Once cured (10mins in the UV light box) it's time to put the fin plugs or fin box, and leash plug in. Similar idea for all, but very different methods for putting them in. Fin placement marks are the last thing the shaper does before the board leaves his room. The marks are made on the foam but are still visible after painting and glassing.
This shot shows the fin plugs being added to the shortboard, which involves drilling a hole to a pre set depth and then drilling right through to the glass on the deck of the surfboard with a hollow hole cutter.
Skippy also does all our ding repairs; he gets all the best jobs! (For all surfboard ding repairs and insurance quotes please feel free to call 01872 552574)
Our fin system is called FIN SOLUTIONS which we consider to be far superior to any other multiple plug system on the market as it has much better load bearing characteristics whilst being a much stronger design that requires up to 60% less resin (= less weight) to fit and is neater as it does not need to be drilled through to the deck leaving ugly marks that eventually come through the laminate on a single plug system plus it accepts the whole range of fins currently available from these other well known ranges as well as our own models, lightweight fibreglass models made as well to fit further enhancing the performance of your surfboard.
In the last year by dropping the 2 plug system and changing to Fin Solutions we have reduced our plug repairs by up to 98% over other so called market leaders and copies.
A word on our fins; the plugs are surrounded by resin which goes all the way through the foam and bonds to the underside of the (glass) deck. This is why you can see those little circles on the deck of your surfboard.