Tuttle Fin Re-box - S10

I needed a Select S10 39 for my Falcon 111/Evo III 7.8 combo and since none were available in that size I had to re-box a bigger fin to make one.  I had a 57 from a SLW that I sold which would be too big for my Falcon 134 and since I could buy the big fins I needed for this board the 57 had to get the chop.

 S10 37 top, S10 57 bottom.

 S10 37 top, S10 57 bottom.

 Marking out the 39cm on the 57cm fin.(+2cm)

 20mm longer than the 37cm fin(plus a little extra ;-)

 Measure twice - Cut once!

 Ooooops

 Select Elite Layup

 Make flushing plates matching the foil profile.

Wax mould & plates.

 Cut-out 2 layers of 200gsm plain weave 

Carbon Cloth for each side of the fin head.

 Mix Talc and chopped CF. 

Add a touch of carbon black.

 Layup each side of the mould.

 Add special sauce and swing down fin jig.

 Place top mould using dow pins and clamp shut.

Go to bed and allow resin to cure.

 Resin cured, lever the mould halves apart.

 Top half of mould removed, flushing plate still in place.

 Flushing plate still in place.

 Top flushing plate removed.
A few air bubbles, needed more filler!

 Remove fin supports.

 Apply pressure to fin tip to pop head from mould.

 Head released.

 Bottom mould with flushing plate.
Insert removed to make Deep Tuttle Heads.

 Fin with jointline flash.

Flash Removed.

Pictures to come...

Drill holes for barrel nuts.

Drill clearance holes for screws.

Allow to cure for a few more days.

Sail!

Select Elite - What's inside...

While cutting down a Select S10 from 57 to 39cm I was intrigued by the layup used.  I use a full carbon skin on most of the fins I make(using a full carbon skin is easier to layup and looks cool), the Elite makes the most of carbons high modulus while minimising cost by not using it in the areas where it has less influence on flex and twist. There is also an outer layer of glass which will increase durability as carbon will wear down before glass fibre. It would be interesting to see if this layup is used for the entire foil length.  I might try to peel back a few layers to see the type of weave used.

Select S10 Foil Section

Select S10 Vs S11 - Preview

My new Select S10 & S11 fins arrived the other day and I am waiting for some wind to put them through their paces.  The S11 is promoted as a more powerful and upwind orientated fin when compared to the S10.  It is my inderstanding that the smaller S11's(Slam 25-39) are very similar in shape to the S07 and the Larger S11's (Race 41-61) are a completely new shape.  The chord mid-line rake of the S10 & 11 are very similar and since the S11 has a larger area in the tip the leading edge is slightly more vertical.

The fins pictured are a 37cm S10 and 41cm S11. 

The most noticeable differences in the plan view is obviously the tip area but when you look at the thickness the S11 is MUCH thicker in the tip.  I will get the verniers out when I get the chance and compare the thickness ratios down each fin.  Looking at the fin selector charts it looks like you can use a size smaller in S11 compared to S10 for the same drive amount of drive.  It will be interesting to see how the different sizes compare across and downwind.

Similar mid-chord rake.

Tip area - S10 front, S11 back.

 Tip thickness - S10 top, S11 bottom.

I took a few measurements of the fins at the base and tip(before the sweep on the leading edge).  

S10

Base - Chord 103.7 - Thickness 9.8 - Thickness/Chord 9.5%

Tip - Chord 53.6 - Thickness 5.3 - Thickness/Chord 9.9%

S11

Base - Chord 108.4 - Thickness 9.3 - Thickness/Chord 8.6%

Tip - Chord 61.3 - Thickness 6.9 - Thickness/Chord 11.3%!!!

So both fins have a Thickness/Cord ratio that increases towards the tip but the S11increases by 2.7% compared to the S10's 0.4%!.  This gives me the impression the fin will generate more lift from increased flex at the base and blocked twist at the tip with the thicker section.

JP Super Light Wind

I took a bit of a gamble this year when choosing my light wind board and went for the new concept from JP which is the love child of a formula and large slalom board.  I have used 80cm+ slalom boards for light winds in the past and found that even at 130+ litres they sat a little low in the water for my weight at sub-planing speeds.  In 7-12 knots I use a 9.5m sail, combine this with 110kg body weight, harness, wetsuit etc and the surplus volume you thought you had soon gets taken up.  There were also a few occasions that I thought there was enough pull in the sail put I just couldn't unstick the board and plane.  The JP Super Light Wind (SLW) on paper corrects some of those shortcomings of a big slalom board for a heavyweight sailor, but would the board perform as intended?

Design

The width of the SLW is smack bang in the middle of a Formula(100cm) and XL Slalom Board(~80cm).  The deck has the now standard(on jp performance flatwater boards) Race Deck but the pads are thicker in the heel area(white pad) than the slalom boards.  This providing a little more softness in chop and also tones down the effect of the race deck.  The tail planing width is 700mm providing ample leverage over fins into the low 60cm range. There is no tail rocker, a rocker flat of 700mm and a nose lift of 206mm.  The rail shape and tuck is very similar to my Slalom VI 68.

Sailing

Getting into the straps isn't too hard once planing but may still take some getting used to if you are normally sailing smaller less racy boards.  Once up and planing the ride is VERY stable. To some it may not be engaging enough but it really does allow you to just relax and enjoy the sensation of effortless planing.  I tested the board with the Select S10 57(as recommended by Rik!) and this may have something to do with the boards excellent behaviour.  I think the standard Slalom III 56 would work well for lighter sailors or bigger sailors fully powered on a 7.5m sail but I have not yet had the conditions to try it out.  Gybing is easy but the fact that you are often sailing so fast compared to wind strength often means that you either get backwinded or have no drive after the rig flip.  I am sure there are better approaches and timings that would set you up for a planing exit but this would take a little time to get dialled

Construction

The JP website states that the Pro Edition is constructed from Biax Carbon.  This is NOT the case.  The deck and hull are timber veneer and there may be carbon reinforement.  This is the same construction that is used on the hi wind slalom models, not the light wind ones.  The board feels solid and this may indeed increase durability for the target market of light wind performance freeride however, it does make the board feel less responsive and a little heavy.  One thing is for sure, the website should be updated to reflect the true construction used.  The construction feels very comfortable over chop but is a little slower as a result of it sticking a little in the troughs.

Overall

I think that the JP SLW delivers on its statement that "...this board simply widens the wind range where it is possible to get planing and have heaps of fun. It plans as early as Formula boards (which have been purely developed for racing and to go straight up and downwind) but it is a lot more fun."

If you are focused on SPEED in light winds then an XL slalom board is probably the go.  You may not be planing as much as the SLW in "real world" light wind that can have big holes as compared to a race where it will be scratched if lulls are less than the minimum wind speed.

Video

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