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Filling in Fin Boxes
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xander.arch



Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 217

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 12:04 pm    Post subject: Filling in Fin Boxes Reply with quote

I'm running a tri fin as a single and want to fill in the unused boxes (slot boxes). I'd like the fill job to be perfectly smooth related to the bottom so blanks are out. I'm not going to sail the board as a tri fin, but I'd like to be able to reverse the job for a potential sale of the board.

Any thoughts? Thanks
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fill the hole with POUR Foam , 8lb version available at Fiberglass Supply.
follow direction it will rise 2/3rd more from poured amount.

sand/ finish flush to bottom surface.

lay S Glass sheet, probably just 2 that overlap with good 2 stage epoxy.

finish with sandpaper dry then wet, prime then paint to your heats content.

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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

U2U2U2, your approach would be a good recipe for eliminating the extra finboxes, but it would be pretty tough to restore the board to its original configuration. Even if you ultimately sand away the paint to find the finboxes, it would be super tough to restore the cavities and any attachment features like it never happened.
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norcom



Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 137

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If it's a US box you could try something like this:
http://www.boardzone.co.nz/k4-fins-us-blanking-plate-full-box-130mm-pair-xidp334386.html

ANY work on your board will lower the final resale value if that's what you're worried about.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can run a full bead of silicon across the opening of the A box, then use a cube of ice to smooth out the finish.
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like Lee said,^^^^ someone was explaining this, put some grease in the box first so the piece will be removable. hopefully suction keeps it in place.
Looks like what this guy did here;



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bred2shred



Joined: 02 May 2000
Posts: 989
Location: Jersey Shore

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Probably wouldn't be terribly difficult to mold up a blank insert. Or just find some cheap, used, junker fins, chop off the fin and use the base as a blank.

sm
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noshuzbluz



Joined: 18 May 2000
Posts: 791

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Styrofoam and a thin layer of silicon on top always worked well for me.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 3:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

to be perfectly smooth like he said, and reversible , I don t know. probably just tape.

When my boxes are not in use I use the slot box inserts, there has to be some cavitation from the edges , but so minimal , why bother with thinking about it. You coauld also tape this to further reduce, use TYVEK or similar. I also have US box inserts and have home made ones for the long USBoxes when I go Quad.
Home made from paint stir sticks at the hardware store.




Steve : I missed the recoverable/reversible bit, but with a dremel it would take me 15min a side for extract, S-Glass & pour foam you could cut with a steak knife. But then I wouldnt bother in the first place, the solution isnt worth the problem.

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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 4:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A. UPS or sail repair tape. Vinyl tubing. Dog food.

B. Why bother? Most tri-fins are built for traction and maneuvering, not top speed. Putting racing stripes on a wave board or a Miata won't help it win a drag race. A $10 swap meet slalom board will still run off and hide from it; hull shape matters.

C. Pickup trucks have less drag with the tailgate UP. This traps air in the bed, and the slipstream flows OVER it. I suspect fin slots may work similarly, at least to the point that most mortals would never feel the difference ... unless, of course, they looked at the slots first, in which case the board would gain 10 mph, guaranteed. Smile

D. If I gave a damn about 1 mph, I'd:
1. Measure many speed runs under controlled conditions until I had reliable, repeatable, consistent top speed statistics.
2. Tape the slots and repeat #1.
3. Examine the data mathematically to decide whether I gained (or lost) squat.
4. Repeat #2 and #3, including head-to-head trials, with that $10 swap meet queen.
5. Choose whether to get fancy with my tri-fin slots (and/or keep that $10 swap meet queen) based on the outcome of #4.
6. Keep both, using each board depending on each session's objectives.
7. Dump the tri-fin if the swap meet slalom board wins and that last mph was THAT important. If it is ...
8. Spend $2,000 on a REALLY fast board and abandon all thoughts of maneuverability.

Putting (s)lipstick on a pig doesn't change its flavor.
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