Whistling Fins

roubydouby started the topic in Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 01:46 pm

Hey all -

I got a new board (Firewire Slab) a few weeks ago and have been riding it as a quad (it's a 5 fin setup). It goes unreal - super drivey, but pivots on a dime, feels really alive and responsive. Couldn't be more stoked on it.

But one thing I noticed was that when I'm really motoring on my backside, the fins whistle. The first time I heard it I thought someone was whistling at me, but the second time I felt the fins vibrating through the board. The fins are Futures - Ea Blackstix 3.0 on the front and QD2 4.0 Blackstix on the rear.

It's kinda enjoyable - like having a card in your spokes - but I also figure it will end up creating a bunch of drag too.

Does anyone know of any fixes?

Cheers

roubydouby Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 01:53 pm

.

Craig Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 01:58 pm

Yeah, others would have more detailed advice, but the fin or fins in question just needs a touch of sand paper on the trailing edge and it should stop the reverberation and noise.

I've got the same on a 6'8" gun that needs to be dealt with, you can really tell you're hooking though when it starts getting up and humming though :o

50young Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 02:08 pm

Spot on Craig look for any small knick on the trailing edge

roubydouby Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 02:11 pm

Ha - Board that big would be like a drum roll on a bass drum

I'll give her a rub down and let you know how it goes.

Craig Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 02:20 pm

Only at super hi-speeds RD, and can only notice the sound really. But yes not ideal!

caml Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 03:58 pm

A sandpaper job will take a few minutes . Al byrne master of fin foils said he could spend days fixing bad fin foils . Eye them off and look for flats or abnormal lumps n rub em a tiny bit and youll be silently speeding properly in no time !

sypkan Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 04:04 pm

Plastic fins at impossibles, only whistling at the fastest of speeds?

I thought it was empty fin plugs, and often thought about the associated drag.

surfstarved Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 04:33 pm

I've got a mal that practically howls each time you catch a wave because of a child's bite-sized chunk out of the fin's leading edge. It's a glass-on and I've been meaning to replace it for ages. Just never get around to it. It'll take more than a bit of a sanding around the edges to repair, that's for sure.

crip Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 10:56 pm

I had the same thing, whistling at speed, until I removed the fins for an indo trip. Haven't heard the whistle since then (and yes, I did put them back in)

caml Wednesday, 25 Feb 2015 at 11:17 pm

Have i told you guy about my hooting fin on the 8"0 owl chapman singley ?

groundswell Saturday, 28 Feb 2015 at 10:52 pm

I don't think you have. What happened?

Rabbits68 Sunday, 1 Mar 2015 at 11:10 pm

Yeah I have the same whistling sound on a McCoy with glassed in fins. I thought it had something to do with riding the board to heavy on the front foot given it really works best back foot heavy. Glad that I might be able to stop it. No big drama but always wondered why. Cheers for the info above..

Craig Monday, 2 Mar 2015 at 08:52 am

Nah, tell us Camel!

caml Monday, 2 Mar 2015 at 11:04 am

Hey i told the story 6 months ago . Wellymon will vouch for that i checked & its there in some fin thread

Craig Monday, 2 Mar 2015 at 11:19 am

Ah yes, I remember the story, here it is..

"Anyway so back to the owl , i was just standing on the road and a big owl swooped down and landed a few metres in front of me , wings spread for landing . But there was no noise and it was a quiet night so no mistake , silent . Hes feathers have a downy soft fluff sort of feather and its totally silent. Very different to some birds whose wings make a noticable flutter or swoop . Would like to see Roy stuarts bonzer sorta fins with that rough finish looks a bit like my shells surface . Or patterns in the sand after waves wash up , see cowara jet bottom surfboards"

https://www.swellnet.com/news/design-outline/2014/07/11/simon-anderson-3-fins-versus-4?page=2

JPHawaii Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 01:52 am

Hi Roubydiuby, I just arrived from Hawaii and I had the same problem. I decided to research about that because I experienced that a lot since the waves at Backyards are steep and fast. My surprise is that ... my fins are the same !!! Ea Blackstix 3.0 !!! I am wondering if the inside foil is too aggressive ? Did you and up fixing that ?

caml Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 02:55 am

Craig wrote:

Ah yes, I remember the story, here it is..

"Anyway so back to the owl , i was just standing on the road and a big owl swooped down and landed a few metres in front of me , wings spread for landing . But there was no noise and it was a quiet night so no mistake , silent . Hes feathers have a downy soft fluff sort of feather and its totally silent. Very different to some birds whose wings make a noticable flutter or swoop . Would like to see Roy stuarts bonzer sorta fins with that rough finish looks a bit like my shells surface . Or patterns in the sand after waves wash up , see cowara jet bottom surfboards"

https://www.swellnet.com/news/design-outline/2014/07/11/simon-anderson-3-fins-versus-4?page=2

.
The story about the fin hooting rather . On the owl chapman singley , so loud that the guys paddling out could hear it as I rode a wave

caml Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 03:01 am

JPHawaii wrote:

Hi & Roubydiuby, I just arrived from Hawaii and I had the same problem. I decided to research about that because I experienced that a lot since the waves at Backyards are steep and fast. My surprise is that ... my fins are the same !!! Ea Blackstix 3.0 !!! I am wondering if the inside foil is too aggressive ? Did you and up fixing that ?

