TWP Bullet trailer fin install

When James and I first shaped the what is now the Bullet, James was just mastering surface 3's. Now he can do them in his sleep and on just about every board he gets on...he's landed them on 6'2" long boards and I do believe he got the 10'2" Infinity around, but for some reason went out the back

So...for the last few months we've been working on adding some drive to a board for James. The single to double PloyU was an effort toward that end.

Over the years I've come to regard Jerry Price's skills with boards and several years ago he told me that you give up a TON of drive when you remove the trailing fin. Mike Walker also has recommended this addition.

SSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOO...time to break out the router.

I prefer Futures fins and the "donor" board for this test already had futures rails fins, so I ordered a center box from the folks at foamez.com

The Futures center box is only 1/2" deep, as compared to the rail boxes which are 3/4" deep.
Besides the height/depth difference, the center boxes have a "X" stamp-thru at the back, while the rail boxes have the Futures "F" logo stamp-thru.

This picture gives a clear view of the depth difference.

In the picture above you can see a slight raised lip on the top of the boxes. Typically the Futures boxes are installed before lamination. That is the blank is routed, the boxes installed and taped to prevet resin from entering and then the fiberglass is laminated OVER the blank and the boxes.

After the board is cured, the hot coat and glass over the board and this LIP on the box are ground off flush with the underside to leave a smooth surface and to open up the slot for the fins.

NOW, I said all that to say THIS We won't be laminating any fiberglass in this modification, so it's much easier to grind off the lip PRE-install. I used an electric sander to remove the excess material. This picture shows the "after" and you can compare it to the picture above and to the rail box that still has the lip.

The next thing we want to do is aling the box and route the hole. I placed this fin such that the trailing edge of the fin is 2" up from the tail. I turned the box upside down and aligned it over the stringer, and at my 2" mark.

I forgot to get a few pictures in here, but principally it's just an oval where I want to route the hole.

Don't let the Calibrated team riders cook hot dogs.

I have a Futures fin installation jig, but for this simple modification, it would be easy enough to do the routing by "eye". There is one long pass down the middle that holds the deep portion of the box and then a shallow route that seats the flange.

The only real caution I would give here is to go slow. The hardened 'glass is brittle and tends to fracture if you route too fast.

After the hole is routed, I epoxied the box in place. I mixed up a LARGE batch. Part of this batch I used to coat the boax itself. Part I used to coat the hole recess. I reserved a final portion to be used to seal the top/exterior of the box.

This shows the box installed and sealed.

The futures boxes have two stamp thru's. The "X" at the back of the box and the two semi circles at the front. Those, along with the joint where the board and box meet need to be sealed to prevent water water from entering into the blank.

When I work with a box in a "post-moretum" install like this, I like to install a fin. Leveling the box can take a little bit of finesse and the fin can act like a handlein this instance.

I like to make one last check that everything is square and centered before the epoxy is cured.

That was a crappy picture, huh?

Anyway...if you have a twin and are looking for a little more drive, making it a tri-fin is fairly quick and simple.

i take my fin out of my xbc fish , it just feels too locked in, i like how a twin feels

Yeah, I'm with you...I like the way that a twin feels. James, however, now that he is 16 and almost fully developed wants more drive. He can easily overpower his old twin setup and experiences side slip when he's pumping hard...but he doesn't like the feel of a "too deep" fin.

So, first try is a thruster...and if that doesn't feel right, a quad is next...but that is a tough design to do out of a garage, there are only a handful of designers that I have heard of doing it well.

Hay Jeff, Don't be married to that trailer size. Get a couple extras and take them down 1/4:" to 1/2" at a time till you get the feel you want. Cut-ride, cut- ride. Hurry cause the water is starting to get cold and R+D ain't the same in iceee water. The extra weight of a wetsuit....well, you know.

I hear you Jerry, I have the standard 3.25...and you cut down an old 4.00 to 2.75 sheesh almost 5 years ago? We still have that...so that is what we are starting with. I have to be honest tho bro, it's much easier when YOU guys do it and I can just buy a finished product! Hopefully by the start of the next eason I'll have a decent prototype that you can finish up for James. It really looks like we are going to wind up with what you've been doing all along - thruster and swallow for the extra rail line in the water.

We need to get it done sooner, I'll call Ya later. Home for a week. Been at that place where you have to walk across rocks or sand to get to the water and it taste salty! The "Frusted Surfing Dreams" are gone!!!!! You know, the ones where your stix turns into a bar of soap rite when your going to paddle out?

Too funny...you're a surf rat.

Bullet with a swallowtail. It gains about 3 sq inches of surface, but more importantly it's all along the rail line.