skowowski

OK, put this together quickly, I hope the photos do not appear all out of size and retarded as they some times do.

These are all my mods, get to it guys and share the knowledge!

Seb

Lolocarrera

Hello

I am francais and I read your forum for a long time

I surfing since 2008 with lysa and dude and boards houses.

skowowski

Bonjour mon ami,

That's why there are so few original kyosho boards left, you have them all!!!

Fantastic quiver!!

Ou en france habitez-vous?

Seb

Lolocarrera

i am in Paris but i love go tu surfin in Landes BIARRITZ

Lolocarrera

some pictures of some my surfs

Cananzi

Lolocarrera

Cananzi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpI-5-dwqGM

Jimi Findrix

Seb,
I just had 5 of those 4mm rudder arms arrive today.
Iattached one to an old Kyosho shaft and it is strong and perfect for the job.
As you probably would know, the Kyosho shaft already has the flat spot for the grub screw.
The arm has a nice solid brass insert as you can see in the pic.
I just checked the length of the arm compared to a standard NQD one and it will need to be cut off at the bend and redrilled.
This is the start of further fin building experiments based on your current concept.
Hey, at least we now have something to use all those old propshafts for.
We could probably even make the stand bi-fin much better using this method as long as it glues on well.
So if I break any more NQD or Kyosho rudders I will be keeping them to experiment with.
As I have a few old Kyosho tubes which are 4mm inner diam. all the way through, I won't be needing to use your cut off bullet approach.
Instead, I will just need to insert the brass Kyosho tube inMside a piece of aluminium tube to take up the gap in the plastic rudder hole.
I already have the tubes so it is just a matter of cutting to size.
What kind of plastic did you use to cut your fin out of? Is it really stiff or a little flexible?
I have quite a few FCS fins, I wonder if I could cut one of them up to make a fin?
Did you order this kind of arms too or did you find some others?
Any tips on how you went about glassing on your fin will be appreciated.
I will go back and see what you already wrote about it.
Also, are you familiar with the reverse taper fin shape as used by Spencer and Dave and others on the original Kyosho RC Surfer?
They swear by it, so perhaps that would be a good shape fin to try adding stabilizer wings too.

Sea ya.

JIMI

skowowski

Jimi,

I use a different type but they are all the same anyway.

I use a plaster's scraper, $2.50 from bunnings and you can make 4 from one. It has a widened flat edge, which is good. They are super strong and easy to cut and sand.

Glassing i just use normal resin (filler) and a put a little clothe over the area where the epoxy is.

They are super simple to make, just remember to flatten out both sides of the strut that goes into the fin and when gluing it, keep and eye on it that it doesn't move while the epoxy is setting. I did that and it ruined the fin.

Apply a thin layer of resin, you want to keep the overall fin as thin as possible. I just use a cotton bud to apply it.

If you want to add a wing, get a hacksaw blade, snap of around an inch, heat it up and push it through the fin at the angle you want (slightly downwards!). I do this part and then paint and glass the fin.

I made another the other day, have attached a pic that may help you with size and shape. Make sure the strut is close to the leading edge of the fin, not in the middle. The force from the prop thrust is enough to prevent it from straightening out even with force from the servo. (first fin a big fat failure)

Good luck and shoot through pics when done.

Jimi Findrix

Curlzy,
Count me in.

Hey Guys,
 I have spoken to a guy at the shop this arvo (Colin) who is into video and loves editing and has his own youtube channel or whatever it is and he lives at "Greenough".
He doesn't surf but reckons he knows what I am after.
He is keen to have a go at filming the RC Surfing action and said it would be cool to get him down there at 6:00am when it is on.
I showed him Seb's Air Show and that Maui Spitter so he knows the standards being set.
Reckons he will help me if I help him with his guitar playing.
I think he is coming down in the morning for a go.

I also spoke to another surfer/muso at the shop (Bleachy) who I have met several times before, he saw Bob and I having a run @ "Stockies the other day and mentioned that he was a photographer.
He is a professional photographer but he works in Perth.
He comes up here often to surf and take a few pics.
He is also  keen to get a few pics of the surfing models in action when he is in town.

