Okay.
Say I want to get my massive 4.9cm (49mm) North S-Bend FR fins down to some nice stubby little fins around say... 3.5-2.5cm?
Is this even possible for a start? I have access to most of the machinery i would assume i need including a band saw and disk sander and belt sander. The question is... is there even any way to go about this, or if i did just charge into it and saw half of the fin off would i need to then seal it with anything? or is it all just solid plastic !?
Any help would be appreciated
Cheers,
Jay
(For the record i would like smaller fins so that i can put boots on and slide on the sand and not get bogged and dig in and faceplant )
depends on the fin matey. some have different aterials in them forming honeycomb structures and all sorts of stuff. i wouldnt reccomend it on that alone.
the other aspect is that slideing around on your board on sand is going to destroy it reeeealy quickly i wish i could give advice here on how not to but whenever i ride boots on a beach shore with onshore wind i end up wearing out the backrail and ruining the board so i just learnt to not do it. if you got some old board thats only worth 50$ then the fins your destroying for it are probably worth more.
Hi Jay, They should be made from G10 material which is many layers of fibreglass laminated up under pressure to form a panel. It is very durable and will not be easy to cut them down as it will blunt your jigsaw blade. You can get a diamond blade that will last a little longer. Once cut down you can re foil with your grinder but again they will take a bit of work to grind up.
Once you have the shape about right just work your way thru finer grades of sandpaper and they are ready to use. No need to seal.
The fibres can make you very itchy, wear protective clothing and dust masks.
It might make you think the fins are cheap once you have done all of this ;)
Cheers Adrian
Okay well that sounds like plenty of good reasons not to attempt to re-model my fins.
Cheers for the very quick and concise replys, glad I came here before going HAM on my fins with the school's band saw
I guess i will just have to order a new set although they seem to be rather elusive.
anyway, thanks heaps for the help guys
Jay.
EBay man, there's a guy selling ridiculous y cheap solid plastic ones with screws. They aren't as nice as the "super sharp flex pattern" or whatever the North ones are but a lot better than a grinder set, and when you dent them just file and sand away
Hey dude I had an old set of north fins the green ones and I sanded them down and all was fine. I actually just did it at the beach one day an rubbed them on the pavement while they were on my board. Took 15 mins to get a good Cm off. Definitely do-able
Make a template. make sure you don't cut to close to the bolt holes. Cut the rough shape with the bandsaw. Shape the edge with a sander.
Done
EBay UK kitesurfing, tons of finns for next to nothing, plenty of sizes, or see your local shop,
4 or 5 inch angle grinder black marker leave the fins on the board go to town but their is no turning back once you have done it why don't you just take the fins off if you want to ride the sand?
150mm random orbit sander , with 240 grit sand paper works a treat for g10 fins , some fins like the naish ones have a foam or honeycomb core , if you sand them down you need to seal the end with epoxy .
If you have a belt sander put it upside down and clamped in a vice, I've shaved all my fins down this way plastic and fibreglass no probs
Select to expand quotewinter said..
4 or 5 inch angle grinder black marker leave the fins on the board go to town but their is no turning back once you have done it why don't you just take the fins off if you want to ride the sand?
haha yeah i guess i did not word that too well...
by riding on the sand i just mean when i have to slide 5-10 metres to get to the water
JayG,
I read this post the other day and it got me thinking about the 5.3cm S-Bends I have on my board. The trailing edge is so bloody sharp it's like having 4 knives on the board.
So........
I drew a template on the first fin, got out the grinder, cut the ends off it, gave it a bit of a sand down to smooth it out and maintain a curve and jobs done.
Only took about 10 minutes to do all 4.
One tip is not to keep the grinder on the fin for too long. Fin heats up and you get a black burn residue. Short bursts is the key.
Select to expand quoteJayG said..
...
(For the record i would like smaller fins so that i can put boots on and slide on the sand and not get bogged and dig in and faceplant )
Taking the fins off won't help with riding on the sand. The fins have nothing to do with it. If you put the whole bottom of the board on the sand the friction will make it stick to the sand and you will face plant.
The correct way to ride on the sand is to lift the toe side rail so you're just riding on the edge (like the guy in the photo). It will slice nicely through the sand and you'll be able to ride as far as you want (ie. the whole beach not just the last few metres to the water).
Be careful you don't flatten your board on the wet sand. It is very sticky and you will stop dead.
Why cut down your fins? You'll just stuff up a good set of fins. If you want smaller fins just buy some. They're $60-$100 a set of four. You can probably beg some cheap ones from a local shop.
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..
Why cut down your fins? You'll just stuff up a good set of fins. If you want smaller fins just buy some. They're $60-$100 a set of four. You can probably beg some cheap ones from a local shop.
My sentiments exactly. A spare set of fins you mightn't want right now might just be the fins you want next season.
Is it really worth the effort & the risk if you are not sure of exactly the right shape you are chasing - or how to get it?
Fin effect is under-rated. Really minor differences can make a huge difference (not my experience but from listening to 100's of customers).
Your attempt to morph your oversized fins may just produce a total dud.
