Gull Wing BLEF fin

Cheers Surfdog.

It seems that there is a difference in the box depth between Australian and US fin boxes. dingpatch fins over on the Jam board tells me that his boxes have a depth of 22.25mm or 7/8" whereas our boxes have a depth of 25mm as shown below:



Of course the box depth will change depending upon how much is shaved off the top by the box installer ( a couple of Mccoy boards which a customer has proved to have 3mm or more taken off) but that's not the issue here, it's that the US boxes are not only shallower but appear to have less height between the bottom of the box (on the inside) and the bottom of the horizontal pin slot inside the box. that's the problem which you are having. The solution is the same however, just shave some off the base of the tab and around the radius adjacent to the pin. I take a bit off at our end anyway for good fit into the aussie boxes, so I'm not sure how much you needed to remove.

The difference in total inside box height is not necessarily the same as any difference between the bottom of the box and the bottom of the horizontal pin slot, that's the crucial measurement and I'll have to cut some Aussie and US boxes through to be able to measure the difference at the cross section.

I'll have to order a US made box so that I can do the fitting at my end for US boxes in future.

Many issues occur with fitting fins into single fin boxes. there's plenty of discussion out there about fins which have bases which are too wide or narrow for the box and need shaving or shimming, or of fins which have tabs standing proud due to the box installer shaving the top of the box off during installation. Our futures and FCS tabs fit perfectly every time. the single fin boxes are tried and true and are the only type used on surfboards really, we are stuck with them but a bit of fitting can be needed.

 

My sense of humour is drier than yours it seems, and eschews potty jokes.

 

Whatever. There's no info on any difference in box depth out there, at least not until today... and as you can see I am addressing the issue at present.

It's easily solved with existing fins anyway, except for those too limp wristed to shave the fin base.

I've never claimed to be all knowing, but I pay attention and learn.

 

Again:

Cheers Surfdog.

It seems that there is a difference in the box depth between Australian and US fin boxes. dingpatch fins over on the Jam board tells me that his boxes have a depth of 22.25mm or 7/8" whereas our boxes have a depth of 25mm as shown below:



Of course the box depth will change depending upon how much is shaved off the top by the box installer ( a couple of Mccoy boards which a customer has proved to have 3mm or more taken off) but that's not the issue here, it's that the US boxes are not only shallower but appear to have less height between the bottom of the box (on the inside) and the bottom of the horizontal pin slot inside the box. that's the problem which you are having. The solution is the same however, just shave some off the base of the tab and around the radius adjacent to the pin. I take a bit off at our end anyway for good fit into the aussie boxes, so I'm not sure how much you needed to remove.

The difference in total inside box height is not necessarily the same as any difference between the bottom of the box and the bottom of the horizontal pin slot, that's the crucial measurement and I'll have to cut some Aussie and US boxes through to be able to measure the difference at the cross section.

I'll have to order a US made box so that I can do the fitting at my end for US boxes in future.

Many issues occur with fitting fins into single fin boxes. there's plenty of discussion out there about fins which have bases which are too wide or narrow for the box and need shaving or shimming, or of fins which have tabs standing proud due to the box installer shaving the top of the box off during installation. Our futures and FCS tabs fit perfectly every time. the single fin boxes are tried and true and are the only type used on surfboards really, we are stuck with them but a bit of fitting can be needed.

 

Lazy? Lol I work about 70 plus hours a week, and as for incompetent I disagree, there has been zero information out there on the slight difference in dimension between Australian and US boxes until today, and we are addressing it. as I said it's common for single box fins to require adjustment anyway, and it has only come to light because we fit the fins accurately.

Many fin owners have to shim their fins for a tight fit, are you calling the manufacturers of thise fins lazy and incompetent? No you are not.

 

I just found this conversation:

http://www.surfing-waves.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13131

Rodrigo: "ummm ... i know this is a really kooky question, but my middle fin on my longboard doesnt really stay in one place... it kinda slides up and down in the slot... is this bad ? does it affect the ride negatively ?

i can't screw it in tight enough for it to stay in one place"

Hang11 "Fins never seem to fit right - someone told me that US and Euro fins and centre boxes are slightly different. I usually cut strips out of an empty beer can, and use them to pack out the base of the fin. You can stick a few smaller bits down the edge of the fin once it's bolted in the box, to get it really solid."

Oldgrom "Rodrigo,,, yes a fin moving on it's own within the box is not a good thing.
Try making some plastic shims (kinda like a washer ) for your fin screw and meatal nut. Allso you can put some tape on the sides of the fin that sits inside the box to make it tighter,,, or go old school and place a piece of newspaper across the box so when the fin goes in it wraps the sides in paper and stuffs into the box,it will swell and wedge tight when it gets wet. "

Waveseker "Great tip there, my C4 board (US), the fin was too loose in the box and I packed it out with electrical tape, my GONG boards (Europe) the fin box was too tight and I have to dremel the fins down to fit and whack them in with a mallet. I think you might be onto something with the difference between the US and Europe !"

 

Emass possibly you should consider ingestion of your keyboard.