So hopefully, between Bob and these two other guys I can get plenty more goodies to show you all.

Seb,
Absolutely awesome!!!
I know your not done with the mods yet either.
I reckon you will be the first to work out how to really get a 26" plastic board tubed properly and hold the rail and come out again.
I remember when you told me on the phone about your idea of using another servo to push weight to the inside rail when the wave barrels.
I reckon that could be the answer.
Go for it, bro.
I know you will find a way to get your NQD spaceship to pull in and stand up straight inside the tube soon.

JIMI

Jimi Findrix

Seb,
Thanks for the fin mod tips.
As my fin is starting from the top of the rudder shaft first I will do all the aligning with the servo and stuff first and find the exact angle to set the fin on in relation to the arm.
You know what I mean.
Hope it works out well going about it all backwards like that, lol.

This blog and this sport is totally going off.

Sea ya.

JIMI
(Gero - W. A.)

skowowski

If you have any problems, you can just use a file to make that flat spot.

Good luck mate

Jimi Findrix

Seb,

Think I will try to make a hybrid Dave Reese / Seb Skowowski fin for my first test.

Sea ya.

JIMI

Jimi Findrix

Hey Seb,

Here is a pic of my fin rig so far.
I have cut and redrilled the arm and fitted the pushrod connector.
The aluminium tube fits tightly inside the NQD rudder socket.
There is a small amount of space between the brass and aluminium tubes so I will probably just fill with synthetic grease or maybe epoxy the 2 tubes together.
What do you think? Epoxy???
I was thinkin' that I as well as making new fin models I could use the threaded end of the shaft with 2 nylon nuts and 2 washers to secure a standard NQD fin with the plastoc shaft cut off.
That would be an easy way to improve a standard bi-fin.
Wow, this is so cool.
We can now make dozens of different fins to test and also have a much better seal in the rudder shaft.
Also this will stop that fin slip problem that we discussed a few days back.
I'm into this.
I am gonna look up Dave Reese'sfin dimensions now and I will get back to you with the details.
Thanks for all the inspiration.

Sea ya.

JIMI
(Geraldton W. A.)

Jimi Findrix

Ok Sebski Bro,
When you get a chance, go and have a look at 2 of Spencers Model fins on Dave Reese's photos.
It shows the exact dimensions of the fins.
I didn't want to steal the picture because it belongs to Dave.
These are the kind of rudders most likely used on the Kyosho boards on the "Radio Waves" vid.
I am gonna make 1 of each and also do a standard NQD version with the steel shaft rigs.
But, I am gonna make the Spencer shape fins out of your materials and put the stabilizers on.

Hence the concept of the Jimi Findrix model Spencer/Skowoski Hybrid NQD/ Kyosho fin is born.

What a blast!!!
Having a lot of  fun with all this.

I better go to sleep now 'cause "Greenough" should be 2 to 3 foot and offshore hopefully with a guy shooting some video footage.
I told him I will be there at 6am.

Goodnight cruel world.

JIMI

RC HAWAIIAN STYLE

Lolocarrera



I like your custom borads , like to see some vid of them working



john maui rc sufer

Jimi Findrix

Alright Guys,
Got up at 5:30am and rang Colin the new video guy.
He was keen.
Got to "Greenough" at 6:00am and it was really lookin' quite good for RC.
 2 1/2 foot rights and lefts and offshore not as strong as yesterday but still quite strong.
He arrived a minute or 2 after me.
We stayed there until 8:00am, then we had to go.
I just used a Nimh powered NQD today.
He reckons he got some good waves, mostly just cutbacks and fast sections with a few classic wipeouts.
I only saw about 2 seconds of his footage but it looked great.
With the exception of Maui and Seb's footage, I think it will be better than most stuff I have seen on the net to date.
He had a blast and is keen to do more when he can.
It was so funny 'cause he was saying, "I can't see him, where is he, OK I got him", I was standing next to him telling him what I was thinkin' or where I was going when I saw a good set or wave coming etc.
He is already addicted and talkin' about upgrading his gear.
The only thing is, he is going bush for 3 weeks where he works.
So he won't be able to do this all the time.
He said he will edit it while he is away so I won't get to see what we got for ages.
At least it is a start in the right direction.

