Is the FCS Touring 9.0 fin that comes with 404 race sups any good for racing? It looks like a pretty good shape for shedding weeds and tracking but it's plastic construction.
My other race fins don't fit in the FCS finbox very well. Had to sand the sides of the box to get them to fit at all. The other problem is that fin base sticks up above the surface of the board at the back of the fin because the slot for the pivot dowel is too wide or too near the surface of the board.
I have a lot of fins. Carbon fiber, Fiberglass, but my favorite and least expensive is plastic. I've used it in my last five races. Test it out and if you like it, use it.
we make hard plastic 9" fins with 4.5mm pin in the base, makes it easier to insert and move etc (I think theirs is 5mm?)
our fin also does not have the bump in the front, so it can maybe fit better in your fin box.
http://tinyurl.com/ot6lfvg
Quote from: FloridaWindSUP on May 05, 2015, 09:40:59 AM
Is the FCS Touring 9.0 fin that comes with 404 race sups any good for racing? It looks like a pretty good shape for shedding weeds and tracking but it's plastic construction.
My other race fins don't fit in the FCS finbox very well. Had to sand the sides of the box to get them to fit at all. The other problem is that fin base sticks up above the surface of the board at the back of the fin because the slot for the pivot dowel is too wide or too near the surface of the board.
It's quite a decent racing or all-round fin, and it's great value, fairly light, and durable.
I pretty much always alter a fin to fit a finbox not the other way round. If you spend 30 mins sanding (or in some cases adding material to) a fin, including the pin, you can get most fins to fit most boxes well. I don't expect an aftermarket fin to fit a box first time: there are too many different boxes out there and the installation process introduces subtle differences in eg. box width from board to board anyway. Sometimes the stock fin that comes with the board doesn't even fit!
Fin is quite versatile and has a quick shape and area layout. Very similar to the more fragile carbon FCS Slater Trout. A fin we use DW that is durable, inexpensive. and easy to plane and turn on bumps.