Doesn't this just beg to be done with a wakesurf board?

[Surfdad]

LOL that's funny. On that website it actually gave options for UPS and FEDEX and they were 2.5 million!

It just tickled me to see $34,000 for the product and MILLIONS to ship it.

Your first observation was right on the money, anything less than 3/4" thick can't use standard boxes. We have, like a gazillion Futures fins and I wanted to get a baseline as to how those worked in relation to the board. The glass-ons worked really well, but that's not practical where you have to ship the boards. At retail I'm sure half would be return due to damage during shipping. I really want full on surf style fins, hence the 3/4" thickness.

I'm talking with Futures about a fin base that would allow me to use their 1/2" depth trailer box, but I think they must be using the same shipping calculations as the honeycomb folks, from above!!!!

IF I can get that worked out, I can effectively go down to 1/2" thick and bring the rails down to around half that. I haven't been able to figure out a way to get the rail fins into the 1/2" depth trailer boxes.

I have some 1/4" thick aluminum honeycomb that is calling my name!

[Surfdad]

Fin boxes in, traction on and ready to ride!

[NICKYPOO]

What, no pics of the business side of that thing?

It looks almost sinister. Neato.

[Timmy!]

Looks great!

[Surfdad]

Thanks guys!

@ Nick. You are too smart for me! I'm intentionally hiding something on the fin box install. The foam sandwich is exactly 3/4" deep and well so is the box. So logic would have it that the only thing connecting the box on the deck side would be the carbon fiber lamination. Probably not very strong, so anyway...I pulled a MacGyver on it and we'll see if it works. If it does (fingers crossed) you should see James do at least one aerial. Then you can see it's standard boxes and fins. I may paint the boxes black for the visual.

Thanks for following along guys!

[NICKYPOO]

You should rename your home lake to Groom Lake.

[Surfdad]

LOL but then I would have to deny it's existence for YEARS and YEARS. So everytime I posted a picture of James I'd have a disclaimer attached reading - this is not a lake.

[jbort]

Area 51 - look out for Air Force overhead and the AWACS shots will be super zoom mtoo

[Surfdad]

LOL that's funny jbort. I don't think what I'm doing is all the revolutionary, but who knows! I'm just hoping it doesn't snap on James first landing!

[Surfdad]

This was super fun, very tight turns which take some getting used to. AND James didn't break it!

[Surfdad]

a few more.

[NICKYPOO]

Hmm. Tease. I'll start asking.

What are the overlap type looking lines on the deck. They appear to be under the skin though. Either that or you are a grain matching magician.

I'm trying to think of how to McGuiver a fin box in a hole. This theory makes chuckle- Did you screw it in through the rail?

I'm seeing a lot of shape to the top side of the rails. I'm also seeing a much more disturbed flow off of them. There also looks like a little shape to the forward rails starting right around the fat point. From there they look hard. Kinda tough to tell from spy photos though.

You say it was fun. You didn't say you were sold. What don't you like?

What did James say about it?

Thanks in advance.

[Surfdad]

LOL! Did you just call me a tease!

You have such an eye for detail! I'm going to start blurring out parts of the pictures.

Those patterns along the rails aren't anything technical. It's just print thru from some tape I used to hold a piece of stretchlon release film on the deck. I have been looking at this new "patterened" carbon fiber and it got me thinking that maybe I could achieve the same thing with a print thru on the resin. Think a piece of lace or maybe a paper doily that was on the OUTSIDE of the release film, but on the inside of the vacuum bag. It left a bit too much of a ridge though, so I doubt I'll do that again. I was hoping it would give me a visual, without any change in the surface texture...FAIL!

On the fin box, the deck skin and interior foam have a little "bump" to accomodate the extension of the base up into the area where the deck skin would be. It then nicks the deck skin just a hair so the box doesn't move laterally. Really solid insert, I was surprised.

This board...was aggressive, turned hard and all of the energy went right to where you pointed the board. You know what it reminds me of? Like a car where the steering went 1/2 turn lock to lock. At my skill level it was...abrupt? Scary? I think it would take me some time to get used to it.

James really liked it and I know you'll find this hard to believe but his skill level is a tad better than mine. No, really! So...we are working on a followup board to this. We are still in the discussion and planning phase.

In terms of liking and disliking. I loved how quick to react it was, it was precise and it felt like it read my mind it was so fast. Dislike...my mind wanders so the stupid thing read it and went where I was thinking rather than where I wanted to go! It's not relaxing to ride, you had to pay attention constantly, but when you were, man was it a precision tool.

I don't know, not for the masses, that's for sure. I think for someone like James with advanced skills, it will do just what he wants and he's capable of using it.

[Surfdad]

Shoot, this is the patterned CF I was referring to.

[Surfdad]

I've been repairing a few boards for one of James' sponsors and it's disheartening to see the old school construction that is paper thin. I just fixed a board that actually tore through the bottom fiberglass and crushed a good 1/2" of foam when it was hit by the handle of the rope!

So I wanted to test out the durability of that double wrapped carbon. Do you think I can drive a car over it and have it survive?