waxing lyrical about new fins?

[Jester]

I can't remember where I read it, either here or on YouTube comments but someone said that when slotting your new fins in you should wax them or something like that?!

I've been trawling through here trying to find the discussion but to no avail. Does anyone else do this? What are the benefits? Many thanks

[jaffa1949]

Millions of fins have never been waxed in. Divide by three per board and forget!
Why?

[IanCaio]

Waxing fins? Never heard of it
I just hear wax in places of the board that touch the water is bad, as it gives more friction reducing speed.

[dtc]

I suppose the wax could help if it's a tight fit and you waxed the tabs only, as a lubricant. Otherwise no idea.

[waikikikichan]

I know I have recommended it to those having a hard time putting in there center fin in center box. Because the way Fiberglass fins are made, you might need to lightly sand it down a few passes. But at the shop I worked at, if it's just sticking a tiny bit, we'd wax the base part that enters the box. You're just putting a bit of lube ( not oil or wd40 ) to help it ease in. No need for FCS and Futures, but I would blow/rinse out the sanding dust / traveling dust that got in.

[Jester]

Ah thanks, I think that was what I'd read Waikiki but couldn't remember why! Problem solved. It just came back to mind as I was screwing in my futures..

Interestingly there's always a lill play left to right which slightly affects this whole tech flex super Dooper Max stiffness feel the difference idea coz there's a bit of give anyway! I'm sure all the flex properties are felt but you'd need super tight boxes to be truly rigid if you're going for a stiff set up.

[dtc]

Sometimes the box is bigger than the tabs and you need a 'shim'. I think I used a bit of plastic from an old ice cream container for my longboard centre fin once. But centre fin only

Sometimes the fin tabs are too long for the depth of the box and you have to sand a bit off. They shouldn't wobble, although all my boards are FCS or one actually has glassed in fins, so I'm not across futures. Might be a bit different.

[Jester]

Thanks DTC, yeah the tolerences are tiny but that's a great idea. There's not much play but I might give it a go

[waikikikichan]

Interestingly there's always a lill play left to right which slightly affects this whole tech flex super Dooper Max stiffness feel the difference idea coz there's a bit of give anyway!

Hold on, Wait a bit. You have play left to right on your Futures Fin boxes ? I have never had play in any of my boards equipped with Futures. ( even the bootleg China ones on the Boardworks ones ). To clarify, the base of the fins are moving side to side in the box ? In each of the three boxes or just one ?

[Jester]

By the tiniest amount waikikichan, it's mostly the side fins. Travel is roughly a centimetre at the tip of the fin with modest pressure, obviously some of that comes from the fin flex but I'd say about 50% comes from the small amount of play in the box, it isn't much but is something I noticed.

[waikikikichan]

Besides the fin flex and the tip flex, the base is moving in the box ? Something is very wrong. If anything, Futures have a tight fit, not loose. If you hold it way down at the base, not the tip, and put some side torque, can you see a gap of how many millimeters ?

just a thought, did you buy "real" Tech Flex or one from the internet ?

[Jester]

Sorry waikikichan I didn't buy any new fins with it, it came with a bog standard set of black plasticky ones. Grabbed them at the base and wiggled, not able to measure in millimetres, too small but a tiny amount of rocking is discernable. I'd guess a quarter of a millimetre.

[dtc]

I've never had fins that flex under moderate finger pressure; the pressure (causing flex) when surfing is quite a lot, more than finger pressure. If you pull the fin out and bend it with your hand you can see the flex, then put into the board and test again. The difference is obviously the connection.

Now if it's just that the box is wider than the tabs, keeping in mind the fins are pretty cheap ones and maybe not built to exact tolerances (but perfectly fine), then put in a shim. Wax cooking paper and takeaway containers are also options. Although 1/4 mm is nothing.

What you don't want is the box itself moving in the board

[waikikikichan]

Can you find some authentic Futures Fins and place it in the box. Can you take a photo of the fins ?

[oldmansurfer]

Larry Bertleman one of the shortboard pioneers of my time used boards that allowed the fins to wobble quite a bit. I think it was all single fin but the single fins had a screw that would fix it and hold it in place and he would leave the screw out so the fin flopped around. When I restarted surfing I used a longboard with a 2 and one fin configuration (single fin with 2 small side fins) but I really wasn't a longboarder and liked doing power carves and turns. As I progressed I suddenly had like a breakthrough where I was doing all these tail sliding turns and stuff with the longboard. But at the same time I noticed from time to time a snapping noise from the back of the board. When I finally got around to looking at the fin, the screw had fallen out LOL. I got a new screw and put it in and while I could still do the same turns they were just a little more difficult. That's when I decided to get a shorter board. Ultimately I don't think a little movement will make much difference.

[Jester]

Sorry guys was out breaking her in!! I'm liking the idea of wax cooking paper as it's only a small bit of play. You're prob right, probably down to the cheapness of the fins.

Waikiki I haven't got any others but I'm eyeing up a tasty pair of Jordy smith mediums so if I splash the cash for literally no good reason I'll be able to tell you!

Will take them out now and get a pic for you

[Jester]

Is this what you wanted Waikiki? Let me know if you were looking for another angle.

[dtc]

Where's the break in report?

[Jester]

Haha just catching up with all the latest posts then I will! It was amazing!! Don't know where to start really but I'll head on over to surfing hardware and start a post now

[IanCaio]

Alright, I just now understood what you mean't, feeling kinda stupid .
You used wax to install the fins in the box? Like, to make they go in easier? It makes much more sense than what I imagined