DIY Surfboard Fins - Fin Friday
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2020
- Building a set of cedar surfboard fins that can be used as a twin fin or added to another set to use as a quad. It had been awhile since I had made a set of wooden surfboard fins. This was a pair I had already started by creating the fin panel and cutting out the shape. The build of the fin is 1/4" cedar with a leading edge high foil on the outside and a flat foil on the inside. The fin is glassed with epoxy and 6oz fiberglass off cuts from the surfboards I have made. Wave Wasters is about experimenting with design and not actually being wasteful. I try to keep any scraps or materials I can to reuse in future projects.
Join the discord to share and talk about home made fins and surfboards
Discord: / discord
Tools and supplies I use:
Porter Cable Sander: amzn.to/2UG7H4J
West systems Epoxy: amzn.to/2UF0Dp9
Reusable stir sticks: amzn.to/3kILNIG
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Fin Friday is a series I will be doing where I build various types of surfboard fins from different materials. Some fins will be experimental and some will be more standard. The fins will be made mostly from wood but I'll try to make some fins more experimental materials to use. Videos are posted on Fridays, might be every Friday or every other, will depend on how much time I've had to film and edit the process. - Навчання та стиль
Its late Friday but still Friday, next Fin Friday will be earlier in the day. Let me know if you have any fins you would like to see made!
would love to see a longboard fin with a future base tab
@@lucascondon-oldreive902 I was going to do some single fins after I finish the batch of fins I'm working on. I'll put a futures tab on a single fin and give it a try in one of my boards!
Hey man, your channel is excellent, I have got to the point where I thought I had enough boards and saw all these guys now ripping on twins, so I thought I'd have a go at making my own fins, cheap and chearful I've started with ply, would love you to cover the process from the basic cutout, to glassing/casting and getting that nice clean finish with a sharp edge. I know you cover it in some of your videos but its really fast and and it would be great if you could cover the casting in more detail, or point m o a link. You make it look simple, but for me just experimenting with some odd designs it would be a great help. Plus most of my boards are FCS1, any recommendations on how to create a strong fixture there? The silicon mould is obviously great but the fcs1 tabs are so small it doesn't give you much allowance to thin the base material, in this case marine ply?
@@AL-ok5es Thanks! Yeah I could try to break down the process into smaller sections for some videos.
With fcs1 tabs the best thing to do is layup a fibreglass panel and then cut the tabs out with a small section of the base of the fin. then epoxy the wood fin to the base. Then foil the fin and glass the base and the wood. If you do some looking online you can find some fins with this technique. I have a couple videos I'm working on now with it but its for single fins. You might be able to find a g10 panel you could cut the base of the fins out of as well.
I have a video on the silicone molds its more for doing small amounts of larger tab fins like futures than it is for fcs1 fins.
Making fins is alot of work and and a lot of fun. But if your making them just for cheap fins your probably better off buying them. Its a great way to get into making your own gear though. I'm still learning myself with experimenting but if you have any questions just let me know and I'll try my best to answer them.
@@WaveWasters Amazing again, so "With fcs1 tabs the best thing to do is layup a fibreglass panel and then cut the tabs out with a small section of the base of the fin" are you saying you make the ply cut out and mould in silicone with epoxy/ shredded glass, perhaps silica, just the bottom section then work the wood and do a secondary glassing, finishing? or make two separate components and bond them?
Going to attempt something similar by cutting down an old ruined set of futures to the size of the honeycomb core and glassing over it in the same process you used to enlarge them into a twin setup that already has the tabs built in. I’ll let you know how it goes! Thanks for the vid
Sounds like a fun project, definitely let me know how they turn out!
Great video
Thanks Hoveasy!
that fin mold was brilliant.. Great video
Thanks! I plan on doing a video about it once I finish up the videos I'm currently working on.
Yeah really simple clever way to make the mounts! I’m about to attempt my own fins but can’t order fin boxes where I live so just going to glass on. Any recommendations for glassing on?
@@itsmepreston89 are there any local shapers/surf shops near you they may have some spares boxes. I always order online to get them. I haven't done glass ons before. I be seen a few videos before and it doesn't look hard. I know fiberglass roving helps a lot at the base of the fin. I'm sure if you look on UA-cam or swaylocks there is a step by step on how to do it. I prefer boxes so I can mess around with different shape fins.
Wave Wasters yah I wish I could. I live in Myanmar and can’t find a way to get any boxes in to the country 🤷♂️
That's a bummer, glass on would be the way to go then.
