# Shallow water SUP fin



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

I have the bonefish fin on my board...worth every penny.

But I also have a buddy who fabricated one. Works just as well.


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## Haler (Jan 29, 2018)

I made a set for my live board and could make you a set. Pm me for details


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

BF Hippies is a good fin, DragonFly also has one.. both expensive but not much other choice for manufactured fins avail for shallow water SUP fishing. Both are meant to be on long flat spots, so flip your board and lay a level, straight edge, on your fin box before making a decision and purchase.

The problem you will have is if you get a flat fin and your board is rockered you will have a gap between the front/rear edge's of the fin that easily fouls up with floating grass.

I tried many many fins and am still not happy... but I agree $200.00 is to far out there. Here is a link, on another board, to a lengthy post I wrote when researching fins.

Haler, I'm send you a PM though.


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## hookemdano (Feb 9, 2007)

Also very interested in this as I can’t get any shallower w my 12hd than I can w my skiff. Bonefish hippies was not helpful at all the two times I contacted them to try to see if their skeg would work. I’m to the point now of trying to fabricate my own.


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## Edward Avelar (Aug 20, 2018)

Haler said:


> I made a set for my live board and could make you a set. Pm me for details


I would like more information on some fins you said you made I’m interested


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

EA, I had sent a pm to Haler but don't remember hearing back from him.

As far as BF-Hippies fitting I think web site it states 14" flat area. The fin box itself should be a standard 10" slotted fin box, lay a level on the fin box and see if you have 14x1" flat area.

I ended up having a couple different fins 12" long made by a sheet-metal shop similar to BF-Hippies shape, but rounded on the front and rear so as to shed floating grass when moving either forward or backwards. BUT I still drag/hit bottom in places where my kayak and canoe do not hit... also with such a small fin the board tracks well enough in calm windless weather, or downwind, but not well in heavy or cross-wind days.


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## Edward Avelar (Aug 20, 2018)

krash said:


> EA, I had sent a pm to Haler but don't remember hearing back from him.
> 
> As far as BF-Hippies fitting I think web site it states 14" flat area. The fin box itself should be a standard 10" slotted fin box, lay a level on the fin box and see if you have 14x1" flat area.
> 
> I ended up having a couple different fins 12" long made by a sheet-metal shop similar to BF-Hippies shape, but rounded on the front and rear so as to shed floating grass when moving either forward or backwards. BUT I still drag/hit bottom in places where my kayak and canoe do not hit... also with such a small fin the board tracks well enough in calm windless weather, or downwind, but not well in heavy or cross-wind days.


Thanks for the information, yes I’m looking for some whitewater fins but I understand what you mean about not being able to track well on windy days. I saw some retractable fins but not much information on those either


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

I have been using this fin in my l2fish, it's works well enough and is pretty short in height. It's also flexible, which is an added benefit when fishing shallow.


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## Edward Avelar (Aug 20, 2018)

http://www.solsticesports.com/3-Whitewater-Short-SUP-FIN_p_293.html

I have been looking at these just not sure if they fit


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Edward Avelar said:


> http://www.solsticesports.com/3-Whitewater-Short-SUP-FIN_p_293.html
> 
> I have been looking at these just not sure if they fit


Pretty sure it's the same fin as the one I posted, it has the same dimensions, just with an added logo. The one I got fits just fine. Had to rub some bar soap on the sides of the base to get it to slide in, tight fit.

These are 3" tall. I think the bonefish hippies is around 3 inches as well.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I use the Bonefish Hippies ones, and gets really pricey on the Live L2Fish cause you need two per board. But my buddy fabricated his own and they worked well. He used aluminum plate and mimicked the Bonefish Hippies one, but he didn't make it double finned. he did one, since the L2Fish takes two, anyway. 
They worked out great on his board.


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

I also tried and have, my board is a standard style non catamaran board so only need one, the same or very similar 3" flexible fin as well, it is called a river fin flexible for hitting rocks, and yes it fits the standard fin box, the length is not an issue. If you do get a single fin be careful you are not getting outside thruster type fins as they are designed to go with a 3 or 5 fin setup to force water inward towards a center fin.
It has less square area, water surface area and give me less stability than the one I had made.

Here is the one I have, found on flea bay, its mentioned in that post I linked to earlier.









The best one I found although, for my board, still to large for my inshore needs was the keel fin. I picked up 2 and used one as it came and it was pretty good most of the time so long as the water was 8+ inches deep with no rocks, the other one I cut down so it was only 4 inches deep, that one worked pretty ok but still not shallow enuf for my taste.


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## AMiller (Mar 12, 2018)

I've taken old longboard fins and reshaped them with a jig saw and an angle grinder using a flap disc. Just take any old longboard fin and draw the shape of your new fin, cut it out with the jig saw and go to work on it with the flap disc. Make sure to taper the trailing edge out to reduce drag. It's free if you already have the tools and a spare fin. I've made all kinds of fins for my surfboards like this. Just make sure you're using a fin that is plastic or fiberglass, don't use the newer honey comb style fins. And have fun with it.


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## K3anderson (Jan 23, 2013)

Very easy to make your own. I used fiberglass to make one very similar to the BF one for about $5 in materials.


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## K3anderson (Jan 23, 2013)

The double fin is much better IMO because you can steer in a current by leaning to the opposite side you want to go. Great for fly fishing a river w/o paddling.


