Fins

Tom Hammerton is the owner and designer of Black Project Fins. He officially launched Black Project in 2010 after spending several years working to develop them with the simple goal: To make the best fins possible.

Black Project Fins is something that has grown and evolved over the last few years. It all started because I simply was not happy with the quality of fins available. I had tried all kinds of brands and it just seemed I was not getting the performance I should. Being a sail designer and having studied aerodynamics in college I thought I could do better. The very first fin I made had the exact performance predicted and exceeded my expectations for control – it was an excellent start. Encouraged by this I dove into some serious research and started using Computational Fluid Dynamics software to test various stock foils (I have a library of over 1000!). Most foils are in fact designed for aircraft and were never intended to be used as windsurfing fins in water. So I developed my own foils that are specific to water and the correct scale.Design is only part of a good fin. A good design will be worthless if it cannot be accurately reproduced in production and it must stand up to thr rigors of everyday use. All Black Project Fins are manufactured using precision CNC milling machines to a very high tolerance. It might surprise you to know that the vast majority of fins are hand foiled in sanding rooms by grinders. Even though this is the cheapest way to produce a fin you will never see a hand foiled fin with the Black Project name on it. All our fins are made from G-10 epoxy panels which make the most durable fins. There are cheaper options out there but again you won’t see it on our fins. The Tuttle and Powerbox bases on our fins are milled from solid G-10, not potted with filler material. Rather than thread the G-10 we use solid brass inserts that can be replaced if the threads are ever damaged. No short cuts are ever taken.