Hi JP , I think u will find the trailing edge is a bit thick or have flat bits . I have a few blacstix ( new v2 ) and know what you are talking about . And that foil v2 seems to be better in smaller end size than Hawaiian

Taco Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 09:47 am

Yep AB was the fin master i agree..i have an old wavelength 6'5" shaped by him ( which is creased beyond repair ) and still to this day best board ive had..Surfed like a 6 footer in waist high waves and could handle anything indo threw at you..I put it all down mainly to the fins..sexiest looking glass ins youd ever see..Now if only i could get them replicated somehow into a fin system

Stok Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 09:55 am

One of my mate's Hypto Kryto makes a humming noise at speeds - any chance that could be from the fins?

roubydouby Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 11:46 am

JPHawaii wrote:

Hi Roubydiuby, I just arrived from Hawaii and I had the same problem. I decided to research about that because I experienced that a lot since the waves at Backyards are steep and fast. My surprise is that ... my fins are the same !!! Ea Blackstix 3.0 !!! I am wondering if the inside foil is too aggressive ? Did you and up fixing that ?

Hey JP - I ended up taking Craig and Caml's advice and gave the trailing edge a light sanding, and what do you know, no more whistling. It was really bad before.

I also checked them over for any resin blobs or other imperfections and gave them some of the rough paper treatment.

Seems a bit ridiculous that Futures would put out a topshelf fin that would perform like that, but i guess board design and variable fin setups mean they can't control everything. Either way, haven't heard a peep out of mine since the sanding. I think I miss it a bit.

Let us know how you go.

udo Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 11:48 am

Taco wrote:

Yep AB was the fin master i agree..i have an old wavelength 6'5" shaped by him ( which is creased beyond repair ) and still to this day best board ive had..Surfed like a 6 footer in waist high waves and could handle anything indo threw at you..I put it all down mainly to the fins..sexiest looking glass ins youd ever see..Now if only i could get them replicated somehow into a fin system

Taco post a pic of those fins......to replicate them is easy nowdays

eggmund Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 04:23 pm

I've got some fcs2 fins that whistle when I'm going fast. I quite enjoy it. It feels like my board is cheering me on.

caml Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 04:34 pm

Maybe a great idea is new fin design that make certain noises . It be quite a winner I think , surfers could choose fins according to the type of noise they prefer . Nath rose surfshop reckons fins are mostly sold with the selling point being the color rather than performance . So if thats the case then why not fins that scream / holler / hoot / beep / grunt . Any suggestions for noise preferences ? This is the biggest invention since fcs plastic fins !

thermalben Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 04:38 pm

Actually that's a great idea Camel! 

Some surfers could get fun, summer, beachbreak fins that make a lovely series of major chords as you turn from rail to rail, whilst grumpy locals could purchase fins that produce heavy, dissonant notes that cause everyone in the lineup to wince and squirm as you sail on past.

caml Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 04:47 pm

Hahaha ! Ben yes - The ol fingernail blackboard model , or the whale speak for hippies !

caml Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 04:50 pm

Im going to patent my owl hoot fins before anyone cottons on to it . Hopefully owl chapman isnt pissed

caml Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 04:52 pm

Where's roy , ? Is this what hes been doing already ?

caml Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 05:06 pm

Roys fins are making more sense now . How silly of everyone trying to make perfect foils the whole world over & competing for business making almost identical generic fins . Noise is what the people want ! Imperfect foils that drag more but are more fun ! Except for bens crowd controller screeching chord model . How about naming it the " fingernail blackboard6.0" ?

blindboy Monday, 1 Feb 2016 at 05:18 pm

I'm getting the mosquito model to drive the groms mad!

Taco Tuesday, 2 Feb 2016 at 06:59 am

Udo yeah i will post a pic id love another set of those..Probs is im 800km from them fins atm!!.

dastasha Tuesday, 2 Feb 2016 at 03:36 pm

caml wrote:

How silly of everyone trying to make perfect foils the whole world over & competing for business making almost identical generic fins . Noise is what the people want ! Imperfect foils that drag more but are more fun !

Bring back whistling fins! I havent had a set for years.
I want a set where the pitch increases the faster you go

iwwallace Thursday, 4 Feb 2016 at 09:42 pm

I used to have a single fin Mandala in the 70s. It had a wooden fin and at speed would hummmmm like all buggery. I actually loved it. Sort of a signature sound for that board. Like it was telling me it was getting into it.