I'm looking at getting a Select Freeslam in 40cm.
Can anyone tell me if Select have changed their fin construction techniques since the mid 2000s? The fins used to be glued (barely) into a plastic head. Are they using a stronger construction now? I'm talking about powerbox fins.
I clipped a turtle with a Select Ride last week and the fin essentially pulled out of the head with very little evidence of glue left behind.
Doesnt look good but sure beats tearing the housing out of the board.
Bet the turtle wasnt too happy about being "clipped"
It was a very light impact. Didn't feel it. Just heard a click and then the world went sideways. Mate behind me saw flippers and things in my wake.
The bugger got my watch too.
Ive repaired the grey weed fin, they appear to be only thermo glued in.
When re-boxing fins, the Select ones are the easiest to get the old bases of as the come of with a chisel rather than having to be ground of as the glue is very brittle.
A solid G10 base will hold up better.
Generally either the barrel nut strips or get ripped out of the fin.
If it all holds together after that then you'll most likely damage the fin box.
Give me "Elmo proof" over "bomb proof" any day
I can't help but think the fin falling out is the best result for the turtle.. And for this reason I personally wouldn't want to replace it with something indestructible..
I totally agree with Barn and personally would rather have a fin break than slice a turtle in 2 or a box get ripped out. Select fins use a Conic box system which means you can interchange them e.g. Powerbox to Tuttle. No glue should really be used in this process as the fit up is as tight as a gypsies jatsie.
Makes it pretty pointless if u glue it up imo.
AB....
You guys are making a lot of sense. It's better for everone if the fin breaks away. Better for turtles and better for the board. I'd been hoping, as it felt like such a small impact, that Mr Turtle was unharmed.
Yes they have changed the construction, it is now a moulded head like most other fins!
I have bought two select fins in the last 18 months. The finish on both was very poor. The first time I scored it down as a one off, but the second was so bad, it took a lot of machining to get it to fit into deep Tuttle, and the blade does not appear to be symmetrical , in fact the more I look the the less symetric it appears to be .... I have decided not to buy select again.
It weird they must be ok they seem very common and popular in Europe, but two for twos a bad score as far as I am concerned.
Found these fins - ordered the 13cm Mini tuttle sides for my 99 thruster - good range of fins and there's some speedie tuttle fins as well
blackprojecthawaii.com/
Tuttle fins rarely fit without some sanding and stuffing around. Dunno why, powerbox does not seem to have the same issue. I have fin fitting on my list of things to do before the weekend.
Tuttle has parallel sides so even .1 of a mil oversize and it will need sanding, PB is tapered so .1 oversize and it would sit up probably .025 of a mil which is why PB's generally need little or no re-working to fit.
i have bought and tried many select fins and never really liked them, being super thin they could do with a layer of carbon on each side, but they make fantastic freestyle fins, just grab a 30cm and chop it [}:)][}:)][}:)][}:)]
Which fins are we talking here, i've got x1 evo's & they aren't flexy at all- probably mid flex wise probably a touch stiffer in the tip than mfc's i've tried. Bump & Jumps a tiny bit stiffer again. Both I would rate as my favourite fin of that genre i've tried ever. S09's were the same, 1st time I tried they suited my style perfectly.
Everyone has their favourite fins, i've tried lots & lots & lots and in the end settled with select- SOME of their fins are fantastic, others can be not so good. No point brand bashing as they work (sometimes exceptionally well).
Original question was answered long before the "I don't like Select" comments started.
Select have improved alot in the last 2 years or so addressing many issues from finish to material used for their head. Since i've seen how much evolution their slalom fins has undergone I imagine their wave & freeride fins are the same.
Good threads will say what the fin was & what the findings are not a general "I dont like that brand cause of x"...
I dont like mfc cause they are slow
I dont like c3 cause they suck upwind (unless you use a size 3x bigger)
I dont like tectonics cause I wasted too much money on fins that didnt work
I dont like Select cause some were too stiff
I can go on forever, comments like the above aren't objective at all.
You are correct, none of you comments above are useful because they do lack objectivity, except the one that says they are to stiff, that information is actually objective.
However comments such as, and by way of example;
I don't like whatever because it is thin and flexible,
I would not buy this again because it was poor quality and and not finished well, are both objective and useful comments because they are based on measurable and objective characteristics. The comments you provided as examples may qualify as 'brand bashing' but the previous comments of other contributors including myself all seem perfectly reasonable.
So if you need a hand to climb down of that high horse, please feel free to ask.
I value these opinions cos I'm trying to decide what fin to get for freeriding big sails and boards in the rough waters at the top end of Moreton Bay. If anyone has an opinion I'm all ears.
I don't like Select cos they have an uncool name and they have funny outlines and ALL the heads break off them.
(just thought you guys were now being too friendly, so poke poke 
)
The SRX freerace are quite stiff & for redcliffe personally i'd opt for a softer fin- I would chose an s10 (I think a bit more rake, bit more twist) over a srx freerace from what I have seen of the srx. The freeslam might be alright.
At the end of all that Redcliffe is probably one of those spots I'd choose a nice G10 fin over a select.
Have to admit I'm not sure I understand the difference. If G10 is softer that would make it more forgiving in the chop I suppose? Or is it just about durability?
