Wavefin [winged side fins ] test ride thread

[malaroo]

You do make a good point about testing them with no other fins. 

But I can tell you without being able to push the tail around, I won’t ne able to ride the 5’7". Yes I have ridden the 5’7" there a lot.

I could ride a 6’2", that is a “lets say” front foot board, it doesn’t have great back foot response because the tail is thin. That will be interesting, also my friend could ride that, get footage of him. Good thinking Mr Chipper. I think you should be employed as a team manager or fin and board testers around the world. Lets see who’s going to offer the salary. Who’s got fins that need testing? Anyone come to mind.

[chippy61]

ha , mala !

 

 .... I  , definately , have a 'few' fins that need testing [a hundred of them , in fact !]

 

  Even if I were absolutely 'loaded with money' , to be able to take a year off , travel, and hand out NUMEROUS fins to sways people around the world to surf ,

 

  you'd probably still find that there would only be maybe one or two reports that would actually get on Sways , if I was lucky . [ Why ?  because ... most surfers are lazy , and don't care to make that sort of effort , 90% of the time ,  I have found , over the decades ]

 

 I'd probably be better off  [...as you  would be , too !]  with giving the fins to really hot surfers [ability , not looks , I mean !] to test , and I / you video them surfing the fins ,  with a really good quality hd video [dvd] camera ... oh well , it's nice to dream , anyway , isn't it ?! ...

 

  now ,

 

  back to reality ["snapppp" !!] ...

 

...okaaay,  then ... we're HERE , now !

 

today , four hours ago , in fact ....

 

 I rode an overhead and bigger ,  5 knot onshore , bumpy , empty [my local] beachie ...with the smallest back fin I could muster [a one-tabber]

 

  the board skipped , got launched , [...it duckdived well , though , thankfully !]

 

 I have had problems in bumpy onshore surf for years , with or without winged fins , I may add...

 

  it's about the only way to get to surf my local , with swell, empty , later in the day  [mind you ... THIS was 9am , this morning]

 

  I wish 100kg Daz was on them , as with his extra bulk  he wouldn't have got bashed around , like I did ! [ 35-38 extra kgs WOULD make a difference , in this sort of surf , eh !]

 

  it was nice to have all that room to myself , I must say !

 

  I only caught six waves [?!] ....and , I ate crap on three

 

  made two lefts , and one right

 

  not much to report from this session , really ....except the [?common sense?] observation , that winged fins feel nicer on smoother waves / conditions [as do every other type of fin I have ever made , actually !]

 

  cheers !

 

  ben 

[chippy61]

Mark [wavefin] ...

 

  a question , please ...

 

  the narrow "stem ' of the hockey stick , the fairly narrow base , the roughly 2" tip ...

 

  ...is the idea of all these , combined , to make a fairly 'neutral' feeling support , for the 1 7/8 x 2 3/8"  winged bit , so we can feel more what the WINGED TIP is doing ?

 have you done [in the past] in previous experiments , the 'conventional' [say , 'M5'-ish outline?] with the screw in tip ?

 

  if so , how did the two compare ?

 

   cheers

 

  ben

[malaroo]

Chippy … I’ve got an idea

The Australian Sways road trip

Americans allowed

From one Capitol city to another via the coast

Meeting up with the sways posters in their areas, for a night at a pub or club or restaurant,

Accomodation of your choice in the areas we stop

it will be camping mainly, cheap and fun with a crew
Camp fire nights in the country areas

We test ride product, beer, boards, fins, and report and make movies of product, but it costs.

Single women only charged $1.00 per day

We report on sways / youtube / facebook as the trip is progeressing

We allow anyone who wants to come along friends of freinds, donations accepted.

If it works, Sways readers can travel the world

Am I stupid, sure, but I did do a similar thing with guitar makers, it worked and it was fun.

[chippy61]

hi mala !

 

  it's a great IDEA !

 

 others included ...

