Fin Box

[robwootton]

Hi Roger,

I'm 70 kg on a 2005 Starboard Carve 145 using 7m Tush T-Bird and Stock Drake Freeride 520 fin, sailing on a lake in any wind upto a max of around 25mph (feels too strong after that). I'm in the harness and getting used to being and getting in the straps.

I'm looking to get a smaller fin at around 38 to 40cm ('m not going to get a sail larger than 7m). Hopefully this smaller fin will help with control issues in the stonger end my my sailing winds.

My question is that:

My stock fin looks like its a tuttle box fin (5cm long root on the long side, 3cm on the short), but the board has a deep tuttle box (according to Starboard Website). Thus why would Starboard supply a deep tuttle board with a tuttle fin?
And...
Is it best for me to get a tuttle or deep tuttle as my new fin? Bearing in mind that I may move down to a similar board around 120 litres in around 6 months time, and could possibly use a new tuttle fin in this also.

Thanks,
Rob

[Roger]

Hi Robwooton,
The main reason that the Deep Tuttle fin box was designed was strength issues with fins 60 cm and deeper in std. Tuttle boxes.
The boxes just could not handle the leverage and forces fins larger than about 55-58 cm could generate.
So, your Carve 145 does indeed have a Deep Tuttle fin box.
And....yes it comes supplied with a 52 cm fin with a std. Tuttle fin root.
That's one nice thing about the Tuttle System. You can easily fit std. Tuttle fins into Deeep Tuttle fin boxes.
You cannot however put a deep Tuttle fin in a std. Tuttle box as the extra 18 mm
(0.709") will not fit in the std. depth fin box.
So, you can easly buy a std. Tuttle aftermarket fin and fit it to the deep Tuttle fin box in your Carve 145.
Down the road, if you get the smaller board with the std Tuttle fin box, your new fins will be pretty easy to fit in that board also.
Sometimes there a minor differences in angle and width tolerance, and you have to do a bit off filing (with a hand file) to get a perfect fit, but it does not take long and you can fit your fins so they are totally solid in the fin box and absolutley fair with the bottom of your board.
One other difference is the length of your fin screws. You need fin screws that are about 18-20 mm longer to put a std. Tuttle fin in a Deep Tuttle fin box. This would be 18-20 mm longer than the stock screws for a deep Tuttle fin.
Conversely, if fitting a Deep Tuttle into a board like your Carve 145, you would need fin screws about 18-20 mm shorter.
Hope this helps,