I was just wondering if anybody can tell me if there is a big difference in the manner in which a fish rides, when you compare geepies to fiberglass keels? thanks for the comments
You’re catagorizing one and then the other…
Feel would have to do with flex, rebound, stiffness, foil, and actual shape and thickness, which doesn’t know materials.
It’s not what it’s made of, it’s how it reacts.
LeeDD, I appreciate your comments- but they did not really answer my question. Maybe I should rephrase my inquiry. Here goes!! Is there a difference between marine ply vs fiberglass keels when considering factors such as flex, rebound, stiffness? Or is it merely a personal preference in the the way the board looks? Is that better Lee?
hiya Smoothie !!
Well… for my board [and this is with a narrower , more curved tail than a “Lis” type fish , it also has F.C.S. plugs , so I CAN change fin setups]…
…I noticed the extra weight in the tail with the fibreglass keels .
(It still felt nice , though. )
I still fully plan on one day making an “identical” thickness and template pair of wood keels , and fibreglass keels .
Then , I hopefully may be able to give you a more accurate assessment regarding ‘flex , rebound , stiffness’ [maybe]…hopefully .
[please remind me of this again in a few months time , if I haven’t posted my findings by then !]
…cheers mate !
ben
And, same board…here’s a shot with the twin fibreglass keels I made. It’s a smaller , different template . (Thinner than the wood and fibreglass keels , too )
cheers !
ben
smoothie,
There’s probably is not a big difference in performance based on the material all things being equal( and they rarely are). The Gephart’s Ive seen for fishes were all double foiled. The fiberglass keels I’ve seen were all single foiled. Unless you are going to make your own with identical template and foil( good luck) and try them both on the same board and same wave conditions. Sounds like a pretty fun idea, actually. Plywood keels are not very difficult to make.
You can make very thin ply or wood keels.
You can make very thick and stiff fiberglass and foam keels.
You can make very flexible either, but they won’t be thick…
You can make very stiff either, and if you apply carbon fiber, can be thin…
You can even make them out of aluminum molds, but stiff, eh?
Are blond girls better than brunettes?
Are redheads the best?
Do raven haired girls qualify at all?
See, you’re generalizing and catagorizing!
Assuming your using the same template Flex plays the biggest role in my opinion. for instance polycarbonate or plastic fins perform poorly and aren’t worth working with.
Thickness plays a big role in the wood keels which can be made with a flex simaler to fibreglass or a flexy thin feel. fibreglass works well definatly. the only drawback (which doesn’t seem to fuss me) is they are heavier then the wooden keels.
i’m no fish expert but to me that’s what will ultimatly make the diference.
have fun and be sure to post photos of your creations.
cheers!
Josh.
Fiberglass wrapped, foam cored for flex.
Carbon wrapped, foam cored for more stiffness.
Lightweight both, one flexy, one stiff.
Best of both worlds, unless you like grinding your fins on the bottom.