Aluminum Fins - New Upgrades

Maui Masked Man · Since 09 May 2006 37 Posts Portland

Just wanted to share this info with my fellow kiters. My fins have been trashed from years of abuse. So I decided to upgrade to Aluminum fins for durability.
Contact Joseph if you are interested.

Phone: (707) 849-5865

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1735 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

I tried this a couple of seasons back.
USE CAUTION!
one hit to the head and you will def cut yourself open.
once you start hitting rocks from kiting in shallow waters, you foils will then turn into a serrated knife edge. Aluminum does not hold up as well as you might think.
also do not put your board on your kite fins down or it can easily rip the fabric.
g10 is forgiving, but aluminum is less forgiving.
it's not my place to tell others what to do, but to share in my experiences. just be careful with this setup.

Maui Masked Man · Since 09 May 2006 37 Posts Portland

Good to know. Probably best practice not to put anything sharp near lines or kites.

krueg · Since 16 Feb 2010 51 Posts Wenatchee Wa **CGKA Member**

Ok there are some negatives, but they're so SHINY!

C Johnson · Since 17 Apr 2009 854 Posts Seattle Opinionated

I had a board with aluminum fins a few years back.

they worked great with one exception. all the stainless mounting hardware froze up from the aluminum corroding. so I couldn't remove the fins from the board. Which is fine as long as you never intend to travel with your board.

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

Good point about the problem of electro-chemical corrosion caused by dissimilar metals. Probably an aluminum fin directly contacting a carbon fiber bottom surface of a board would result in a similar form of corrosion.

This sort of problem could be minimized with the use of a layer of mylar film, between the fin and a carbon surface...and maybe the problem of the stainless steel bolt "welding" to the aluminum could be minimized with the use of an anti-corrosion paste, applied to the bolt, before insertion...and then a maintenance routine, where the bolts are removed and recoated on a regular interval.

SalmonSlayer · Since 27 Nov 2005 648 Posts Addicted **CGKA Member**

Stainless fasteners (NEVER galvanized)are used on aluminum fishing boats. However, stainless is used mostly to go through aluminum and fasten with a nut. When screwing into threaded aluminum I would think something as simple as plumbers paste would work to reduce corrosion. I would call a store that specializes in fasteners. I bet they would know exactly what you need and it will only be $10 for a one ounce container that you will immediately lose.

C Johnson · Since 17 Apr 2009 854 Posts Seattle Opinionated

Yeah some kind of thread paste or grease and a regular interval of loosening the bolts. every couple weeks or so. probably would have prevented the problem from ever happening.

I think fiberglass is sharp too. some of these fins I see on boards these days have really sharp points on them too. at least the alum. fins in the picture are rounded and polished.

if you're riding in the river the corrosion factor will be smaller anyway.

enjoy your shiny new fins bro. just wanted to give you advice about the corrosion before they get stuck on your board like they did on mine Wink