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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935
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 Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 11:37 am Post subject: |
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| cgoudie1 wrote: | | I've shimmed the depth with a pencil. |
Yeah, but then after ya go sailin', ya gotta remove the fin, extract the pencil, air-dry it, and reinstall it to prevent mildew ... unless you use a plastic pencil.
Mike \m/
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swchandler
Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588
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| Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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I second Craig's comment about the depth of the base being the difference between A and E boxes. Having the remaining piece of the old fin you can readily confirm this by comparing it to the base of any A box fin.
As far as using a spacer, I've heard that some folks have used a piece of line of the right diameter under the A box fin.
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windsurfer_nut
Joined: 06 Oct 2015
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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| that's funny all those years with an A-box fin on the E-Rock with just shims who knew i needed a pencil, LOL.
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Jrobb
Joined: 20 Aug 2005
Posts: 217
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| Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| rfromm wrote: | Thanks everyone for all of the help. Compared to the ones in the video, it looks to me the most like the A box (the one all the way on the left).
I'm a bit confused when you all are talking about with spacers, though. Is it the width of the base of the fin that is too narrow for the box, or is it the depth of the base of the fin that's not deep enough?
I'm going to bring both the board and the remains of the fin to this Saturday's swap meet at Helm Sports and see if I can find something that will fit. If that doesn't work out then I'll explore some of the other options suggested here. |
I've got a good condition F2 Sputnik solid no delams with fin(s) free to good home. I don't use it and I'm trying to thin out my stables. It's light, a little narrow and faast. I think it's 104l. It will work with your sails and newer ones too. PM if interested.
J
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rfromm
Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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| rfromm wrote: | | I'm going to bring both the board and the remains of the fin to this Saturday's swap meet at Helm Sports and see if I can find something that will fit. |
I went to the swap meet yesterday and bought a fin that I thought was going to work. See attached pics. The base really looks to me almost identical to what I had before, making me think that perhaps it was an A box, not an E box.
So I put on the board. To a first order it seems to fit. The nut slides into the groove, the screw goes into the nut fine, and the pin slides into the groove. While the bottom (or top? I guess it depends on your perspective) of the base indeed does not fill the box, I wonder whether or not that matters, since the pin in the groove gives the fin its vertical placement. But ultimately I'm not sure if the fit as is is correct:
1) There's a bit of side to side give with the fin. I can wiggle it back and forth a bit. I assume this is bad? Should it be rock solid? This is the kind of thing that I guess wrapping the fin in some layers of tape (or other spacers) would help.
2) Even more of a worry, and something I'm confused about, is what is supposed to keep the fin in position forward to back? I tighten the screw all the way, but I can still slide the fin back if I give it a bit of a whack (and not all that hard). The fin does not completely fill the length of the box, but I thought that was normal. As I mentioned above, there is some vertical space within the box, but it's not entirely clear to me if putting a filler in there would help. Perhaps. Is there supposed to be some other piece that screws in behind the fin to keep it from sliding back? Should maybe the screw just be longer? Is it supposed to reach all the way down to the bottom of the box, and would that hold it more securely?
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swchandler
Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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Now it could be that the original BIC fin included some missing features to increase its finbox size. Of course, you can't confirm that with what you have, unless you know more about the fin base before it broke. However, if their is a distance to the bottom of the box from the installed fin, I think it would be prudent to include a spacer of some kind, maybe like the piece of line that I suggested earlier. It should be remembered that the board's finbox is manufactured from an aluminum alloy, and not a composite structure like the normal Chinook finbox. Also, the Astro Rock is a thermoformed board, and therefore different with respect to strengths and weaknesses.
Otherwise, it looks like you're set to go. Yet, seeing your photo of the installed fin, I would think moving it back would be advisable. But that's just me, as I like to experience the drive of the fin, especially in conjunction with a pre-1993 board design.
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rfromm
Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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| swchandler wrote: | | However, if their is a distance to the bottom of the box from the installed fin, I think it would be prudent to include a spacer of some kind, maybe like the piece of line that I suggested earlier. |
I spent some time this afternoon experimenting. I now have a combination of a longer bolt, a piece of line at the bottom of the box, and a section from a plastic water bottle as a horizontal spacer.
While it's not 100% perfect, it's fairly solid now. I don't have enough experience with fins and boards to know how it compares to the norm, though. Maybe I'll try to take a look at a few from other people. But at this point I don't know if there's much I could do to make it any better. And at this time in the afternoon, I have to be somewhere soon, so I probably won't get a chance to try it all out until next weekend at the earliest. I certainly hope that after all of these efforts something doesn't go catastrophically wrong and cause me to lose another fin.
I'm also mildly concerned that I wasn't able to get a stainless steel bolt for the size that worked best, and I worry that it will rust over time. I suppose I'll just have to pay attention to it.
| Quote: | | Yet, seeing your photo of the installed fin, I would think moving it back would be advisable. But that's just me, as I like to experience the drive of the fin, especially in conjunction with a pre-1993 board design. |
I had asked the guy I bought the fin from where I should install it. His suggestion was to start with it all the way forward, then move it back based on personal preference. I ended up now deciding to split the difference and just install it in the middle.
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superkraut
Joined: 18 Mar 2001
Posts: 346
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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from his excellent photos it looks like the replacement fin base is as identical to the original as you can get! The original did not have any spacer beneath it (the extra clearance underneath was to allow tipping the fin in and sliding it, before dropping it into position), so I would not think he needs one for the replacement. However - unless I am seeing things, the gap alongside the new fin base is greater towards the middle of the opening fore & aft, which suggests that the box opened up, either from normal use, or from whatever impact caused the fin's breakage. I would shim with plastic (bits of 1gal milk jug or such) and start looking for a replacement board, because when these Aluminium boxes bend, it means the board's structure behind it has gotten mushy.
Eva
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zlowman
Joined: 16 Mar 2001
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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| oh please...get a new board!!.....your sailing will improve as well
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windsurfer_nut
Joined: 06 Oct 2015
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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| superkraut wrote: | from his excellent photos it looks like the replacement fin base is as identical to the original as you can get! The original did not have any spacer beneath it (the extra clearance underneath was to allow tipping the fin in and sliding it, before dropping it into position), so I would not think he needs one for the replacement. However - unless I am seeing things, the gap alongside the new fin base is greater towards the middle of the opening fore & aft, which suggests that the box opened up, either from normal use, or from whatever impact caused the fin's breakage. I would shim with plastic (bits of 1gal milk jug or such) and start looking for a replacement board, because when these Aluminium boxes bend, it means the board's structure behind it has gotten mushy.
Eva |
he's right, if the board is taking water on or delam'n the fin box will grow and you'll go thru fins like mad. never thought the fin needed shims at the top like rope, shim for an A-box you don't need a tight fit at the top, like the power box or tuddle which attaches at the top.
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