Oh yeah, one other thing, I am 47 today.
My first RC Surfing video shot on my birthday, what a great presy.
Can't wait to see what he does with it.

Sea ya.

JIMI
(Geraldton W. A.)

Jimi Findrix

Wow, Seb and Cananzi,
Be careful guys.
I just heard on the news those massive floods are getting even worse.
I just heard a 7 or 8 metre inland Tsunami has wiped out Toowooomba and quite a few people are dying now.
There are cars smashed up in the streets.
My god, I can't believe my eyes.
My 8 year old son Joseph reckons there are cyclones heading your way too, but I have not checked that yet.
It is like armageddon is hitting SE Qld.
Your whole state in being destroyed!!!
Utterly wiped out.

RC Crew,
Are you other guys getting any news and footage of this around the globe???
There is many billions of dollars damage and whole industries and businesses and thousands of houses are being destroyed on a daily basis.

Take care guys.

JIMI

skowowski

Happy birthday Jimi!

You forgot to say the wind has been blowing onshore and the surf is absolutely washing machine like crap!....

Yeah, floods are nasty, but most houses that far north are built elevated as they are prone to flooding. Those that didn't build their house appropriately are now scraping mud off their ceilings.

Those who have died are mostly people trying to drive across roads that are submerged by a torrent of water. They are sign posted DO NOT TO ATTEMPT TO CROSS, but stupidly they do and then end up on page three of the newspaper the following day.

Flooding on the gold coast has happened a few time, but not nearly as bad as up north. The worst that can happen is that you forgot to get your car out from the basement car part of the apartments where you live as the water flows into them and fills up the basements to street level.

You can't complain about 20-30kt offshore winds, I would cut off my left nut to have those conditions right now.

Again happy birthday and hope your friend edits the footage sooner rather than later as I know what it is like to wait to see your footage. If it is good, I can see a 47 year old guy standing on the beach near the waters edge wearing a gath with a camera object strapped to the side of it ; )

Seb.

surfcurls

HAPPY 47 MATE !

Prayers to The Flood Victims ...

Jimi Findrix

Hi Guys,
Here is Jimi Jr. with an upgraded NQD rudder.
I found an old NQD fin in the box that was broken off at Ithe base
Just need to check everything is right, cutto size, lube up,install and test.

This should put an end to that rudder slipping out of the arm on a heavy air landing or wipeout that so often happens with the standard NQD.
Trying to bring the Dude in when he stuck doing donuts out behind the dry gnarly reef on the shoreline is a worry.

Should be smooth as now.

Sea ya.

JIMI
(Gero - West Oz)

surfcurls

Cool Fin,

Jr Looks Stoked !

Cananzi

have you guys seen the maui boys vid they just posted.... OMFG @ the flip at the start. Seriously no wonder they were yelling '' omg did you get that omg''




about the floods .Althoughwhat sebis saying is very true ,so manystupidpeople trying the mostridiculousthings. I think that this was a different case tho. The flood that hit toowoomba ,speed wise ,was worse then a flash flood and nothing like what the world has seen b4.

my question is: if we wont take care of the earth why should it take care of us?? mining, global warming, Over killing of animals which is disrupting food chains, fishing the earth dry. We are on a crash course its very alarming dont you guys think.

skowowski

Nice job jimi!

My first fin job was putting a steel strut on the original bi-fin, I included it in the first photos of my fin design I put up a while back but the pictures came out massive and too hard to view.

I tried it out and then tried my fin out and preferred mine so never put it back on.

When you put the strut through the top of the rudder, did you file it so it had two flat edges (like a flat head screw driver) then slide it into a slot into the top of the rudder to make sure it can't twist?

I did that then screwed on a SS nut on the bottom, using super strength epoxy on all of it then coating it in fiberglass. Strong as *beep* (I'm self censoring now). However, try it out and keep building your own designs, it's fun

Seb

skowowski

This video is the video I have been waiting for for sooooo long! Seriously AMAZING footage! When the conditions are perfect you get footage like this.

John please move to California so we can get regular footage like this!

Love the intro..."did you F&%king get that....Funny commentary!

My eye balls are stoked!