It was odd when he mentioned the 9 degrees can’t,like it was the standard cant…
With the side boxes the FCS fins would be screwed in with 2 screws from one side however some of the Futures fins have a ‘perforated’ base that doesn’t line up with the FCS tabs, so they would need to be screwed in from the other side of the box with different spacing.
All the stock cheapie futures fins now have the drilled out/ perforated reduced weight bases
In another very lucky coincidence, there’s a 3-D printer company just 10 minutes away, Ive spoken to them and the boss surfs and is excited to be a part of this. Its great when everyone is on the same page and has ideas to move things along better, faster, smarter.
To get a CAD program done does anyone know to what degree of accuracy do I need to have the dims on the drawings…? mm or .5
They recommended making the prototypes from a particular nylon.
“To get a CAD program done does anyone know to what degree of accuracy do I need to have the dims on the drawings…? mm or .5”
Talk to the guy at the 3D Printer company and get his input. The printer can likely hold a certain accuracy so you can optimize for that.
Worth asking around also about Nylon’s bond to poly and epoxy resin, or does it even matter if you’re setting it in resin and capping it with glass?
Way to charge ahead with the concept Surffoils! I’m still curious to see where your foil concepts led you.
Thanks Lawless, the concept for this idea is solely based on what I want as a surfer, I don’t want to have to choose one fin system and then not be able to buy and use fins from some one else. Why can’t I have a board that accepts all fins or most fins ?
I won’t be buying any new fins as a universal box would keep the millions of twin-tab FCS fins and Futures fins in play for many years to come.
The new box idea is a great idea for the average surfer who has put together a core set of fins they trust over the years and doesn’t feel like going thru the whole process again for a few more thousand dollars.
The foil idea is still developing, is just moves along as time and waves permit. In the next year I will certainly post more pics and foiling videos.
I saw this on the surfermag forum:
http://www.wasabisurf.com/#axzz3AWanddrB
They want $80 for it?!
Here’s an F3 adapter dropped into a Futures box:
Cant tell if its 80 each or for a set? The adaptor for fcs to single fun box. Is 50
The Wildcard FCS Fin Adaptor (from wasabi surf) is $80 a set. I have been talking to them about stocking them in Oz!
Its a great system and strong!
But watching with interest what Surffoils is coming up with - keep going surffoils but there is a patent on the wildcard, so make sure to look at their product
As another option, what about probox? or a probox-esq type deal.
I mean think about it, FCS and futures already fit well into probox without much if any modification, you can very easily make your own fins for it, and the cant angles are totally adjustable with different inserts.
Maybe if larry made an insert that was specific to the FCS tab types, and an insert for a futures type for his system. The box stays in the board and to swap fins all you need to do is pop out an insert.
Heck, lay up some fiberglass and make your own insert! who knows, but none the less a very interesting idea a one system fits all fins box.
Angus-
At the moment we’ve got the dims worked out where there’s no inserts needed and the one box takes the FCS twin plug fins, the Futures fins and the new FCS II fins irrespective of base length and holds canted and uncanted fins.
There’s a chance it would also allow fins to be adjustable fore and aft by about 2 inches…do you think that is a good benefit ?
I’m just getting the first CAD drawing through on email to look at now.
Most thermoformable plastic have poor to no adhesion with resin so need a shape that allow resin grip. Most 3d printer have good accurancy but finish of vertical surface is corrugated, good for resin grip but may be a small problem in fins rail. Choose good stainless screw, make them fit the longer you can.
Here’s a few pics from the CAD guy. You can see we’ve got something similar to a Futures box overall but also using the grub screws from FCS. There’s nothing else , no inserts or moving parts, other than the screws.
The single unit Futures box is capable of holding all the different lengths and widths of the 3 types of fins and the placement of the screws allows you to hold all the old FCS twin tab fins, the new FCS II fins and all the Futures fins as well.
There’s another screw that’s not shown that allows you to tune the side fins back and forth by 2 inches to get a longer turn on your backhand or sharper on your forehand. Or vica versa…
You choose a fin, line it up with the screws and screw them in. You can even mix and match and have a different company fin in each box in case you were travelling and broke the matching fin.
i think were going to work on it as a retro fit during the prototype stages and then test them as a New install later on and most of the hardware kit will be Futures but the square end on the box may need some change.
Ive sent the computer STL file to the 3-D printer and paid for just 2 original prototypes to be made in white plastic, one for me and one for the expert CAD designer who turned my idea into reality.
There’s always issues with square corners when it comes to using round routers.
I’ll get the prototypes from the 3-D printer on Monday via Express Post.
Is there any interest in this …?
Do you secure the Futures fin with the side screws? I don’t see a rear grub screw in the traditional Futures placement.
Surffoils, I love how you just get shit done. No talk, no BS, you just do it and test it. Cheers to you. Curious to see how the 3D printed final product turns out. It ain’t perfect, but it’s fast and cheap. Good enough for this kind of experimentation to prototype with.
Yes Lawless, the futures are held with the side screws and you can use up to four screws to hold them but it’s designed to be secure with just two.
It’s my belief that the internal slot of any finbox doesn’t ‘hold’ the fin but when the screw is tightened on a diagonal, it pushes the fin down and against one side of the box. There’s not a lot of force required to hold a fin in place but it’s more about stability.
I have to declare that I couldn’t have gone this far without the generous and free assistance of the CAD designer who offered his services for this project. He said that previously I have been generous to him thru Swaylocks and he is paying me back.
Boxes are in the mail from the 3-D printer. Be here tomorrow and I’ll give you all a good look at them.
What a great way to make something…
Think it up,
draw it,
get it professionally drawn,
send it to the 3-D printer.
Done !
Here’s another computer rendering…
This has been fun to watch and kudos to you for the inspiration and follow-through. It seems you have dialed in the universal fin fit component, but what about the installation process? A fin box is only as good as the installation is simple. How will you accommodate the little diagonal thread bumps on the underside? Do you plan to just crush them into the foam? If so, maybe they should be pointed instead of round on the outside. One of the great things about FCS 2 and Fusion install is the single route and minimal use of resin. Thus far it looks like you’ll have to do at least 2 passes with two router bits, plus something to accommodate those thread bumps. The final phase of this developement, in my opinion, would be to figure out the cleanest, simplest installation process possible.
Hi Jamie, I’m not doing this to become a fin manufacturer, its a bit of fun to see what can happen and maybe do a few boards for myself with these new boxes.
But the plan is to do a copy of the futures install with a dash of difference here and there.
For those bumps on the side, fit the box into the routed slot and press down gently leaving a slight indent.
Roll a piece of sandpaper into a tight loop and rub into the indents at 45 degrees and fit again until the box sits flush.
Even if you rub a thicker than needed groove its a few drops of resin difference.
Got the boxes today too. Lots of testing different fins and checking that the screws hold tight.
The 2nd pic is an FCS style fin.
The 3rd pic is a Futures fin.
Edit: you beat me to it. I’ve done this with the f3 boxes.
Surffoils, are you going to use the 3d printed boxes, or are these just models? I’m just wondering about box strength.
Ghostshaper, the 3-D printed boxes are really rigid, they flex about the same as the real thing. They’re a mm chunkier than the real thing but in the surf I’ll find out how good they are. Ive tried lots of fins in them and all the fins fit and hold. Its a bit of a disappointment really, I thought it would have been harder to design something capable of taking all the different fins.
They’re about $25 per box from the 3-D printer but it’s just for me so the price isn’t a big deal to use on one or two boards. I’ll put them in a few boards and move on to something else.
