has anyone cut a fin down before ?

i just got a new fin so i am considering cutting my old JP 29cm freestyle wave fin to create a small freestyle fin. has anybody done this before ?? will it work and how short should i cut it.

Cheers Owain

Lots of people here have successfully cut down fins, but to make speed fins not freestyle. But if it works for speed fins don't see why it shouldn't work for freestyle, but then I know nothing about freestyle.

Select to expand quote

owain said...

has anyone cut a fin down before ?

i just got a new fin so i am considering cutting my old JP 29cm freestyle wave fin to create a small freestyle fin. has anybody done this before ?? will it work and how short should i cut it.

Cheers Owain

Yeah, its common practice in the freestyle world. There's a pointer to an article about it on one of the old posts. Dont remember where. Haircut has cut down a fin or two. I cut about 60 mm off a Mistral freestyle/wave fin. It works better than I expected. Mine is about 190 now but some go a lot shorter than that. I think Haircut has one about 150. Its a case of suck it and see. I wouldn't make it any shorter than 50 less than the new one. You can always cut more off.

I did exactly the same thing with a 21cm freestyle wave fin,

just went to the shed, got dad's belt sander, that takes it right off extremely easy,

then its just a case of gettin some sand paper and re-forming the fin's profle. This isnt too hard, just takes a little longer than the belt sander part, and not as fun

all up mine took me about 5 minutes, and it went from a 21cm to an 18.5 cm, i also belt sanded the back so it wasnt raked back as far, and it made a huge difference, basically look at a picture of a Maui Fin Co Freestyle fin, or Choco freestyle fin and try to mirror it,

I reckon go for about 18-20cm

Ive been using a 120 for when it is realy flat. Takes a bit of getting used to but it makes all the spinny tricks heaps easier to learn. Ive been trying out a few freestyle fins this season and I think the trick is to have 2 or 3 fins and always use the smallest you think you can get away with. The biggest I have is a 180 mfc freestyle fin which is good for when it gets fairly choppy.

Select to expand quote

mikeAUS146 said...

I did exactly the same thing with a 21cm freestyle wave fin,

just went to the shed, got dad's belt sander, that takes it right off extremely easy,

then its just a case of gettin some sand paper and re-forming the fin's profle. This isnt too hard, just takes a little longer than the belt sander part, and not as fun

all up mine took me about 5 minutes, and it went from a 21cm to an 18.5 cm, i also belt sanded the back so it wasnt raked back as far, and it made a huge difference, basically look at a picture of a Maui Fin Co Freestyle fin, or Choco freestyle fin and try to mirror it,

I reckon go for about 18-20cm

Agreed, it's about 5 minutes of work. I cut down a stock JP Freestyle wave fin...you can see the end result here:

www.peconicpuffin.com/the_peconic_puffin/2007/10/freestyle-fin-1.html

this is the fin i have marked the line at 180
i dont know whether to go shorter? i want it very mall but i dont want to wreak it completely.

should i shape the end so it is like the mfc freestyle fin?

just go for 18 and as soon as u learn to sail upwind with it... then cut some more off!! i did 34knots on my cut down fin completely reshaped so it can be fast aswell.. if u want to learn proper freestyle then smaller the better, and dont worry about the walk of shame back upwind cause, a fin can never be to small!!

This is the fin now. I cut it down to 180 and just rounded the trailing edge and cut diagonally at the tip of the leading edge and sanded back until it was a good shape

does this look like it will work or will i need further modifications

Keep cutting. That thing is massive. Look at Puffin's fin, that's what you're after.
Someone posted a video of Gollito and Andre Paskoswki the other day. Check the fins they're using

Cross out the 29 and write 18.

From what i've seen the pro guys are using 18-20cm fins. Though remember that in a heat it's important for them to be able to get back upwind quickly, and get through lots of moves. If you're just freesailing then smaller might be good for practicing some moves...

this is the fin now i have taken the square tip off.
it is exactly 185 long not sure if it is a good freestyle shape thou?

Maaaan, that fin is one UGLY son of a beach...