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

K3anderson said:


> Very easy to make your own. I used fiberglass to make one very similar to the BF one for about $5 in materials.
> View attachment 38280


That model looks rather similar to the one I had made... only I rounded, actually a arc shape (changing radius) on both front and rear so it sheds weeds in either direction., I think it was 12" long, 1" center spacing.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

krash said:


> EA, I had sent a pm to Haler but don't remember hearing back from him.
> 
> As far as BF-Hippies fitting I think web site it states 14" flat area. The fin box itself should be a standard 10" slotted fin box, lay a level on the fin box and see if you have 14x1" flat area.
> 
> I ended up having a couple different fins 12" long made by a sheet-metal shop similar to BF-Hippies shape, but rounded on the front and rear so as to shed floating grass when moving either forward or backwards. BUT I still drag/hit bottom in places where my kayak and canoe do not hit... also with such a small fin the board tracks well enough in calm windless weather, or downwind, but not well in heavy or cross-wind days.


Seems like if you have a 12" fin your going to draw 12". I could be wrong but that would mean my big fat boat draws lees than your SUP


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## K3anderson (Jan 23, 2013)

permitchaser said:


> Seems like if you have a 12" fin your going to draw 12". I could be wrong but that would mean my big fat boat draws lees than your SUP[/QUOTE it drafts 3". He is talking length


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

My bad


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

Permitchaser, had a good laugh on that one easy mistake, good math though... but yes that is the main problem, most non specialty SUP's do come with a fin that is 9" deep and the board depending on its volume rating and the balancing of the load does draw an inch or so not including the fin depth.

My 14'4" canoe will float or pole in about 2" of water, the 16' kayak about the same but can't stand in that one, the 12' kayak about 2.5" of water standing closer to 3" sitting... my old DragonFly SUP 13'6" had the shallow water fin that was approx about 4" deep would do well in 4" to 6" of water, the current SUP with my custom 2" fin will get into 3" or 4" depending on where I stand on the board.

But then the flats are not really flat and in negative low tides wet is dry sometimes and 4" to 6" with the uneven bottom, rock, limbs, and abandoned traps is many times a surprise face plant when you catch on something unexpected just below the surface.
When I am up in 12" to 18" of water, with a covering of good turtle or eel grass even a fin clipping the tops of that grass spooks fish. So is the never ending reason for the continuous search for a good shallow water fin.
Unlike a skiff or flats boat we can't raise or lower the fin with trim/tilt or a jack plate, once you launch its there and without it its kinda like a sailboat without a keel.


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## Edward Avelar (Aug 20, 2018)

el9surf said:


> Pretty sure it's the same fin as the one I posted, it has the same dimensions, just with an added logo. The one I got fits just fine. Had to rub some bar soap on the sides of the base to get it to slide in, tight fit.
> 
> These are 3" tall. I think the bonefish hippies is around 3 inches as well.
> 
> ...


Have you ever used the board without fins?


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Edward Avelar said:


> Have you ever used the board without fins?


No, don't have any plans to either. Don't think it would track well enough for the distance I have to paddle to find fish.


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## g8rfly (Oct 9, 2011)

el9surf said:


> No, don't have any plans to either. Don't think it would track well enough for the distance I have to paddle to find fish.


I've done it- unintentionally (left fins at home). It's not fun.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

One of the best things about those bonefish style fins is that they are effectively a kickstand for your SUP. Sits nice and level on dry ground when you are getting ready to go...


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

el9surf said:


> No, don't have any plans to either. Don't think it would track well enough for the distance I have to paddle to find fish.


I paddle my L2Fish without fins all the time. I've never had any real issues, all but one time. I mothershipped the boards way up into the everglades backcountry and had a hard time going through the winding creeks that had a lot of current. That's the only time I have wished I had fins. 

The catamaran design makes it track much better than a conventional paddleboard design. I tried putting 2 bonefish hippie fins on my Live L2Utility board and it wouldn't turn in the high current areas. I had to jump off and spin it by hand. That board is narrower, and the 4 fins on the bottom made it want to dart straight through the current. That's why I say in this scenario of using a Live Watersports board, it may be best to have single finned fins on each side.


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

crboggs said:


> One of the best things about those bonefish style fins is that they are effectively a kickstand for your SUP. Sits nice and level on dry ground when you are getting ready to go...


Be careful sitting your board on the fins as a kickstand. The L2, like the DragonFly are pretty tuff boards but EPS/Expoy boards are not and that's a quick and easy way to cause a leak around the fin box.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Yeah...I never do it with any degree of heavy weight.


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## Edward Avelar (Aug 20, 2018)

I got my Salamander Paddle Gear 3 inch fins and they work like a dream.


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

That Salamander fin appears to be the same 3" flexible fin as others with their logo on the side.

A pair of them on the L2Fish board seems like they would work great on all but perhaps the windy'est of days, they should not need much fin... I always thought with a little design tweak to the rear of the Cat/Pontoon-Hull they could get by with no fin like kayaks do.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

krash said:


> That Salamander fin appears to be the same 3" flexible fin as others with their logo on the side.
> 
> A pair of them on the L2Fish board seems like they would work great on all but perhaps the windy'est of days, they should not need much fin... I always thought with a little design tweak to the rear of the Cat/Pontoon-Hull they could get by with no fin like kayaks do.


Agreed, just a built in keel of some sorts. Good thing with the short flexi fin is that it will take the abuse instead of the gel coat.


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

Bumping this thread as I just picked up a Jimmy Lewis cruise control and need a new shallow water fin made. Can anyone point me in the right direction on where to get one made or how to make? Leaning towards the BF type.


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## kbanashek (Apr 5, 2017)

I believe you will have to shave these down to fit in the Bote fin channel, but for $15...










https://www.nrs.com/product/86101.0...MIhoCb3bvR5wIVJIVaBR0tigzpEAQYAiABEgJiTvD_BwE


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