adding fin boxes to a Kaholo board ??

[JeffBach]

I'm at the beginning of a Kaholo building project.  This is a 14-foot hollow wood board based on plans from CLC Boats.  So far so good.  It occurs to me, in my quest to add my own touches that I might try adding fin boxes to this design.  Any recommendations on fin boxes.  Does anyone see issues with doing fins this way instead of the permanent approach to the two fins that the plans call for?
thanks
Jeff

[Velasco]

Fin boxes would give you tons more flexibility - position and types of fins

Where you plan on placing the fin boxes, glue some wood on the inner surface of the bottom deck - wood should be longer and wider than the boxes you plan on installing (and since this is a 14' CLC, you may want to try the 14" boxes; or you could just center the standard boxes on the location the CLC instructions say to place the glass ons).  Drill some tiny holes at the corners of the wood blocking so when you need to remember where they are, it is obvious - later when you glass the board, the holes can be closed with filler, sanded and then glass per instructions. 

I haven't built a kit from CLC, but I imagine they tell you to install a vent - and I imagine they tell you to use wood blocking that is just slightly thinner than the vent plug thickness (top to bottom) so when you drill out the hole, it will vent the interior and not be blocked off by the wood.

That's what I would do anyways.

And that's what the Grain Surfboard kit instructions say to do also.

Make sure you post pictures as you go along.

I've seen these boards paddling at the races in SOCAL - nice performance!

Good luck!

[GMONEY]

Just order up some fin boxes and add some backing for them and you should be GOOD TO GO! I think it would be a nice feature being a 14 foot board. Take some pics and show us your work. I would love to see a build thread on your new project. CLC documentation of that craft is very limited. I do love that site. If you havent already check the shop cam feature you will see a half dozen shots of them building there board..

G$

[goomba271]

A friend of mine, Paul Jensen builds an internal frame around his single boxes.  I don't know exactly how he does it but I snagged a pic from his website showing the basic idea. 

It might also be possible to glue oversized blocks of foam in there and route slots for box installation.  If the foam blocks were fitted and glued to top and bottom skins, I'd think they would be pretty solid.

The kit to which you refer specs a set of twin keels.  Two blocks plus a third central trailing box might be an option or perhaps quad boxes?

If you need some foam, let me know and I can send you some scrap from old offcuts that might work.

[goomba271]

oh yeah.... the pic:

[andygere]

Easy to do, and worthwhile.  Here's a thread on my hollow wood SUP build that should provide you with all the details and plenty of photos.  Note that there are many pages to it, and you may have to page through to find the details you want.  Changing fins is a great way to change board performance for different conditions and uses.

http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=554

By the way, I built a CLC kayak some years ago, and they are a first class outift.  I am interested to hear your impressions of the kit and the finished board.

[Rogue Wave]

Andy...I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times, but your work just blows me away (I hadn't seen the grainsurf.com postings before)!

Talk about dedication and patience.

How many hours do you figure you have in that board?

[andygere]

How many hours do you figure you have in that board?

Quite a few.  I really didn't keep track, but I enjoyed the process.  The varnish job took a lot longer than I imagined, probably won't be doing that again.  Thanks for the kind words.

[hibiscusboarder]

Just order up some fin boxes and add some backing for them and you should be GOOD TO GO! I think it would be a nice feature being a 14 foot board. Take some pics and show us your work. I would love to see a build thread on your new project. CLC documentation of that craft is very limited. I do love that site. If you havent already check the shop cam feature you will see a half dozen shots of them building there board..

G$

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sorry to hijak the thread, but Im quite keen on building the Koholo board too - do we know how many have been built?
Are there any blogs/websites on the Kaholo?

[JeffBach]

I suspect very few. The forum on the CLC site is very light on Kaholo threads.  I've done most of them and that's only 2 or 3.  Hardly anything on Google, at least that I've found.

Gray Whale Trading Post out in sunny CA was involved in developing this board, to what extent I am unsure.  Maybe they have an idea of numbers?

The CLC forum is populated (to me) by a demographic that is not going to do much standup paddleboarding.  Woodworking boat builders TEND to be an older cerebral bunch (no offense here, I consider myself a woodworker as well) and not so much the physically active surfer demo.  So I am not surprised to see the slow uptake by CLC's core group.  Given their lack of marketing, uptake in a larger demo will take time (again no offense intended).
my .02
Jeff Bach