weekend and started looking for a safer alternative and there’s not much out there.
I’ve mentioned the knock-out boxes I made myself years ago, and it’s not rocket science.
No tools, just tuck in the tiny leash and click them in and go surf. If I ran over something or someone, I’d just paddle to the safety zone, flip the board over, click in the fins, and go catch more waves. I never lost a fin, got hurt, or hurt anyone.
I am really surprised that some of the larger fin companies haven’t sunk more r+d money into something like this.