 

 we have had a sways travel board [or ? three or four ? ] ..one 'ozlocks' swaylocks  board [google it?] , a sways book , a sways movie , sways t shirts

 

  the boards and the t shirts became reality , at least

 

  the rest ...tra la la la la   :)

 

it IS a great idea , though ...the tyranny of thousands of MILES between us west coasters is limiting ...to us , and to others

 

  for the americans [and others with geography nouse] ....

 ...picture travelling from new york to los angeles , to meet other swaylockians , if you need an idea of the distances involved . [desert and nothing much else in between , too , by the way ! ]

nothing stopping you "eastern staters" actually meeting each other though , of coursse , what with the abundance of towns close to each other [and is there any surf there anywhere ?  haha :)  the answer ??? ...well, of course ...  on a "www" .... is a resounding "NO ! .... we NEVER get surf ANYWHERE here in oz ! " [isn't it ?!]

 the "single ladies $1"  ?!  ....nice try buddy , you tripper , you !  :)

[so... who is dreaming NOW ,  I wonder , eh ?  "...slap , slap , wakey , wakey ..." , etc ...sound FAMILIAR  , mr. malaroot ?

 

  cheers ! 

  ben  [ the innocent choirboy ....remember ?! ]  :-)

[malaroo]

Don’t have to do araound Australia in one go, do smaller trips, Melbourne to Sydney, 1400 ks via the coast… Or Do Melbourne get together and a week down the west coast, Bells area, the great ocean road 12 apostels coast trip. Back to Melbourne. Thats only about 600 ks total. Put you on a flying saucer, cheap flight from Perth … 20 minutes by saucer.

Ok, money for nothing and the chicks are free.

[chippy61]

re:  Wavefin [winged side fins ] test ride thread ...

 

  Mala ...

 ridden the fins again , lately ?

 

I'd like to read about some more findings , please ? 

 

'Knowaloha' , it's been a few days , now ...

 

 HAVE  you been getting any waves on yours , yet ?

 

'Wavefins' Mark ,

 

WHERE ARE YOU ,  mate ?

 

  cheers !

 

   ben

 

[Surffoils]

Still waiting patiently by the mail box for mine.....

[malaroo]

I’m in Canberra for another week and bit , then down the coast for a week or so.

[MickD]

Hey John, let us know when you are down and we can catch up and take the wavefins for a spin. Hopefully there will be a bit more swell about

Cheers,

Mick.

[chippy61]

have you got some too , mick ?

 

  I'd love to hear how they'd go at your point !

 

take 'beerfan' with you too, can you ?  on his new speedneedle fish ...[maybe you could have a mini-sways get together , like you mentioned , mala !  "entity"  here  is not far away from you , either , mick ! ]

 

  cheers !

 

 ben

[malaroo]

I’m moving back to Bawley, only 1 hr and a bit away. Will be in touch.

[wavefin]

Hi,

Good to see every one having fun. I might download some of the pictures here for my website the fin looks goods in the surf board and some one looks real cool surfing.

[chippy61]

okay ...today...

 

it was head high and bigger on quite a few sets !

...it turned  glassy , sunny ... at midday [?!] , when Rowan and I finally hit it .

 

I took photos in the early morning , drizzly wonk .....

[view from my closest carpark] ...

 ...this guy , although big , lasted ? maybe 20 minutes ?  in boardies ?!  [ but, WHY would you?]...

lull

this is what I rode today ... it's the same setup I rode on the onshore day ...

 the back fin [ made from the top portion of an old single fin , that I bought at the dump [rubbish tip]...]

 ....this setup went SOOOO much better in today's midday quality !!!

 

  First up , got two very speedy head-high rights , it dropped in so smoothly ! [I was a bit concerned , with the back fin being so small in quite hollow waves , but I guess the winged tips and nearly 7' of rail , and nice nose rocker , held it in fine !]

