Not sure if I understand, but doing before layup will seal it better and will look cleaner. With my inserts I just counter sunk them flush into the AIREX core and set them in epoxy leaving a bulge remembering that the core material will suck up some of the epoxy while curing. Took my router and neatened up around the insert. Now the only weak point I have is a small 5mm hole where the screw/insert is. Doing it afterwards will leave the whole insert block at risk of separation for core unless that is you are laying up over that again?

If you worried about laying up over inserts and not being able to find them. Just make a template or depending on insert block material (?) you can magnetizing them and locate using iron fillings or use compressed air to cool general area down and you'll find them that way.

Using 5 whole Chinook inserts. They go in as a strip. They are plastic so you can grind them down a bit at the edges if they are height. Not to much or you risk the screw over penetrating. Nice thing about windsurfers is they are thick you you can use long screw inserts and are not stuck having to use short little metal inserts.

Finished off the bottom rails. Did them with less emphasis on the paterns and more on making it smooth balanced and flowing. Turned out nice. Gave the board a nice sand with some 180 grit. Light spackle mixed with the denautred ethanol. I mixed it a little thiner than mayo. Leaving it unsanded untill I glass it. Don't want any water or oil contamination. No touching the board without gloves from now on. The finboxes are wrapped in 1/4" H80 Divinycell epoxied with 8 oz coloidal cilica and 6 oz slow resign reasurch epoxy.

Behold fin boxes! The router jig is all set. Now I need to mark the finbox locations and carfully rout them out. The router it probly the most dangerous tool I own. Looks kind of intimidating with such a long bit.

"The finboxes are wrapped in 1/4" H80 Divinycell" not sure if this is a good idea. I think your going to have accuracy problems on fins angles etc.... hope Im wrong

but next time its easier if you just insert the divinycell in to the eps core an the install the fin box

keep us posted! its great project!

cheers

No problems with alignment with the divinycell. The sides came out parallel. The jig kept everything nice and tight with even pressure on the sides, front and back. Stay tuned for some gratuitous EPS router porn latter today.

Fin boxes routed with a 2.5 inch cutting length double fluted 1/2 inch bit. For the jig I stapled some 1/4 inch strips of birch to Masonite at a 90 deg angle. Cut into some scratch foam to rout out the Masonite pattern. The bit wasn't quite long enough to go all the way through the board so I drilled a pilot hole through then flipped the board and routed to the edge of the cutout from the top and aligned the jig on those spots. For the side fins that wouldn't work as the top is domed out. I used a hand file to cut out the remaining bit on the tops. I'll update with the finbox install next. The boxes fit nice, tight and square.

After the slots are routed nice and tight. Fit the finboxes dry to check the aligmnet. Set them flush on the bottom then marked the deck side with a pencil. Used my band saw to cut off the top of the boxes. Consistant rail profile with a nice flat contour over the spots the side fins are at so it was easy to just set the bandsaw table to the correct angle and cut. I masked off the deck areas. Mixed the slow RR slow epoxy with the coloidal cilica filler mixed roughly 3oz epoxy and 4 oz cilica. Thin layer on the board and the boxes and slid them into place. Set them flush with the bottom of the board and checked the alligment. The center fin needed a little bit of adjustment. Used little wedges to get it line up just right. Scraped off the extra epoxy and bobs your uncle. It looks like a board now.

Set the locations on the Chinook 5 whole strap inserts and filled the tops of the tuttle finboxes with eps and divinycell foam. Also have the vent in and the GoPro ready FCS insert in. Put a fixed leash plug in next to it to safty the GoPro and my GPS to. Why use a little adhesive disk when you can use a real leash plug?

Coming on nicely. Curious about your vent plug. I thought the vent plug was to allow the board to expand and contract in the heat or when traveling on a plane? You mentioned in your video something about releasing water from the bottom off the top? Care explaining in detail for the uniformed. Thanks.