Pro Tips and Techniques for Making Your Own Fins!

Pro tips and techniques included in this “how to make your own fins”instructional video make it easy to foil your own surfboard fins for a fraction of the cost of a bought set! Revive an old board or try that shape or size that you have been thinking about. Use pigments to colour you fins to match a magic board or go nuts with coloured designs.
26 layers of 6oz glass will give you roughly the correct thickness to make fins that fit into FCS and Futures fin boxes.
Warning* Cut and foil your fins outside away from EVERYTHING! Think about your neighbours and the wind direction too! Fibreglass dust will make you insanely itchy and poses serious health risks if taken into the lungs. WEAR A RESPIRATOR, GOGGLES AND COVER YOUR SKIN!
Materials list:
- 6oz fibreglass cloth x 26 layers @ 12”x12”
- Polyester laminating resin, 650g
- MEKP (methyl ethyl ketone peroxide) polyester resin catalyst
- A syringe, dropper or measuring cup for the MEKP
- Any colour polyester resin pigment or tint
- Styrene Monomer
- Wax in Styrene mix
- Acetone
Tools list:
- Scissors
- Resin roller
- Squeegee
- 1 x pane of glass larger than 12”x12”
- 1 x large mixing tub
- 5 x disposable cups
- Stirring sticks
- A brush
- A metal scraper of some variety
- An angle grinder equipped with hard pad and 60p abrasive disk
- Optional disk/belt sander
- A jigsaw equipped with ceramic blade
- Fin templates or fins to trace
- A marker to trace with
- A ruler
- A Dremel tool can help to shape the correct tabs for your fin system
- A vice or clamping system of some kind
- An orbital sander and some 120p, 240p, 320p, etc to finish them smooth
- Respirator, gloves, disposable overalls, ear protection
Hit me up in the comments wit any questions!
Resin stinks, fibreglass dust is bad for you and power tools are dangerous. Look after yourself. Wear suitable PPE and use common sense.

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

Boom! Get out in the shed and whip up a set of your own fins! Yeeew!

[@joshuadowning3899]

So satisfying to watch bro.

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

thanks mate, it's satisfying to do too😄👌🏽

[@familyjay5636]

Wicked and informative! Yewww! That colour came out amazing - cut and polished finish, yeah?

[@DrewEricksonDBEmedia]

Thanks for sharing, you make it look easy!!

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

pleasure bro, thanks for watching🤙🏽🍻

[@WillBulldozer]

So helpful! Love the pro tips

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

Thanks mate, glad i could help!!

[@6to6surf4]

Great work mate! please keep posting videos. Yeww!

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

thanks bro, I'll do my best🤙🏽

[@daanschiltz8990]

really good video's keep it up! :)

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

Thanks Daan, ill do my best mate👍🏼

[@joegreen9827]

THANKS

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

Thank you too bro🤙🏽🍻

[@mistercarlberg]

Aha! So that's why they cost so damn much. Makes it easier to pull the trigger now.

[@mrfelipehurtado]

Sooo cooo thanks

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

it's a pleasure bro, thanks for the good vibes🤙🏽

[@milwardshami3569]

Great pro insights there bro!! Can I ask, do you put a top coat of resin or just stright from sanding is all good?

[@loganhohs]

hey - this is super helpful. I'm wondering how you would make these with a futures base on them with the cant built in? would you lay the panel up thicker and mill out the cant somehow ? Or would you mold the fin to a fin base or something along those lines? Any info would be appreciated !

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

Hey mate, thanks for droppin in! Yeah, ive thought about this. The way id do it would be to mould the fin cant angle into the pannel so that would involve using something in conjunction with a sheet of glass to lay up on to get that angle. Then carefully cut out my fin shapes so the tab was angled and foil as per usual...

[@DeepVIDesigns]

What is that amazing clamp at 10:45?! I've never seen one of those

[@CurrentVistaProductions]

Sick. I repurposed a board and made a video out of it. I can see that these take loads of work.

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

Nice, thats partly how i got started building boards 🤙🏽🍻 Ill take a look at your vid!

[@CurrentVistaProductions]

@@cantigasurfco.8549 Thank you! My work is no where near as good as yours. I just like to make my repairs on my boards look clean as possible.

[@kamilacanau]

Good tips! one thing to say: press on the top of the all layers with a flat mould. Wear gloves and most important a good mask ;-)

[@kamilacanau]

@Marco Ramires Yes, I have done that with a flat windscreen of an old truck. But as the resin is heating while going off, the pressing with the flat windscreen part has to be done step by step with any ten layers. Let cool down and sand the surface between ten layer to get grip between ten layers step of glass.

[@coldseamonster]

Hey this was amazing. How do you go about having perfect edge? Like as far as gettting no fin hum?

[@chrispalmer1255]

I’ve heard that a fin humming needs the trailing edge blunted.

[@AliceVifa]

Yew🤙🏾✨

[@ansborromeo7470]

thanks! what do you call the roller tool?

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

This is just a fibreglass roller available from anywhere fibreglassing materials are sold and some hardware stores. if you were to google "Fibreglass roller" I'm sure it would come up with ebay listings and many other places to buy them🤙🏽

[@MarioDemaio1]

What do you call the clamp you used while foiling?

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

Hey bro, thanks for droppin' by! 😃 You know, im not sure what it is really for, i just got lucky and inherited it with a load of other tools... i have a feeling its for holding a saw while you sharpen it but i could be wrong. I cant imagine a better foiling vice though!
*edit* yep, it is. Just did a quick google and it is a saw sharpening vice👍🏼🤙🏽🍻

[@4rn]

🤙

[@cantigasurfco.8549]

yew!

[@boccacantiga5095]

🤙🏽