 Rowan commented on the speed of the board . I showed him the fins [he had seen them before , but didn't realise that they have been all I have been surfing , lately ! ]

 

he got a couple of cracker , bigger waves on his board , too !

 

  Hopefully , 'if ' we surf together again tomorrow [ ' IF '  he can make the early !  [dubious ...he likes his sleep-ins !] , maybe I can whack these sideys in HIS board ?

 

 Today , I got eight waves [only two lefts] , Rowan  got about 20 waves or more [?!] , in the hour and a bit we were out there ... [ being 12 years younger than me , he is a paddling machine !]

 

  his board is 6'1 x 18 3/4 x 2 1/4 , by the way.

 

  today was so much fun !!

 

  'Mala' , the 'fall line' / power pocket positioning [ ? I think it's mentioned in Nick Carroll's excellent 'surf your best' book , perhaps??]  seems to be what makes these fins work best ....

 

...to be continued....

 

if Rowan doesn't make it , there's always good ol' reliable Karl , at 7am , for the early ... So , I might see ....  if he can ride my 6'11 with the wavefins , for a change ? [his new mal is 8'] . I'd be keen to do a board swap , just to watch someone else surf the 'Wavefins' ! [and I'd like to ride his [shorter] mal , too,  of course !]

 

   cheers !

     ben

[malaroo]

Good report Chippy! Good to see MrWavefin again.

[chippy61]

cheers mala , have fun at that point [ ....ANYTHING beats canberra , mate !]

 

Yes...WELCOME BACK , Mark   ['MR. WAVEFIN' !  'Mala' is a funny bugger , huh ?]

 

  Mark , if you go back a few posts of mine , I asked you a couple of questions about the fin , please ...

 

  cheers mate !

 

  ben 

[MickD]

John, sounds great, will see you soon.

Hi Chippy,

No I don’t have a set but I will be pestering Mala’ for another go on his boards when he gets down this way again, I like the Malaroo and will most likely make one for my everyday short board, will be interesting to see how they go with these fins!

I’ll take my boards down as well and give them a go, I’ll take a 9’ 2+1 mal, my 6’4" pod/fish round tail thruster and my ‘flounder’ (5’10" diamond tail Lis fish) and knock out a report.

Cheers,

Mick.

[chippy61]

good on ya , Mick , because I want to read about OTHERS [standing up] surfing on the fins ,

 

and

 

I don't want to be the only person posting about riding them , standing up !

 

  'knowaloha' ....

 

  how did they go in YOUR waves , please ??

 

 'wavefin' ...

ditto ...you guys have been getting waves lately , I know ...so , how have the fins been going for you and the burleigh crew lately , please ?

 

"I might download some of the pictures here for my website the fin looks goods in the surf board and some one looks real cool surfing."

 

  cheers !

  sure , feel free to use any of the photos of the fins , in my boards...

please just be aware that  none of the people surfing in those photos are using 'wavefins'...

 

......it's just random people at the beach , riding THEIR boards , with THEIR [commercially bought ] fcs fins ...no wavefins were used in the surfing photos I have posted , so far...

 

  cheers guys !

 

  ben

[malaroo]

Sounds good Mick, keep in touch via mobile phone from next Wednesday. The fins will be there for you and Malaroo boards and the “CAMCORDER”! He, he!

[Surffoils]

Got an idea to use a bit of Thraillkill magic with these fins and put a set in as side fins as others have done...

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/The%20FLYING%20V/wavefinres24.jpg[/IMG]

 but to also add another set together in the Thraillkill placement as a Tail Fin combination.

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/SURFFOILS/The%20FLYING%20V/imagesCA8RWVA3.jpg[/IMG]

 So it will be a quad, but a Thraillkill Quad.

 I think this will give amazing lift and speed down the line and might be a great setup for longboards too.

 Sure you need 2 sets of the Wavefins but if it works, I'll be flying along making sections like no one else !

 Ive got my performance LB warmed up and just waiting for the fins to arrive....