Anyone know where I can get fins for the Ventral fin system used in Hansen surfboards ftom the 1969 / 1970 era? Thnx
Good luck. I’d bet that Ventral is harder to find than Guidance. Besides Hansen, I can’t think of another label that used those. Best bet is to scour ebay, I siuppose?
Thnx sammy i contacted hansen to see if they had any ideas. I may just build a new fin and use the old base
If the intent is to make a rider out of this board, I’d give a serious look at putting in an FU box. Hansen, after trying several other fin systems, settled on the FU system. Resale, if you decided to, would be easier with an FU box in it. Many more nice glass fins available. Just my take on it.
I’d say you’re lucky to have that fin at all. I’m guessing you want to try a different fin style/shape since you already have that one? Maybe a 3d printer could be your solution?
Since the base is all right angle cuts it may be possible to just construct a new one by hand?
Bill’s suggestion is another way to go. The board does not score high in the collector market as it’s pretty generic for the period. Boards that have value should not be modded but the choice is whether it will be resold, or just become a rider. If it will be a rider replacing the box is no crime.
I do want to ride this, but I don’t think it’ll ever be a daily driver. And I do want to honor its collectable status as a vintage transitional board & eventually sell it as such. Because the fin box / system is so specific to the time it was made I hesitate to eliminate it, although adding a new fin box is the more practical solution.
I think I could make my own, but I don’t have the stationary shop tools that would make it easy. I think if would be easier to build a new fin around the old base. I’d lose the original fin, but it would be a compromise.
Either way, I’d like to get some extra fins for it, there must be some out there somewhere.
There may well be, but most likely at a price you will choke on !
I think Sammy is right, you (especially you) should be able to hand make a fin from scratch, to fit that box.
You’re probably right Bill, on both counts: if I find a Ventral fin on ebay it’ll likely be priced way high, and as Sammy said I could probably make my own.
I do agree with you Sammy that its a good project for a 3D printer.
Meanwhile, I have to believe there are some old Ventral fins laying around somebody’s shop or garage that they would be happy just to send to someone who could use them for a reasonable price to cover the hassle. A quick look in ebay showed nothing available now.
I may run a wanted ad in classifieds for awhile, although hopefully this thread will be enough to alert anyone out there who has one that I’m looking for some old Ventral fins.
I would like to get my hands on a few, now that I have a board with the Ventral box. To all outward appearances (never having used it) it looks like a pretty good system. The main drawback that I see is you could lose a fin in a wipeout, and especially with them being so hard to get, that’s an issue. The other issue is that adjustability is limited to incrments of 5/8".
Make a silicone mold of the base. Then, put any fin you want in the base and glass = new fin.
Just as an update, I’ve got an ad in classifieds in case anyone has one & wants to let it go for a reasonable price.
I did find a source who has one & priced it like its the holy grail. Its just a cheap old plastic fin that almost nobody has any use for.
So yes, it looks like I will probably attempt to fabricate my own.
I’ve got an old Hansen stratoglass that has the same system, but I damn near pulled the boxes out trying to get the fins out before I gave up. Too bad too, some guy was willing to give me a decent amount of $$$ for the fins…
My impression is that the system is a good fin system, but I would put the fin in before a surf & take it out after, I wouldn’t leave it in for an extended period of time. For that very reason.