You $%#@^ you beat me!! I was about to start this topic.
Anyway here's the details.
On Monday I hit something just under the water at 31kt, (maybe a big crab???) with my favourite 20cm cedar/carbon/stainless weedy.
Unfortunately the stainless is only at the tip end, whatever it was penetrated deep into the cedar, delaminating the carbon on 1 side. Couldn't sail with it flapping so tore it off and sailed the ~1.5km home with care.
On Tuesday, coming out of my last gybe hit a rock, with my 23cm tuttle weedy. Sailed the ~1km back before turning the board over to see the damage, quite surprised me as it didn't feel too bad, perhaps I don't need the tip on this fin???
G10 probably wouldn't have sustained so much damage, but one of hardys lessacher carbon's had a similar delam, without the big impact crater.
I have to agreed Decrep G10 is the go.
On Monday while sailing with my brand new 32cm techtonic G10 Falcon i hit my first rock i have come across in the lechenault Inlet.
i was fully wound up sailing broad and "bang" i hit something.
fearing the worst i flipped the board over and all there was a was a couple if tiny scratches onthe tip of the fin.
The impact felt so hard it jolted the board on impact.
So decrep can you do G1?
G10 and an orbital sander
a crab crushers best friend
Still reckon you hit a big fish there were quite a few out on the coarse
I can guess that last night was in Cox Bay?
Hit a school of mullet with a big Maisch fin and came back with the leading edge bruised about 5mm in.
Cox Bay, down near cobblers is strewn with flat rocks up to around 300m out and on the low tide yesterday would have made them accessible for your fin.
Bender snapped his fin of after pushing the length of run and ended up having a nice walk of shame
Serves me right for pushing it in no-mans land and hanging sh#t in elmo's
karma is a bitch
Anyway back on topic.
Decrep i have used presses when storing timber before to keep it flat while it dries.
Could we make a rough type press to exert lots of pressure. Maybe the use of common car jacks or something similar
Thinking about it from a different angle.
Could it not be the structural strength of the thin layer of carbon laminated on the outside of the cedar.
A normal Carbon fin has a lot more bulk in its layer of carbon (I thunk) and would be able to handle an impact better.
May be barking up the wrong tree all together, it was a lonely thought rattling around my head so I let it lose on the world
The only 2 times i have hit something in the water the fin was okay tuttle bolts were bent but nearly ripped the tuttle box out of the board sticking out a couple of mil.I'm surprised you guys don't do any damage to the box itself.