.....this post comes from
www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=107&t ... 5&start=30

Ok ...Done!
But first a small intro on my ways and project.

1 - About me: you know those people who make beautiful works of art, shiny glassed twin retro twin fins like in swaylock's or why go elsewhere, here in this forum there are beautiful masterpieces like, wavebreaker's, Ché Morales's, etc , just to name the more recent, they have nothing but my admiration ...but well, I'm kind of the opposite, slap the resin first check the dimentions later, more like Zero Prestige's school of though, abstract expressionist shaping.....

2 - the project:

2a - the intention: hei there's no second hand raceboards here! ....they have no tail rocker....let´s cut your old longboard in half! ...OK!

2b - the timing: hei dear I'm going to put out the trash! OK don't be long....

2c: the work force: Careca my friend who didn't think twice on cutting in half his vintage RICO longboard and helped with the bottom glassing of my malibu.
And of course the """"help"""" of my 3 year old son.

2d: the funding: ...but were will we find the fins? TFC has good ones... oh f**k it, lets cut a plastic container.....

3 - Now that you can see this was a really low budget and short term project - the photos!

enjoy , i'm goin to try the thing now! let's hope the intention also counts in the water! ( or I'll have to wait for second hand ones to get here...)

cheers
António

PS - And another thing, this is my contribution to this forum because of so many years just snooping your ideias and thoughts, and yes I was out here.

Hola olinozanussi

Thnx for the mention.
Congratz on your new board, let us know how it rides.
Bicha Nerviosa!

humf....
1st impr. - squirrelly.....
...front straps are a bit too much to the back, and side (?)
maybe it needs to be single front strap? ( how did i miss the fact that the one which have similar outline to mine have single front strap )

...but the conditions weren't very good.... 10 -11 knots, lots of holes, 4 foot waves, the moment I was going to shift gear I had to pass a wave, less wind outside, lots of rips...

... but it may work! It was enough to feel the fins lifting...

trying it again later today... with front straps more to the front and center....

I like the paint job -looks like the board has been attacked by zombies, with only minor damage!

..it was! one of the shapping stages was leaving it outside at nigth ....
More Human Than Human... More Human Than Human.......More Human Than Human
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXpbrGBIGxw

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not finding the benefits, any tips would be very much appreciated!

I have changed the front straps a bit more to the front and it's better but stilll....

I haven't still tried it in good conditions for it, steady ligthwind and no waves, and I intended to use it only in those conditions, but so far I haven't seen any advantages against a 45 wide TT, but them again I haven't managed to get it to plane fast yet.
I tried only in about 10 knots wit lots of holes and rips in the water by the time it starts to go faster and I feel the fins take effect i have to jump a wave, and the wind was even worse outside.

I know the board is also probably the sum of all of craps, even though overall it has the characteristics of a freeraceboard , it has too much tail rocker in the rails ( I only straitened the rocker mostly in the middle, and thus the deep concave ) , fins are really crapy and might be interfering with each other,
the rails are too rounded with no edge, etc

I use both Tt,s and directionals, so I know about that feeling of floatiness of the boards with volume, in opposition two the switch on or off of the tts regarding planning.
I also understand the importance of front foot placement in directionals and I mostly ride with back foot in front of the strap. ( I don't even use a back strap on waves ).
I also windsurfed so I know that feeling of changing gears, 1- slogging 2- subplaning 3-planning 4,5 - mast to the back , feet on the back straps ultra planning faaaaaaaaaaast.....

So the bottom line is:
Am I doing anything wrong?
Should I notice the upwind performance straightaway? or only when properly pumped into plane?
( If the board wasn't so crapy I mean)
Do you have to pump it in to plane in ligth winds??? or it's gradual ( in good raceboards )

I'm still going to try it in the right conditions, but if there are no improvements... no regrets.. but its going straight to thE CRAP MUSEUM!

regards
António

IF you have the chance, try it with some good fins before you get rid of it I guess.

My guess whould be the rail shape from the mid line back isn't sharp enough. Try and mix up some epoxy and thickening agents and sharpening up the rails or maybe cut down from the top and reshape them to a 90deg vertical flat off the bottom.

I'm hacking a supper short supper wide dirrectional together and was wondering if you have an details on how you made the fins. Built a cheap mini tuttle box out of maple I had laying around. Have to make up the fin and it's all set. Going to start off as a single fin and maybe add little thrusters on the sides later if I need them.

exactly... but since it'll be very hard to get some, i'm going to add a middle box and add the option to try my windsurfing fins like this:
viewtopic.php?f=159&t=2361013&start=10
thruster mode


its not sharp at all
Already though of that and maybe will do!



sorry no details, I just cut the bottom part of the yellow ones and the top of the black.... ( were cheap ws fins) I think the higher the aspect ratio the better

thanks a lot guys!

PS- already tried it in good conditions for it with the back fins all the way to the back and it was much better!!!!!
I bet with my ws fins it will be even better

OK now its thruster mode
and the edge is sharper, really sharp.

and I'm happy with it



it might not go upwind like production boards but it shore goes upwind better and faster than any of my wave directionals or my wide tt,( still have to test it against my friends wide TTs. )
Just have to remind the program is freerace not ligthwind race.
good for flat days to practice gibing.
the only thing bad about it is the lack of nose rocker, but since it's not to race I don't plan to go straight down wind.
Overall considering the small effort and fun not to mention the cost, I'm happy wit it
( photos following )

### BUT BEWARE! THE DISPOSABLE KITERACEBOARD IS COMING #####