RAMPANT part 5: foiling the Patu fin

A perfectly foiled fin delivers noticeable performance gains over the usual run of the mill underwater appendages. Both cross sectional foil and distal taper are here being carefully applied to the central planar fin by hand, a process which takes several days. The even grained old growth Kahikatea wood allows accurate shaping and is immensely strong.

A 'distressed wood' look has been achieved via the coloured resin layers which reveal the deliberately rough sawn surfaces of the timber.