Nice heavy fin cool
Thanks🌊🏄
Cool intro Matt...great editing skills you have! Excellent video! I love the way you work and the setups you use as a DIYer. So, how did the fins work? Sorry for watching so late in the game as I've been flat out busy building a 24" above ground pool with a 600 sq. ft. deck to go with it. Pool is done and we've been using it for about 2 weeks now but the deck is still a work in progress...a contractor/carpenter I am not...lol ;) My board is still in my garage covered with dirt and dust and I probably won't have it out until August sometime...maybe. The deck is a much bigger project than I expected! We went to Summerville Beach for our annual Canada Day picnic with the family and there were quite a few surfers out that day. I even saw a SUP with a foil get up on a plane that day! I'll have to get a few days under my belt at Mavs before I venture up your way this summer but if and when I do head up your way, I'll give you a shout to see if you're gonna be around and maybe you can show me a good beginner break ( if you wish ) Cheers, John ;)
Sounds like a huge project, bet it will be super nice when its all done tho.You will have to try and make it out at least a couple times. The water is really starting to warm up the last few weeks. Hopefully we get some good waves in August and September before the cold water comes back. Let me know if your heading this way
@@WaveWasters Yeah, the project is a little bigger than what I'm used to but it's all for the staycation instead of the vacation...I don't think we'll be travelling any time soon. Hopefully the water will be toasty and wavy by the time I'm finished the project. Take care until then and enjoy your new fins! Cheers, John ;)
Nice.!
Are you able to achive the full 6.5 - 7 degrees of cant that futures generally come with ? been wanting to do a project like this myself!
Yeah you may need to thin out the wood tabs or pre add the cant to the fin before you glass them and mold the tab. But I just did some with 6°. If your using silicone mold be careful not to deform/flex them.
@@WaveWasters thanks for the advice!
Hi Matt, thanks a lot for all your great videos on building surfboards fins. They have inspired me to try it out myself. I have cut out several shapes of single fins from ash timber. Before sanding and foiling them they are about 10mm (around 0,4 inch) thick. You are starting with a fin blank with 0,25 inch thickness, correct? About how much thickness do you add when glassing with two layers of 6oz fiberglass on each side?
Yeah for my fin blanks I like to aim for around 6mm or just under 1/4". Fibreglass thickness depends how good your lamination is. If you do it by hand it could come out a bit thicker of thinner than say vacuum bagging. I haven't measured many but from a couple fins ive broken maybe 1 mm thick. You could always do a small layup with scraps then cut it and measure it. Would give you a rough idea and more specific to the glass and technique you are using.
Also let me know how your fins turn out, always stoked to see others projects.
How about a longboard single with a set screw hole?
Are you thinking like a typical londboard fin with the roll pin and the screw plate?
I,ve a 6 ft single fin i wanna turn into a twin fins, ive future fin boxs ordered. see when you've added epoxy to give yourself those little indentations either side at the bottom, is that all you need to fit a future fin box ? And could you add them into the wooden fin themselves?
I cut the notches in the wood with extra space for some fibreglass and resin. that way the wood is sealed. Other wise the wood will soak up water over time and expand. You could just cut them in the wood but you need to seal them some how. You might be able to get away with an oil finish but would need to reapply it often. But Notches and the correct length and thickness and the cant in the fin is what you need for futures.
@@WaveWasters thanks for the reply, good advice:)
did this fin last up to today? any issue on delamination? how often you are using it? im doing some reasearch with epoxy/CF fin laminate and would want to know how durable this make is
Yeah they are still around, I have broken fins but not many. Most of the ones I have broken were early days of learning to make them or hitting rocks or surfing shore break. As long as your using decent epoxy, prep the surfaces and use enough reinforcement they will last in my experience. Be careful with sand threws, I have sanded the tab area too much on a set and ended up cracking them a few years after use.
Delamination I have had no issues with, however I learned a lot about preventing it from building snowboards. Short answer in how to prevent it. Make sure your surfaces are prepped properly and avoid surface contamination. Last thing would be do lots of small tests. You can learn a lot with out doing a full scale project.
@@WaveWasters thanks for the detailed response. when you say surface preparation, you mean sanding and cleaning right? do you also beleave that you should not touch by hand before laminating or it is only applicable to surfboard?
@@milwardshami3569 No problem. Yeah sanding and cleaning, I like to use 80 grit as its given me the strongest bond. You may find you can go higher or low in grit depending on the material.
I try to wear gloves when I have something ready to be glassed. Oils from your skin can cause issues like delamination/fisheyes in some cases. So its a good practice to get into. You want to give your resin the best chance to give you a strong bond.
