The catch of the day off my 12 foot Lance Carson (Thanks Bagman!)last Friday is attached – also – his brother is swimming in the video. The catch was made just below second peak at Pleasure Point in the 2 hours before dark on a #2 hook and 12lb. line. The fish measured 45".
What I see is that most surfboard fins I’m familiar with are take offs on dorsal and pectoral fins used by fish (and marine mammals) mainly for steering. Seems that thrust is primarily accomplished in fish world by tail action. Where can I get one of those whippy tails to add to my board?
I went through the surfhistory site looking at fins a few weeks ago. I think you could very well make the case that Greenough’s templates have defined the modern surfboard fin.
The grasshopper
The master Greenough.
I just hope people realize that the fin turning in toe-in near the tip is a critical part of making these fins high performance. Those long rakey tips are very poor for turning in stiff fins. Also, the cross-bolt belongs in the front, and the vertical bolt in the back. I dig the little vortex generator base on the 4A.
You stake the puppy out right away. Let the stakes sit over night in the frig. Then cut off the skin. You can leave the bone it if you like or cut it out. I like to put them in ice water for a little while and then give them a good rinse. On the grill with a little butter, lemon and cilantro is good.
You can make little cubes of the flesh and make a ciopinnio too. That’s my favorite.
Soaking the steaks in Milk will help as well to get some of the bad tastes out of it. I’ve cought sharks on the beach, steaked them right there, and cooked them over the firepit while fishing over night!
"Also, the cross-bolt belongs in the front, and the vertical bolt in the back. I dig the little vortex generator base on the 4A. "
I’m about to make a single fin for a buddy whose box, he feels, is a little too far forward (homebuilt single fin shortboard) and I was going to reverse the pin and screw positions (screw up front) to see if i could get the fin to sit further back. will this not work? Also, any good tips on moulding bahne-bases? Maybe I should start a new thread…
Stresses in the front of the fin, near the base, are quite large. Fin failures are most common for vertical pin bolts in front, and the failure occurs right where the fin joins the fin tab.
This can be addresses in a number of ways - the easiest and strongest is putting the vertical bolt in the back.
Bahne fin tabs are 0.350 inches wide, and up to an inch deep.
Are the sides of the box perfectly square, or do they taper slightly to allow a wedge effect, like lokboxes? is there a way to use a box as a mould, should I make a mould from an existing fin base, or should I just try to machine the base to fit?
Halcyon, what does the cross section of those fins look like? Any chance you still have them and can trace the cross-section onto a piece of paper and scan it?
Curious to see how mother nature foils her fins. Where’s the wide point? What’s the leading edge look like?
Hey Meecrafty, You ask if I see similarities between the
V Flex and the 4A. Well, yes and no. While there are similarities in the templates, all three of the fin templates Blakestah posted look different to me. But, no two tuna fins are the same either, so I would say that the similarities outweigh the differences. However, there is one big difference.
Blakestah,
I would have called the “VG” on the leading base of the 4A a fillit. But you reminded me of something Mr. Tudor said. Here’s the interesting part, Mr. J Tudor liked the effect of placing a MVG2 in front of his V Flex. He told me he had more control, speed and an overall smoother more fluid ride. So, though independently acheived, there is commonality between the Master and the World Champ. That’s where maybe we should focus our attention, because like I mentionied above even between tunas you will not find any two caudal fins the same. But if a fillit or VG on the leading edge of the base changes performance favorably then perhaps it’s a valid design feature in it’s own right.
Maybe same can be said for the MVG. While, in the past this may have represented an unfamiliar technology, now, this is changing, as you have pointed out: the fillit is possibly a VG.
What made you think that? I have been in favor of fillits of that sort since the current generation of shortboard removeable fins eliminated them. In fact MVGs were partially intended to compensate for the loss of the leading edge fillit. I think it is the leading edge fillit that surfers are seeking when they say they prefer glassons.
So if what you say is true, then perhaps surfers have been searching for a VG without knowing exactly what feature of the glasson it is that they wanted. This I have long suspected.
Hey Meecrafty, You ask if I see similarities between the
V Flex and the 4A. Well, yes and no. While there are similarities in the templates, all three of the fin templates Blakestah posted look different to me. But, no two tuna fins are the same either, so I would say that the similarities outweigh the differences. However, there is one big difference.
Blakestah,
I would have called the “VG” on the leading base of the 4A a fillit. But you reminded me of something Mr. Tudor said. Here’s the interesting part, Mr. J Tudor liked the effect of placing a MVG2 in front of his V Flex. He told me he had more control, speed and an overall smoother more fluid ride. So, though independently acheived, there is commonality between the Master and the World Champ. That’s where maybe we should focus our attention, because like I mentionied above even between tunas you will not find any two caudal fins the same. But if a fillit or VG on the leading edge of the base changes performance favorably then perhaps it’s a valid design feature in it’s own right.
Maybe same can be said for the MVG. While, in the past this may have represented an unfamiliar technology, now, this is changing, as you have pointed out: the fillit is possibly a VG.
What made you think that? I have been in favor of fillits of that sort since the current generation of shortboard removeable fins eliminated them. In fact MVGs were partially intended to compensate for the loss of the leading edge fillit. I think it is the leading edge fillit that surfers are seeking when they say they prefer glassons.
So if what you say is true, then perhaps surfers have been searching for a VG without knowing exactly what feature of the glasson it is that they wanted. This I have long suspected.
I was corrected by Halcyon. The Stage 4 is shown here
The Joel Tudor copy/ripoff is shown here
The slight increase in rake at the base of the 4A reminds me of many fighter aircrafts that have a similar extension that serves an aerodynamic purpose of vortex generation.
To Wells, the Bahne finbox is not tapered. If you have access to a mill, then making the base fit will be fine. The fit is not tight or tapered press or press or close tolerance. Just get something pretty close to 0.350, and it will work fine. If you want to mold it, I would recommend using a mold slightly larger. The closeness of fit does have an impact on performance/wiggliness of the fin.
It is a lot easier to follow George Greenough without crediting him, than it is to lead. Go George!