Yeah, but its got a gr8 personality ...........

i work for club vass in our winter and we once had a day without wind!! i think it was june27... anywho we spent the whole day talkin about freestyle fins... most of the kids on the tour just use the standard fin cut to 10cm with a hacksaw, untill they get fin sponsors... i think i know a bit about foils and a bit more about freestyle... basically the fin needs to be small so u can jump 180 and stay "LOW" without the fin catching the water, also it needs to be small so if it does catch the water ( and it will) it can still push thru sideways without much resistance.. there is no need for it to be efficient upwind and no need for it to break 50knts (it is not the fin that is stopping the 50knts).... but if you are just learning vulcans then a 27cm fin will do the job and when u get bored of them (u will) u can go back to monkey jybes... so that fin looks fine,

Now it's time to take the grinder to your board.

Buy a bodyboard mag and copy the shape of their "vacuum-track" rails. You can now throw the fin away entirely.

But seriously, anyone reckon a vacuum-track rail might be good for a freestyle board?

...Here we go, also known as a chine rail:

"chine rail
1. Or 50/50, pointed elliptical rail profile, used as a compromise between a dropped/hard/low rail and a round rail. Extensively used 1965 to 1971.
2. George Greenough (USA) and Chris Brock’s Hull at Wilderness Surfboards in 1969.
Also by Robert Conneely at Hayden Surfboards 1970.
It was largely replaced in 1972 by another compromise – the soft down rail by Mike Hynson (USA).
Resurfaced as Vacuum track rails on Tom Morey’s Boogie, 1974."


HOly ****ing ****!!! Thenwhile doing some "research" on vacumm-track rails I came across this.

Sorry for hijacking your thread but felt the world needs to see this:

This was an informative thread about what people are doing with freestyle fins and you start posting pics of some **** wearing zebra striped pyjamas. It's not the kite forum.Pull your head in.

Select to expand quote

hoop said...

<<<< It's not the kite forum.Pull your head in.

It has been mentioned before, and it gets repeated in the posting instructions, to keep it FUN,
I don't think the Panda was too far out of line here.
He was bringing up the possibility of doing without fins altogether.
Your lucky hardy didn't post with one of his classic humorous detours.

Whats not fun about teasing someone who posts pictures of someone wearing fag pyjamas?
Anyhow, back to the topic. I'm all for it if somebody can design a freestyle board with no fins.
What would happen if you had a twinny with small delta fins close to the rail. (similar to a kite board or wake board) Might be worth a try.

Oh I get it now,
the number of zebras in the wild keep diminishing because they're all **** ?

i agree with hoop

Sheesh. I suggest a constructive, albeit hypothetical, way of possibly reducing the fin size even more and you actually assume I want to wear a Dennis Rodman, crazy disco high, zebra suit. Bit defensive eh? I feel like I've wandered into a kiter's forum.

How about some aggressive chines too?

Woops, sorry, I'll fall in line: Cut it down further.

Select to expand quote

owain said...

mmmmmmmm....can i touch it?

I just cut down a wave fin today into a freestyle fin because I felt like trying something smaller than my 18cm. It is now 15cm long and looks pretty good I will post some pictures soon.

Here it is my creation. Nw I just need the wind for a test run!!

www.flickr.com/photos/11592977@N04/2376209607/

whoaa
i like the shape


which one is which?
did the 18cm work well for freestyle ??
could you do spocks with it and how well did it work for going up wind and all thee other normal stuff?

owain.

Looks good .

snapped this fin on a reef now its my freestyle fin, i rounded it later on a rock.. shape dont matter, its not supposed to work, its supposed to spin out, so ..... "this fin is fantastic for freestyle, it dont work at all"

Select to expand quote

owain said...

whoaa
i like the shape


which one is which?
did the 18cm work well for freestyle ??
could you do spocks with it and how well did it work for going up wind and all thee other normal stuff?

owain.

The blue fin is the cut fin. The 18cm works really well gives a good amount of slide but still goes up wind very well. I think it is more about techinque though once on a smaller fin. If you start going boom to boom in your vulcans and spocks it's alot easier. I want to try the smaller fin in hope that the extra slide will alow me to concentrate completely on my hands.

Select to expand quote

owain said...

whoaa
i like the shape


which one is which?
did the 18cm work well for freestyle ??
could you do spocks with it and how well did it work for going up wind and all thee other normal stuff?

owain.

The blue fin is the cut fin. The 18cm works really well gives a good amount of slide but still goes up wind very well. I think it is more about techinque though once on a smaller fin. If you start going boom to boom in your vulcans and spocks it's alot easier. I want to try the smaller fin in hope that the extra slide will alow me to concentrate completely on my hands.