@WaveWasters Great!! thanks again! one last question, is their ideal type of wood to use? does moisture on it affect how it will last? any treatment before you glass it?
@@milwardshami3569 wood type deeps on the look you want as well as the flex. I don't know if there's an ideal wood to use, it really depends on how you want to utilize it.
Dry wood is best ideally it's been in the area your working in for a couple weeks similar to furniture building. Otherwise it could warp. Which I've had happen, but once glassed it will be fine.
How thick do I make the wood core? Mils or Yankee imperialist units are fin.
I usually aim for around 6mm or just under a 1/4". I live in a weird place where we use both so I should try to add both into videos.
@@WaveWasters I'm an American living in Australia. So I also deal with both. Also, many measurements is Australia are really strange to me because they are expressing an imperial size in metric.
Was that a silicone mold you made yourself for the fin base section?
Yeah it is, I used 100% silicone from the hardware store and mixed it with cornstarch so it would cure fully. Then pushed the mixture around a fin plug, can also use a full fin if you suspended it while the silicone cures. Unfortunately this was an old mold(4-5 years old) and the resign stuck to the silicone so I had to remake it. Normally the fins pop out fairly easily.
@@WaveWasters Thanks for the reply. Excited to attempt this. Great work!!!
Awesome, let me know how it turns out!
@@WaveWasters do you have a video of the mold making process????
@@zachvoigt4484 not yet it's one I'm working on
hi, anyone know what do you use as the surface on which to cast the resin/fibre? Minute 5 in video
I glassed the fins on some 6 mil vapour barrier which is Polyethylene. Once the epoxy cures it peels right off. A waxed glass sheet can work as well or just raise the fins off the surface and glass one side at a time.
Amazing, thanks for such a quick reply, looking forward to trying it out, real gem @@WaveWasters
@@AL-ok5es No problem, I think it was good timing I opened up the app and your comment popped up. Good luck on your fins and let me know how they turn out!
Any way I can purchase some futures boxes mold?!
It wouldn't be worth the shipping costs from here to do. However it is super easy to make, all I did was mix 100% silicone from the hardware store with cornstarch till its a frosting consistency. Then put the mix in a channel in a wood board and push the fin tab into it. For my mold all I did was make two channels and make the tabs face each other then added an arm so I could adjust the cant on them. I'm going to make a video with more details on how I made the mold and how I use it.
@@WaveWasters yes can’t wait to see the video. I made my own keel fins lasted about a month, I stood up on my first wave of the day did a bottom turn and snapped one of the fins right where that fin tab should be.
@@tytran9252 How many layers of glass did you have in the tab running up the fin? I find that 5 layers of 6oz glass to be the least I can go. Although I think I have a keel set that I made with 4 layers.
I'm just now looking into doing this sort of thing ... making surfboards, making fins, doing surfboard art because ... I just want to that's all.
Don't live anywhere near a body of water ... but ... that said. I can always dream. I like this video and I will be doing it whether it makes sense to anyone else or not. Having said that ... I'm wondering what kind of wood you used, what kind of things do I need (resin, fiberglass, tools, safety concerns etc.) I need or what would you recommend?
Jump in a lake?
Well ... I might as well go to the ocean ... and try out my end product in that case. Looking forward to any incites on this journey.
For these fins I used cedar but you can really use any type of wood. A lot of the strength comes from the fibreglass, I used 6oz fibreglass for these. Depending on the type of wood, you generally want to use at least 4 layers of 6oz(two layers per side).
For resin I've been using west systems epoxy because its easy to get locally but a surfboard epoxy or marine epoxy is best.
For tools you can make a whole board with basic hand tools but its a lot of sanding so an orbital sander is well worth the money for sanding the fibreglass. The tools I use the most are handsaw, sureform/sanding blocks, bandsaw/scrollsaw, router, orbital sander.
For safety a lot depends on the tools you use and the resins. But safety glasses, disposable gloves, respirator, dust collection and air filtration are all needed. You create a lot of dust, and you really don't want to be breathing in fibres and resin dust.
There is a lot to making each boards and fins, but if you look up how to make each part there is a fair bit of information online. There are also board kits you can buy that have everything. I think greenlight surf supply sells mini hobby board kits to learn the process. Foamez and greenlight both sells board kits with all the materials. For fins I just use a lot of scraps from other projects.
Main thing is to have fun and stay safe while building fun functional projects. As for not being near an ocean you can look at lakes for wakesurfing, some places have river surfing or wave pools as well.