I got a box inserted into this board. I wasn't loving the Diamond Tail as a Quad. Hoping this makes all the difference. I love 1+2 of any sort!
Except it's the sloppiest box I've ever put anything into.
Any tips, I've put 3 layers of electrical tape on each side of the fin, and I think I can add a 4th layer to 1 side!
An ode to the sloppy box...
I was with the Torquay Outrigger guys the other day, putting the massive outriggers onto a freaking long trailer... Sign on the back "Long Load" or similar. Sign didn't fit well, and in regard to a hole through the sign, Clive said, "there's nothing worse than a sloppy hole". I said, "I can think of worse things than a sloppy hole!".
I remember dating a nurse in Manly with a thirsty hole. She worked at Royal North Shore (Hospital), started work at 7am. She would get up at just before 6am, to get ready for the 25min bus ride. She would be showered and in uniform by about 6:10am, and she would come back into the room to say bye. Almost always we ended up having sex in Uniform. She liked me to leave it in the box, because she liked the way it felt for hours after. Dirty nurses! She told me stories that the nurses would discuss with each other... who has a sloppy box today... who got action before work, and left it sloppy !!
Sorry Simondo, back on the real topic...its the bane of our existence that there doesn't seem to be an "Australian Standard" for fin boxes.
I cringe and pray everytime I'm about to fin up a customer's board that the fin is actually gonna fit. Had some shockers where you either file away half the fin base or stick it with tape.
One thing that worked well for me once was packing a "sloppy box" with thin strips of plastic cut from the cover of one of those A4 clear presentation folders. Or use something similar. Just line either side of the box with that (or stick it to the fin base). - Mark
You can buy proper fin box shims, they're just flat plastic strips, 2 per packet.
Don't know how much they cost because my local shop gives then to me for free.
Q. What's the difference between a nurse and a ladder?
A. Not everyone had been up a ladder.
Oh simondo, I forgot to mention, I now am the owner of one of your favorites, a 9'6 Dick Brewer (I've drunk some pretty dodgy beers in my day but there's no way I'm touching anything he Brews)
I traded my ITP for it because I could no longer stand that stupid wide nose on the ITP stopping me from carrying the board inside the car.
Taken it out twice in very small surf but it was enough to tweak my interest because a few walled up plus I had to go rail to rail on most at the beach break.
What it is, is fast, well fast for a tuffy, possibly the quickest tuffy I've had in that sized surf. I doubt it will ever beat the Munoz for speed on a big day at the bommy, but I'd like to try.
It's probably not as fast as yours because mine is Grey and yours is red
And talk about a quick turner, I can't believe how quick it will snap around, you'd think it was a pin or a rounded pin, but it's not, it's a small square tail with very hard edges on the tail. Classy looking kickouts are a breeze.
Considering my weight, it's good at picking up waves, but nothing will ever beat the munoz for that.
First time I took it out I used a 7.25 Dolphin with very small side bites but I though I was missing too many waves and the conditions were just too full for any hard cranking so I switched to a 9" cutaway and seemed to do better on the rail to rail pivots inside.
One thing it ain't is a nose rider, as soon as I picked it up I knew it wasn't, almost the full length of the rails are lower than 60/40 and there's no classic roll on the deck or underside. Maybe someone under 90kg will do okay up at the snotty end but I figure the best I can hope for is a cheat'n five.
Thats okay by me because I like everything else about it and it gives me the excuse to get a specialist nose ride
I agree 100% OBCT. Glad you don't think it's much of a nose rider, because I had started to wonder if I was a Nose Rider Kook on that board... So much concave under the nose too.... And a little too much nose rocker... It gets a bit wobbly when you're up there anyway.
It has a stack of volume too. So 100+ surfers will be absolutely fine on one.
And yes, it's a tight squash tail. Acts like a rounded pin.
Glad you like it.
I ride it with a 9 inch L-Flex B from True Ames. www.trueames.com/products/l-flex-surf-fin
Extra base for extra drive on the points. But the L-Flex B is not the right fin for beachies... I should probably get the 9A. I should also get an 8 for another board.
I said sort of on theme. Not so sloppy yet, maybe sloppy later !! That's what I meant !!
You're the man Lacey! You've had a great day!