Hot Rodding your big 3 stick

In an unrelated thread we talked about hot rodding a big 3 board if you didn't have the dollars to buy a custom stick or one of the smaller independent performance boards. Hopefully, this series will also make folks aware of the items to look for in a performance board.

The "plan" (and remember the best laid plans ) is to make modifications to the board in stages - similar to what you can do with car engines (no headers or cams involved )

The subject for this is an old liquid force skimskate in the 4'6" length. It's representative of the construction and has the same basic deficiencies of most of the big 3 pop outs.

I do like one aspect of this board in that it had a single to double concave on the bottom, similar to what you'd find on a modern shortboard.

Now, if anyone expects this to ride like any of the currently available performance boards (IS, SS, WP, Wz, etc) it won't. It will however, ride better than in stock form.

The project:

A picture of the tail, if you look closely at the level you can see the double concave across the back.

The single concave across the front. This concave opens into the double concave close to the tail.

One of the primary issues with this board is the fin configuration. It has the cupped side fins made popular on the Trip wakeboard and a single wakeboard fin at the tail, in the center and a similar fin at the nose. The shape of this board doesn't lend itself well to cutting for a pintail so I decided not to attempt to shape a more skimstyle oriented board.

Many folks prefer a "looser" ride when they outgrow their standard big 3 board and so I will design this board as a twin fin. Similar to the Inland Surfer Yellow or a WP Bullet, or a SS with the trailing fin removed.

The first design issue deals with the fin place up from the tail. Even with the trailing fin removed the LF SS had the side fins placed well back towards the tail. This photo shows the fins trailing edge at around 8+ inches.

We will move these forward such that the trailing edge of the fins is in the 10+ inch range, dependent upon material available when we go to route a "fin box".

The second issue that comes into play is the lack of cant on the side fins. Cant is the angle of the fin from vertical. In this picture of my SS Jamako, you can see cant (do NOT raz me about my lack of artistic ability!!!!!! )

Now, I will more than likely use Futures fins, that I will drill and tap but there is an easier option, if you can get them.

The Folks at Inland Surfer are offering the hotrodder a significant advancement that eliminates the need, mostly, for routing with a jig and installing a fin box. Their Speed Fin bolts through the deck, much like a wakeboard fin and has the cant angle already built in to the fin. In "some" applications, it should be as easy as routing a slot and finishing it off to prevent water seepage and add strength, then drilling a hole through the deck.

An IS Speedline fin and a Futures fin.

That's all for now, next installment should have the drilling and tapping of the fins (unless I can score a set of speedline fins from Inland Surfer ) recapping:

Stage one will be the modification of fins to include:

More depth
Some cant
Some toe-in
Moved forward

i know if i epoxyed a larger fin straight to the board,it would for sure break off.what if i used a 1"rainbow arch style fin epoxeyed straight to the board,you think it would work?mabe some of that new marinetex5200?ther gluin up thru hull sonar in ship tankers wit dat stuff.

Hey Billy, you have more specific knowledge of fins and the marinetex that I ever will. Why don't you give it a try and report back on what your test reveals. If that glue is used in that sort of environment, I'd think it would work for a small fin like you describe.

Other options I may look into are some RFC 3.0 surfdogs that screw down.

Billy? Have you ever used these replacement fins in any of the repair work you do at your shop?

http://www.bravesurf.com/acatalog/Fins___Skeags.html

im gunna 5200 two rfc3.0 fins to my victoria wombat skim board,one in front one in back. try n turn it into a true twin tip.let ya know how it werks out.those fin kits are huge!i will be stocking them for sure.i didnt even know they existed.me a surfsource dealer so i never look around much,good lookin out surfdad.

any updates? i really wanna see where this goes!

Waiting on parts to arrive

Jeff, have you seen speeedfins? They seem to have an adjustable cant to them. I think that is what I'm going to install on my board. The installation looks fairly easy too.http://www.speeedfins.com/home/