Things we're testing today.

I pulled the trigger on the futures' box speed wing fins from RFC today. They have a very slight concave on the inside of the foil. It'll be interesting to see if the performance matches the hype.

Different shape. I HATE glassing channels! Single concave, flowwing into 4 channels. Wide point ends AT the start of the fin pod. The first wing is parralel and runs the length of the fin pod, such that the second wing starts at the end of the rail fin.

Severe departure from mainstream fish designs.

In theory, the rounded nose allows for a "longer" length outline, so gives straighter rails for generating squirt. The channels offer lift and looseness in the tail, allowing deeper fins. Also, the channels aid in recovering on sketchy landings. Finally, the straight section of the rails should provide an increase in drive - the majority of the fins energy should go direct to forward motion. OR...not.

very progressive i like alot
please keep us posted on what you and james decided about the fins
i agree completely,glassin grab railz and channels is a total buzz kill

What a shock, I board that isn't a bullet ! haha
Those fins are rather interesting.. wonder if you will be able to notice the little wing.

Whats the red car, like a 65 Nova or Malibu?

A Plymouth Road runner, right? I had a '73 Road Runner, black with the nose hood stripe but no body stripe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Road_Runner

Good memory Show! It's a '69 Roadrunner. According to the numbers it came stock with a 383. It currently has a built 400 in it.

I know Robbie! I was afraid someone would have a coronay.

The board rode well, very fast. The nose is a bit wide and it would catch in the wake when turning hard into the face. I do believe the shape has potential.

The fins proved quite interesting. Dennis and James found them fast and loose at the top. I thought perhaps the wing would negatively impact James aerials, but it didn't seem to be the case.

We'll take them back out for some more tresting, but they seem to have some performance to back up the hype.

Today I want to test Fluorocarbon's.



(Message edited by surfdad on April 05, 2009)

We went snowboarding yesterday. On, the last few trips, the snow has been slushy so we switch from a hotwax to this Icer SG. I haven't paid too much attention to it in years past, but looked into it a bit yesterday.

The product works in above freezing temperatures where the "snow" has high water content. I think most of us refer to that as slush. I have a client that manufactures expansion joints, etc and they coat the inside of tubes with some type of fluorocarbon as it is a water and oil repellant and "I think" it has anti-static properties.

In the slush yesterday, you could feel a reduction in "stiction" at slow speeds. I didn't notice anything once the board was moving. There was a decided reduction in the grab-go-grab cycle sensation typical in the slush.

The one issue with this stuff is that it leaves a black residue on the bottom of the snowboards, so it wouldn't be a casual or recreation production for wakesurfing.

I know that in some of the sailboat races they use special coatings to reduce drag, but I do believe I've read that it reduces times by fractions of a second over a several kilometer course, so in a practical sense, the difference should be negligible in increasing speed behind the boat, BUT and this is my hope, it should allow the board to release better.

So the hypothesis is:

The fluorocarbon wax, will make a mess, will NOT increase speed to any noticeable degree and WILL create a noticeable increase in the boards ability to release from the water.

Nice jobe SD. I am a wax nut. Since I am a skiing nut I wax every time out which is a couple times a week all winter long. I have tried every thing out there and have settled on just plain old Toko waxes. RED, Yellow, and Blue, and sometime mix them. I never use base cleaner just parafin for that and scrap it off.
IMHO unless you are lookng for hundreds of seconds just about any old ski wax will give youwhat you need. Just pick one as close to snow temp as you can for that day.

Oh ya how was the riding ? Utah has got a ton of snow the las t week and it has been gret here.

You get a TON of slope time! Good for you! The snow is typical early spring conditions out here. "Firm" (a euphamism for ICE! ) in the morning and slushy after mid-morning. I think the high yesterday was around 45, the week before it was in the mid 50's. Literally it felt like the slopes were empty, we didn't wait in a single lift line all day.

I'm of the general opinion, like you, that the fluoro wax won't make a difference in the speed, but I'll be interested to see if the sensation of release increases on the wakesurfer.

Surfdad, Remember last years discussion about fin design. The fin looks a lot like what was discussed. I have only one word. Dolphin. All answers lie there.

Add one more element to the hypothesis: application of the fluorocarbon wax will make the board especially ugly. That one we've proven Compare the sooty look to the bright white above.

Hey Ryan,

Good to see you again. I do remember that discussion and if I'm not mistaken, I was of the opinion that the winglets would impact the release of the board, and that isn't true. Your general description of an efficient fin sure is reflected in the speedwings design.

So the fluorocarbon wax did SQUAT for performance, but it was messy and made the board especially ugly, so two elements of the hypothesis were accurate.

Surfdad, Are those new future fins for public resale. I checked futures website and saw nothing about them. The place I shop online for fins doesn't carry them. If able to be purchased let me know where I'd like to try a pair.

Hey Ryan,

Good eye on the fin base. Those speedwings are actually manufactured by Rainbow Fin Company (RFC). Here is a link to their store and the Speedwings with a Futures. I think that make them with several other bases, I know that LokBox is one.

http://rainbowfins.bizeconnect.com/?mainURL=/store/item/2y682/SPEEDWINGS/SW46_F.html

Thanks I realized they were RFC and found them on their site. The camera angle is hard to tell, but do those speedwings have a slight cant to them similar to the Scimitar's or are they pretty much perpendicular to the board.

They are canted and also have a slight concave on the inside of the foil...maybe 1/32 max depth. I measured the cant and for the life-of-me, can't remember now, but I want to say they are at 6 degrees.

Super! Now they just need to put those winglets on the Scimitar's or the 3/2/1.

We rode a few times with Eric Roush last summer and he was a big fan of the Futures Vector Foils. He was routinely using a heat gun on FCS fins and bending them over iron pipe to get the curvature. I'd bet an enterprising soul could use a heat gun and a vise on the tip of a Scim or 3/2/1 to get the wintip, OR like Eric, heat the whole body of a speedwing and bend over a pipe to get the vector influence increasing cant.