Tri-fin Conversion

eastside · Post by **eastside** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:54 pm

I'd say the JP would be a good candidate. Depends on how old it is to some degree. If it is a newer shape it will be great. I had the 2012 JP FSW Pro with the thrusters and bought the 2014 model. The thrusters slow the board down a bit, but generally don't affect how it sails. To make it turnier on a wave you need to go for a 2-4 cm smaller centre fin. If you normally sail on a lake and make one trip to the coast it might not be worth it. If you have waves and swell it is. Depending on how big you are the 92 should work for you on the coast. With a smaller fin thruster set up it should be more comfortable in higher winds and bigger waves too

stokeometer · Post by **stokeometer** » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:32 pm

Thanks for the replies! It's a 2012 JP FSW, but the wood edition so no thrusters included. I weigh 177lbs right now but I'll be dropping weight for the coast this summer to be more efficient ;)

For now it's my one board for all solution, so I'm a little reluctant to start cutting it up.. especially as it gets used mainly for flatwater freestyle and BnJ here on the mainland, so not a whole lot of benefit having the thrusters for most of its use.

We'll see what my budget is looking like in the next couple of months for new gear or modifications for the coming trip. If anything, I'll definitely be coughing up to get at least 2-3 different sized wave fins for the coast so that I can extend the board's range as much as possible when I'm there.

downwind dave · Post by **downwind dave** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:21 am

i say why not, that year's jp fsw shape was designed to be convertible to 3 fins

. if you are totally new to wavesailing though it might not be worth the trouble (better to focus on getting in and out of the death zone quickly).

eastside · Post by **eastside** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 5:15 pm

Any pro should be able to add the thrusters for around $75 each. The operation is minimally invasive and highly unlikely to kill the patient. I used Aftanas in Tofino. But if you have the skills like DM then it is not that hard to do it yourself for way less cost. That board rocks with the thrusters. I would not hesitate to do it. It's not that hard to figure out where to put the thrusters. The fcs boxes are light, so are the fins. Cheap too.

downwind dave · Post by **downwind dave** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 2:38 pm

i picked up a couple fusion boxes for my old 92 wind obsession, cost was 30$ and 4 days from shaper supply in LA. I've already got everything else i need so this should be fun!
btw i got in touch with Louis at Makani fins, he can do up a custom set of 'Moli' centres if you want the symmetrical foils, cost is same as asymmetrical.

and speaking of asymetrical.. check out this wacky tabou

DavidM · Post by **DavidM** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:28 pm

Fun. Keep us posted and maybe pictures if you can.

stokeometer · Post by **stokeometer** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 2:24 pm

Sounds like I should definitely make the upgrade. I'm gonna get in touch with my friends who have a shaping bay here on the mainland - they'll have all the tools I need to get 'er done.

Why did you guys opt for FCS rather than Slot Box or another option?

downwind dave · Post by **downwind dave** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 3:34 pm

the fusion box is cheap and easy. as in super easy to get and install. HD foam is already attached. strength is kind of an ongoing experiment. weak point is typically the grub screw or fin, not the box.

plus its cheap!

stokeometer · Post by **stokeometer** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 3:44 pm

downwind dave wrote:the fusion box is cheap and easy. as in super easy to get and install. HD foam is already attached. strength is kind of an ongoing experiment. weak point is typically the grub screw or fin, not the box. plus its cheap!

Sounds like you've understood my main criteria

My friends at Shaping Studio Vancouver estimate around $90 total for shop time, assistance and parts. Now I just wanna get one more "winter" day on the board before I start chopping it up (possibly the island on Wednesday...).

downwind dave · Post by **downwind dave** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 4:17 pm

another consideration is the pair of boxes weighs 48 grams, so if you don't like it you can tape it over and you've only added maybe 100g total to the board.

GWIND · Post by **GWIND** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 7:35 pm

Come on let's end this, someone buy a Witchcraft sailboard. They have a new model ! 4j ?

stokeometer · Post by **stokeometer** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 11:26 am

The JP is going under the knife later today. Will post updates

downwind dave · Post by **downwind dave** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 12:21 pm

mine turned out real nice though my colour matching skills are suspect. haven't had a good chance to sail it so far.

~~~~~4j~~ · Post by **~~~~~4j~~** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 12:48 pm

GWIND wrote:Come on let's end this, someone buy a Witchcraft sailboard. They have a new model ! 4j ?

Ha! I actually contacted Bouke a few years ago about getting one. Unfortunately the shipping was prohibitively expensive. The Shaman does look good to me though. It would be fun to try one.
[Vimeo]http://vimeo.com/49451650[/Vimeo]

Nice mod Dave! I look forward to what you have to say about it's new abilities. What did you do for toe/cant?

All these tri-fin mods has me looking at the old (2001?) RRD WaveOne in my basement...it needs a whole new bottom though (delam).

DavidM · Post by **DavidM** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 1:18 pm

Nice job DWD. Can't wait to hear your testing results.

Tri-fin Conversion

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