Making a fin box from a brand new board, how?

[downunder]

Hi everyone

got myself a brand new board and thinking how to make something similar.

The board is 11mm thick with a mini tuttle fins! Yes that is only 11mm for a tuttle

My question is how would you replicate this fin box? How are the boxes made anyway?

Shall I make a female/male mold of the box?

Or is it better to go with a commercially available products ( 11mm tho)?

You can see the fins here:

http://www.facebook.com/ShinaiBoards

Cheers

D.

[zfennell]

a bit confused about your goals.

regardless, you should buy the fin box of your choosing.

places like fiberglass supply sell them in a few different levels of reinforcement.
( http://shop.fiberglasssupply.com/Surf_S ... Box-1.html)
- just the tuttle, female molded geometry.
- tuttle box encased in structural foam
-tuttle box encased in foam and flanged top/bottom.

in this case the manufacturer is chinook, but you should be able to source them most any where.
-bill

[downunder]

Thanks for the answer.

The goal is to make a similar board:)

But, it's not a surfboard or a foam board. It's a directional and twintip construction board with a mini tuttle fins. And just 16mm thick (measured again, was wrong about 11:)

The box is propriety I think as well as fins. However, fins are available to buy.

Hence, I am thinking how to make the boxes myself. But of what and how?

[zfennell]

nah,

the boxes may have a commercial patent to use larry tuttle's name.
but they are commercially availabe from builder supply houses.
just like glass and glue and foam.

no reason why you cannot make them yourself, if you wish.
the dimensions are open source.
the ones from chinook are injection molded ( possibly with chopped glass fibers)

i'm sure wrapping a 'plug' with glass and epoxy until you've built up 1/8" thickness would work well.
but it's a bit like making your own fins or weaving your own cloth, when you just want to make a board........i've done worse.

no worries,
-bill

[foam-n-fibre]

Bill, are you seeing mini-tuttle boxes on that site? I see big tuttle boxes for use on windsurfers or kite raceboards, but I'm not seeing the mini ones. Am I missing them? The link you included did not work when I clicked it. I tried to find them once and it was pretty much impossible. I think I maybe had a lead from a shop in Tarifa or something like that, but don't remember how the story ended. I know I never got any.

Peter

[zfennell]

Bill, are you seeing mini-tuttle boxes on that site? I see big tuttle boxes for use on windsurfers or kite raceboards, but I'm not seeing the mini ones. Am I missing them? The link you included did not work when I clicked it. I tried to find them once and it was pretty much impossible. I think I maybe had a lead from a shop in Tarifa or something like that, but don't remember how the story ended. I know I never got any.

Peter

hi peter,
its not as easy as i let on.

so far
http://www.24-7boardsports.com/mini-tuttle-fin-box/
http://www.windsurfingfins.co.uk/MINI-TUTTLE-BOX


i'm currently asking:

http://www.tarifafincompany.com
and
http://www.chinooksailing.com/

if they still sell them
i'll let you know if they get back to me.
-bill

[downunder]

Thanks

looks ok, so this 'neck' that sticks out is embedded somehow into the board?

I am concerned about this since it might work for a race board which is thick, but the force of a fin on just 16mm thick board is significant.

When inspecting the box (which is a hole through the board), looks like a router cut and a sides like aABS plastic.
I recon they've made something like a ~14mm thick plate (+ topsheets 1mm), which is much wider than amini-tuttle boxes as per above. Maybe a G10 plate might take this forces of a 25cm fins.

Hm...Food for thoughts.

D.

[zfennell]

D,
the 'neck' you see is reinforcement for the thru hole used by the screw that secures your fin.
i imagine it's extra long to ensure that you will be able to 'tie' it to both top and bottom skins, regardless of the boards thickness.
you would end up cutting most of it off

you are correct that your fin box should be reinforced to distribute loads generated by the fins.
but the material and configuration has a lot to do with the construction for the rest of your board.

have you given much thought to the boards exact shape and construction?
core material?
laminate?
resin?
thickness?

a board that's only 'twin-tip" thickness usually has a pretty dense core to begin with.
if not, then extra strength would come from the use of a sandwich type skin or relatively heavy glass laminate on top/bottom.

either way a g-10 block to encase the fin box it probably a bit over-kill
(and a lot of extra weight).

-bill

[zfennell]

Peter and Downunder,
i just got a reply from Roberts Yates : info@tarifafincompany.com

tarifa fin comapany has mini tuttles for 10 + shipping
( currency unknown)

-bill