Why aren’t glassed-on fins recessed into the foam? It makes sense to me that if a slot were cut through the lam and into the foam a tad, that the fins could be inserted and anchored (resin-ed into it) into this slot (and then further bolstered with fin rope in the standard method) to provide greater lateral strength.
Just thinkin’ about surfboards when I should be workin’.
Some of the older guys I’ve worked with said they used to do that, mainly fixed singles, and they were very strong.
Problem was when they got hit or damaged, they made a big mess of the board and created a repair nightmare. The fin and roving would be fine, but the board would be a mess.
And it’s extra work, something I try to avoid.
The extra support provided by recessing a fin 1/4 inch into foam is negligible, and a lot more work. Better to make the rope fillet at the base a little larger, use the next heavier weight glass footballs or another layer.
I’m unconvinced that the rope fillet anchoring a fin makes sufficient drag-creating turbulence to matter.
Don’t forget the 9" diameter patch you lay under the lam coat for anchoring the fin area.
On side fins, we always used an oval about 7" long, on each side fin, and the big patch for the center fin.
The Bonzer side runners are actually glassed on that way. Malcomb said he did not want large fillets and this was a way to minimize them.
Exactly, it would mangle the board.
mangle ?
difficult ding repair? destroy the board is more like it…the real advantage is -would the make the flex contiguious …the whole board flexing with the fin, inserts an interesting factor into the performance of the board although it may result in a permanent twist at point breaks where the asemetrical use of the board will effect the flex "memory "…ambrose …i do think of routing the fin all the way through to the deck to ‘fix’ flex…the only trouble is you are stuck with the position of the fin
Ah yes Ambrose, much to think about. Flex tails vs. suspension sytem, Carbon fiber vs. 4 oz layups, vector vs. turbos. Where do we start, and more importantly who do we believe…